The team would be considered "professional" since amateurs lose amateur status when they play WITH professionals (i.e., paid) players. That's partly how the NCAA/NAIA determines amateur status.
Then in that case, the term "semi-professional" could be used to describe the PDL & NPSL leagues but not an individual team, because the leagues may contain both amateur and professional teams.
No, it's still an amateur league...that's how amateurs can still compete in it and hold amateur status. Labeling it as anything else can harm amateur status. And, why label it anything else when NO governing bodies use the term "semi-professional?"
No, actually, it isn't. NCAA players are allowed to play with paid players, with some restrictions, and retain amateur status.
Nope. Not at all. They can play against them, not on the same team though. Unless you are talking about different sports...in which a soccer player could've competed in another sport to get paid and still be an amateur soccer player. And, players can play within a "professional" system before college -- i.e., high school aged players within a DA can play MLS reserve team before college, but lose their amateur status if they play with the reserve team while in college.
I looked it up, and you're right. I stand corrected. That rule must have been changed recently, because it used to be okay for PDL teams to have professional players. The USL even had a rule as to how many, which mirrored the NCAA regulation specifically because they wanted to keep college players eligible.
PDL teams can have professional players. Those players can compete against collegiate-filled PDL teams...but cannot be comprised of college and paid players.
The Tulsa Athletics had to declare their team amateur so that the college kids could retain eligibility. The downside is it means Levi Coleman, Michael Ponys etc can get "paychecks" from the Tulsa Revolution PASL franchise this winter but could not/cannot be paid by the A's as long as the team has college players on it. We had to wait until after Tulsa Univ finals were over before any of their players could practice with the squad.
Um...I meant that PDL teams used to be able to pay some of their players and have the others retain their college eligibility. There was a limit of three or four, IIRC.
That has been quite awhile since that's been the case. Also, PDL teams can "pay" players that are on the amateur teams if the players have jobs within the organization. That is another way around the structure of an "amateur" team -- i.e., pay for coaching, administration work, camps, etc.
I've posted this in the "You be the Hitch" posting as well. There is no such thing as Semi-Pro. FIFA/US Soccer has Professional and Amateur designations. There is no such thing as Semi-Pro (unless something has changed in the last 1.5 years).
PA West Soccer NPSL Announces Tryouts for their 2014 squad. Tryouts will be December 21 from 7:00-10:00 AM at the Island Sports Complex on Neville Island. There is a non-refundable $50.00 fee to tryout; includes shirt. To register please complete the online application: Click Here Registration day of tryouts is $75.00. Location: Island Sports Center 7600 Grand Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15225 Tryouts are open to any adult male player. Players younger than 18 should contact PA West Soccer NPSL Technical Director Paul Halford to determine eligibility; youth players must have parental consent and approval of the PA West Soccer VP-Youth to participate in adult soccer activities.NPSL is a national league in the fourth division of the USSF playing pyramid. PA West Soccer NPSL will play in the Great Lakes Conference competing against Buffalo FC, Cincinnati Saints, AFC Cleveland, Erie Admirals, Detroit City, Sparta FC (Michigan), Lansing United. Players are registered with US Adult Soccer Association. It's Your Team - Name It!PA West Soccer is proud to announce we will have a team playing in the National Premier Soccer League beginning in May 2014. It’s your team and we’re giving you a chance to name it.The rules of the contest are pretty simple…send us your suggestion for a name. The name can project the history of our area, the industry we’ve known, the legacy of our sport in our community, or simply be a name you think sounds cool.To submit your entry, email your suggestion to stateoffice@pawest-soccer.org or by regular mail to PA West Soccer, 111 Whitehead Lane, Suite 200, Monroeville, PA 15146 Attn: NPSL. The deadline to enter is December 5, 2013. Three finalists will be selected and an online vote will be taken from December 6 through 13, 2013. An announcement unveiling the name will be made on December 18, 2013. In addition to receiving bragging rights about naming a sports team, the person submitting the name chosen for the team will receive season tickets for the 2014 season (that's four seats for every home game), a photo with the team, and we'll dig through the team's closet to find you some other cool stuff.
I trained with NPSL today. tough lol. Took 3 hours, Very good, my fitness wasn't great. But i had fun. Anyway talking to the boss man, They have some investors from Brazil and that will help the club pay its bills. I was worried as it was a small populated area but there plan is to sell players onto Timbers or Sounders, this includes youth players from some Brazilian team (wasn't given a name of whom). There is a u18 team which is made up mostly of the High school soccer team who were runners up in the Oregon state championship grade 5a. I think they will do well in the NPSL regular season and i was worried about the clubs finances but with foreign backers (as long as they don't pull out) they should be fine.
Boise, Idaho... More just for awareness and see what's out there...only downfall, there is no PDL or NSPL in our backyard...all we have is the BYU Cougars and the PDL NW which is still a decent drive for us (6-7 hrs to PDX alone) https://twitter.com/ProSoccerBoise https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Pro-Soccer-to-Boise/517136168339417
not that i know of, Good young players here and if allowed train hard with this team they could stand out and if not straight into the MLS sides maybe their USL PRO affiliate (Sacramento?). Im not sure will it work but im happy to leave them try and i got a team to support within a hour drive (about 20 mins from my house). Playing at a high school stadium so no beer :-(
December 2, 2013 The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that FC Carolina Discoveries (Rock Hill, SC) has joined the league as an expansion team. They will begin play in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the South Region in 2014. "NPSL welcomes FC Carolina Discoveries to the NPSL South Region where we are continuing to see impressive growth,” NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock stated. “The world’s most popular game is coming to Rock Hill, South Carolina in a major way through Carolina Discoveries, who are bringing a great networking of international relationships to their NPSL team which will benefit the NPSL, the Discoveries Soccer Club, and soccer players throughout the Rock Hill area." The Mid-Atlantic Conference already includes NPSL Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), CASL Elite (Raleigh, NC), Chesterfield United FC (Chesterfield, VA), D.C. United U-23 NPSL (Fairfax, VA), Myrtle Beach Mutiny (Myrtle Beach, SC), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), and defending NPSL National Champion RVA Football Club (Richmond, VA). Supported by Swedish company Trig.com and with administrative support provided by Global Premier Soccer, FC Carolina Discoveries has the correct blend to compete and prosper at the national level. The club is led by the pairing of Dave Carton and Magnus Hedman. Carton, who is Executive Director for Discoveries Soccer Club, will be general manager and head coach for the first team. Former Celtic and Chelsea goalkeeper Magnus Hedman, who made 58 international appearances for Sweden, will serve on the board of directors. “We are thrilled to see this project finally be realized,” Carton remarked. “It has been a long-term goal of mine to take soccer in York County to the next level and this project will now provide all players and soccer lovers in our community with a top-level organization that will represent the values and ideals of Discoveries Soccer Club.” The team will play their home matches at Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex, which hosted the USYSA National Championships in 2012. This facility features eight fields and two stadiums, complete with floodlights. This facility is widely regarded as the premier soccer-specific facility in the Southeast. The club boasts a plethora of relationships in the international game, including a formal partnership with Spanish side UE Cornellà. “We are extremely excited and proud to be involved in this league,” Carton declared. “The rate of expansion has been meteoric and we are thrilled to be a part of it. It has been a long-term goal of Discoveries Soccer Club to add an adult team that can reflect the hard work that has been put in over the years with our youth academy, and we are now looking forward to continuing our footballing emphasis and philosophy into the adult game.” FC Carolina Discoveries joins BCS Clash (Bryan-College Station, TX), Minnesota United FC Reserves (Blaine, MN), Greater Lowell United Football Club (Lowell, MA), Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves (Atlanta, GA), NPSL Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA), FC Bordo Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO), PA West Soccer (Pittsburgh, PA), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Nashville Atlas FC (Nashville, TN), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), Cincinnati Saints (Cincinnati, OH), Flower Mound FC (Flower Mound, TX), Temecula FC (Temecula, CA), Storm FC (Broward County, FL), and Lansing United (Lansing, MI) as expansion clubs for the 2014 season. Further information about FC Carolina Discoveries can be found on the web at www.discoveriessoccerclub.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/discoveriessoccerclub. The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 70+ markets across the country. Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL. Respectfully, Gary L. Moody Jr., M.Ed. International Soccer Network, LLC 330-205-2446
Sustainable no, I guess the NPSL (And PDL's?) strategy is to 'Johnny Appleseed' soccer teams all over the US and with expectations that most take root. Some teams will probably not survive after 1 year in operations, I guess, this expansion is good, as long as there is a steady net increase in NPSL teams year over year.
Expansion is good to a point. But expanding by that many teams that quickly is just bound to lead to failure of most of these teams. It really does seem they have little interest in the quality of the teams and are going simply for quantity. It's a strategy that has it's merits since it does fill in for the teams they've lost, but it seems to have a ton of drawbacks as well. It's far too easy to end up with another FCNY or worse and ultimately it's not doing anything to help the game.
I like how there is "concern" over expansion. Ever look at how many teams exist in the lower leagues across the world in their respective countries? They are everywhere and in little towns/villages. I know, things are operated a bit differently in other countries, at times (i.e., promotion/relegation). The only way the game will grow in the US is when the game is visible LIVE to the masses. Teams have to exist to get people passionate about it. There needs to be supporters of lower level teams in order for higher talent to be produced. Any opportunities for youths to play, is a good thing. For there to be 500+ colleges and universities across the country with soccer, there needs to be more than 120 amateur teams during the summers. These amateur teams aren't just comprised of college players, so factor in the amount of international players, adults, post-college, and even pre-college, we aren't anywhere close to what soccer NEEDS to be in this country. Unfortunately, we are just a massive land area to cover. That means money is required to operate these teams and leagues, which is not present like it is with other sports. I do understand the first NASL crumbled because of numerous reasons, one major reason was expansion too fast and to too many areas. That is different since there needed to be money to pay players. With amateur teams, the budgets are so much lower and can be managed easier. I'm pleased with expansion. In order for our country to get better, we need players playing and training longer. The DA system only affects around 4000 players (less than 100 per state). College soccer, by itself, isn't good enough. These amateur teams need to be options. The more teams that pop up, the easier it is to schedule and hopefully travel. Now...we just need NPSL and PDL to get along!
Again, how many new teams are coming in? How many aren't coming back for 2014? Looking at wiki (great source) it looks like this year they had 20 new teams but lost 8. Although net growth is good that seems like a lot lost. What's the numbers going into 14 looking?