CUSA Crew SC Accepted Into National Premier League
CUSA Crew SC (Centervile, Ohio) is proud to announce that they have been accepted into the National Premier Leagues (NPL) for the 2017-2018 season. CUSA Crew SC will be playing in
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CUSA Crew SC Accepted Into National Premier League
CUSA Crew SC (Centervile, Ohio) is proud to announce that they have been accepted into the National Premier Leagues (NPL) for the 2017-2018 season. CUSA Crew SC will be playing in the Great Lakes Alliance division which covers Ohio, Western New York and Western Pennsylvania.
NPL is an US Club Soccer league for U13-U19 teams that fosters the growth and development of Soccer Clubs in order to create the best possible development environment for players of all ages.
Director of Coaching Wichert de Wit said the following about entering this league: “Entering the Great Lakes Alliance (NPL) league is a great step in the right direction for our players. Of of the primary objectives of both US Club Soccer and CUSA Crew SC is the long-term player development. As part of the National Premier League, our top teams from U13 to U19 will have the opportunity to qualify for a national championship through meaningful high-level league play. The NPL systems of leagues, nation-wide, are known for their prestige and high competitive level. The NPL allows CUSA Crew SC players the opportunity to be scouted by US Soccer National Staff, as well as providing access to the id2 National Player Identification Program and various Showcase Events.”
“The NPL can look to CUSA Crew SC as a dedicated and strong contributing member,” CUSA Crew SC’s Executive Director Steve Thomas said. “Both our girls and boys teams will field highly competitive sides and a strong dedication to player development to an already challenging league. We look forward to the new challenge the NPL will bring to CUSA Crew SC and look forward to our first games in the fall of 2017.”
The addition of CUSA Crew SC to the Great Lakes Alliance NPL made sense, as both share common goals of player development and identification principles, Matt Schmidt, CUSA Crew SC Assistant Director of coaching, said. “The NPL has been raising the educational standards for youth players across the nation since 2011, and the acceptance by US Club Soccer of CUSA Crew SC to the Great Lakes NPL is a reward to our program’s growth and development in recent years,” Schmidt added. “By joining the Great Lakes NPL, we are reaching another milestone in making CUSA Crew SC a premier youth soccer club in Ohio.” Ed Bernstein the Great Lakes Alliance League Executive Director of the Great Lakes Alliance, said; “We are very pleased to have an organization of the caliber and with long storied history of CUSA Crew SC join our NPL league. As one of the oldest youth soccer clubs in the country with a very talented player development staff they will be a great asset to the Great Lakes Alliance NPL league! Bernstein added “The primary reason for creating the Great Lakes Alliance NPL is to produce a predictable and logical next-step environment focused on the players and their development. We are very excited about the new opportunities that the Great Lakes Alliance NPL creates for our clubs and their players.”
CUSA Crew SC will be holding informational meetings for prospective NPL players and parents in the East Commons at Centerville High School on Friday, April 14th, and Friday April 21st, from 6:00 to 7:30PM.
NPL Player Combines for prospective players and additional information sessions will be held on Friday, April 28th and Friday, May 12th (rain date May 19th) from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at the CUSA shelter at Oak Grove Park at 1790 E. Social Row Road, Dayton, OH, 45458 Registration information for the combines can be found at www.cusasoccer.org
For more information contact;
Wichert De Wit, Director of Coaching: 937-903-2522 wichert.dewit@cusasoccer.org
Steve Thomas, Executive Director: 937-776-5891 steve.thomas@cusasoccer.org
About the National Premier Leagues (NPL)
ABOUT:
The NPL was created to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape by extending developmental principles espoused by U.S. Soccer into more age groups and clubs, by linking competition with player development and identification platforms, and by providing meaningful weekly competition culminating in the NPL Finals.
National Premier Leagues is a CLUB BASED league platform that is sanctioned and administered by US Club Soccer which is comprised of multiple geographically organized and regionalized leagues. The champion crowned for each of the regionalized NPLs advance to a national championship.
The term “CLUB BASED” means that NPL division membership is extended to whole club organizations, not individual teams.
NPLs are independent leagues, unified under one national competition platform, and based on a common technical framework designed to improve long-term player development. The NPL provides a platform:
· focused on long-term player development;
· for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training-to-game ratios;
· that allows players to be scouted and evaluated by U.S. Soccer National Staff and Technical Advisors;
· that is designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs; and
· that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Finals.
EXECUTING US CLUB SOCCER'S 10-YEAR VISION:
The NPL is an important component of US Club Soccer's 10-year vision to refine the landscape for competitive youth soccer. This vision recognizes that:
· Properly-structured youth soccer clubs are the vehicle through which player development occurs in the United States.
· Clubs should play in leagues that provide meaningful games, allow establishment of the proper training-to-game ratio, and eliminate calendar congestion.
· NPLs, as well as the best clubs, should be integrated in US Club Soccer's id2 National Identification and Development Program, include Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and work closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development.
SHOWCASES:
The NPL held its inaugural NPL Showcase in March 2014, which brought teams from NPLs across the country to one site for intra-league competition and player showcasing. It featured 16-U, 17-U and 18-U boys teams at Heritage Park in suburban Las Vegas, Nev. Click here for a recap.
Following on the heels of that event, NPL Showcases for 15-U through 17-U elite girls teams were held in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016.
The NPL has also entered into partnerships with the Jefferson Cup and Surf Cup to provide slots to top NPL teams at those renowned events, beginning in 2015.
NPL FINALS:
The targeted destination for all NPL teams, and the culminating event each season, is the NPL Finals (formerly known as the NPL Champions Cup), where NPL national champions are determined. The NPL Finals feature qualifiers in 13-U through 19-U boys and girls age groups from every NPL across the country in a true "champions league" competition.
