It is the only thing that really made any sense to do, and today it was officially announced that the United Soccer Leagues (USL) will split itself into two distinct leagues for 2011: the PDL and the new USL Pro. One league (PDL) will feature amateur clubs and players over a short summer season, while the other (Pro) will combine all current professional clubs within the USL, including current division one, division two, expansion and PDL franchises making the move to pro status.
We have contacted the Kitsap Pumas in regards to whether or not this alters their plans for 2011, and hope to hear from them soon.
The move allows the USL to operate 'outside' of the pressure to be sanctioned as the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) official second-division (D2) league behind Major League Soccer. Now clubs within the USL Pro can unofficially be considered division three if the USSF awards D2 status to the NASL, or the whole of minor league pro soccer can remain in limbo without any official divisional status via the USSF. Either way, the clubs in the USL who want to remain or go pro will have fewer travel expenses in the USL Pro, which will adopt a regional format.
See the USL press release below:
TAMPA, Fla. – Designed to help ensure the long-term stability of professional soccer in North America, United Soccer Leagues announced the merger of its First and Second Divisions into a single league property for 2011 - USL PRO.
Team owners and league officials are meeting in Tampa, Florida today to lay the groundwork for the 2011 debut of USL PRO, which will be governed by team owners and present the highest level of competition in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean outside of Major League Soccer (MLS).
USL PRO is a national league featuring a regional competition model to build natural rivalries and reduce travel-related costs. The U.S. Soccer Federation-affiliated league benefits from the leadership of the dedicated and experienced professional staff at USL’s Tampa headquarters as well as the developmental support of USL’s proven and integrated system of leagues.
USL PRO will consist of as many as four geographic regions in 2011. Teams scheduled to compete in USL PRO in 2011 will be announced in the coming weeks.
“After much analysis of the current landscape we’ve chosen to combine our synergies into a single professional league that will operate within financial and competitive models that make sense,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “The USL PRO business plan is the first below the MLS level to give team owners a realistic roadmap to profitability. We need to focus on the future health of soccer in North America, and the USL PRO model addresses many of the issues that have led to the instability of men’s professional soccer below the MLS level.”
USL PRO will feature a Board of Governors responsible for making all major decisions for the league including expansion, competition format and commercial strategy. The league will focus on aggressive but deliberate growth by adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and USSF standards which are located in markets that further promote regional league play.
In its 25th consecutive year of operating professional soccer leagues in the Unites States, Canada and the Caribbean, USL has adjusted to the changing soccer landscape in North America on several previous occasions. In 2001 USL restructured its previously non age-restricted Premier Development League as a U23 league when men’s college players were in need of highly competitive training and playing options during the summer months. It was also the first entity to launch a national youth league for elite clubs, the Super Y-League.
USL’s professional staff includes not only experienced league administrators, but a large staff of sports professionals to assist teams in the areas of franchise development, international partnerships, marketing, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, communications, new media, broadcast production, web services and player registration. USL also features a full-time National Technical Director to assist teams with player identification and to help create opportunities for player advancement both domestically and internationally.
Comments
what are the pumas doing?
very interesting news. this has got to really be tempting for the Pumas now. what other time would jumping up basically 'fall into thier laps?'
The Pumas have made no official statement yet. Jeff Graham of the Kitsap Sun may have more in the next day or so. I would say what they do depends on how many clubs locally and up and down the west coast jump on board. If there are between 8-10 clubs who want to go pro in the west, then I would guess the Pumas are in. If not, they'll wait.
I just posted an article with a few comments from the Pumas.
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