RICHMOND, Va. (May 12, 2026) - More than 60 clubs will be moving up or entering the ECNL competition pyramid next season, as 14 new clubs are being promoted into the ECNL, and 46 new clubs are being promoted into the ECNL Regional League. In addition, 11 new Pre-ECNL Leagues will launch in the 2026-27 season to further help clubs support the development of their younger players. These additions and promotions solidify and showcase the league's proven pathway for clubs and players, and the ECNL's continued emphasis on rewarding performance on the field while providing the best youth sports experience in the world.
"Every club in the ECNL or ECNL Regional League, whether new or promoted, has a shared commitment to supporting and fulfilling the league's vision and values," said ECNL President Christian Lavers. "Our core value of competition rewards clubs for their performances on the field through multiple seasons and age groups, as they earn promotion into the ECNL or the ECNL Regional League. Our values of service and innovation are reflected in the addition of new Pre-ECNL leagues and competitions to support improved environments and pathways for players and coaches in Zone 1. Most importantly, inherent in every program and service is our commitment to collaboration with club leaders across the country to push the sport forward and collectively chase our vision to provide the best youth sports experience in the world."
Below is a further look at each league and their specific additions for the 2026-2027 season.
ECNL Boys
This year, seven clubs were promoted from ECNL Regional League Boys into ECNL Boys, with another three joining ECNL Boys from other leagues. Through their dominating performances in the ECNL Regional League, FL Premier SWFL will join the Florida Conference, Arkansas Comets and Oklahoma Energy will join the Heartland Conference, Coastal Rush and Tennessee United will join the Mid-America Conference, Select MA will join the New England Conference and Folsom Lake Surf will join the Northern Cal Conference.
Also joining the league this fall will be Napa United (Northern Cal Conference), Oakwood SC (New England Conference), and Rochester NY FC (Ohio Valley Conference). Sting Dallas will also be joining the ECNL Boys Texas Conference after an acquisition of the BVBIA - Texas club.
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Club
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Conference
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Arkansas Comets
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Heartland Conference
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Coastal Rush
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Mid-America Conference
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FL Premier SWFL
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Florida Conference
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Folsom Lake Surf
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Northern Cal Conference
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Napa United
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Northern Cal Conference
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Oakwood SC
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New England Conference
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Oklahoma Energy
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Heartland Conference
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Rochester NY FC
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Ohio Valley Conference
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Select MA
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New England Conference
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Tennessee United
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Mid-America Conference
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In total, ECNL Boys will include more than 170 clubs across 15 conferences this fall, reflecting the great depth of quality boys clubs in the country.
"After celebrating more than 20 promotions from the ECNL Regional League to the ECNL last season, we are excited to congratulate 10 new clubs on joining the ECNL Boys for the 2026-27 season," said ECNL Boys Commissioner Jason Kutney. "ECNL Boys continues to grow stronger every year as we honor the performance of clubs within the league, identify the best ways to improve the experience for all clubs and players, and guarantee the best showcasing opportunities. Thank you to the clubs for continuing to push this platform to evolve and improve every year as the top youth competition in the country."
ECNL Girls
Four clubs were promoted from ECNL Regional League Girls to ECNL Girls: South Carolina Surf into the Mid-Atlantic Conference, Team Boca into the Southeast Conference, Lonestar SC into the Texas Conference, and Stanislaus Surf into the Northern Cal Conference. FC Westlake will also be joining the ECNL Girls Texas Conference after an acquisition of the Sting Austin club.
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Club
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Conference
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Lonestar SC
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Texas Conference
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Stanislaus Surf
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Northern Cal Conference
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South Carolina Surf
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Mid-Atlantic Conference
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Team Boca
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Southeast Conference
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ECNL Girls will include 129 clubs across 10 conferences this fall, keeping the league a very similar size as the last several years in order to maintain the unmatched quality of competition while still rewarding performance.
"ECNL Girls is the undisputed standard for elite youth girls soccer, and these additions continue to reflect that fact," said ECNL Girls Commissioner Chris Leahey. "Every year the level of competition in the league rises, and these promoted clubs will elevate the league once again. Our league continues to solidify the pathway from the ECNL Regional League to the ECNL, and I'm grateful for all of the work and commitment of the coaches, teams, and players.
ECNL Regional League Boys
ECNL Regional League Boys has once again seen an impressive influx of talent for the upcoming 2026-27 season, as 22 clubs are set to join the platform, providing better access for more families across the country as the league's footprint and size now covers nearly every state in the country.
For next season, Catawba Valley YSA, Jacksonville Hammerheads and Villareal Force Academy will compete in the Regional League - Carolinas, Broken Arrow Express will compete in the Regional League - Frontier, Rochester FC NY will compete in the Regional League - Great Lakes Alliance, Napa United will compete in the Regional League - Golden State, Louisiana Elite will compete in the Regional League - Gulf Coast, Sporting Iowa Strikers - East will compete in the Regional League - Heartland, Eclipse Select SC will compete in the Regional League - Midwest, Arizona SC will compete in the Regional League - Mountain, Oakwood SC will compete in the Regional League - New England, Flash Binghamton, Fox Soccer Academy, Keystone Athletic, Long Island Slammers and PA Rush will all compete in the Regional League - Northeast, WFC Rangers and Valor Soccer will compete in the Regional League - Northwest, Empire Surf and FC Long Beach will compete in the Regional League - SoCal, and Charlotte SA - South Carolina will compete in the Regional League - Southeast.
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Club
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Regional League
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Arizona SC
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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Broken Arrow Express
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ECNL RL - Frontier
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Catawba Valley YSA
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ECNL RL - Carolinas
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Charlotte SA - South Carolina
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ECNL RL - Southeast
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Eclipse Select SC
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ECNL RL - Midwest
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Empire Surf
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ECNL RL - SoCal
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FC Long Beach
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ECNL RL - SoCal
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Flash Binghamton
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Fox Soccer Academy
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Jacksonville Hammerheads
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ECNL RL - Carolinas
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Keystone Athletic
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Lexington SC
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ECNL RL - Great Lakes Alliance
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Long Island Slammers
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Louisiana Elite
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ECNL RL - Gulf Coast
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Napa United
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ECNL RL - Golden State
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Oakwood SC
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ECNL RL - New England
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PA Rush
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Rochester NY FC
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ECNL RL - Great Lakes Alliance
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Sporting Iowa Strikers - East
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ECNL RL - Heartland
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Valor Soccer
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ECNL RL - Northwest
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Villareal Force Academy
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ECNL RL - Carolinas
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WFC Rangers
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ECNL RL - Northwest
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Next season, ECNL Regional League Boys will feature more than 390 clubs in 26 different ECNL Regional Leagues.
"I am extremely excited to welcome these clubs for next season, rewarding them for their performance level in many different leagues during the past years," said ECNL Regional League Boys Commissioner Andy Coverstone. "As the country's biggest proving ground, the ECNL Regional League Boys will continue to provide great opportunities for athletes to showcase their talents, teams to chase a robust postseason and championship pathway, and clubs to prove their quality for promotion in the future."
ECNL Regional League Girls
ECNL Regional League Girls has added 24 clubs into the platform for the 2026-27 season, including the launch of the ECNL Regional League - Far West.
In 2026-27, Catawba Valley YSA will play in the Regional League - Carolinas, Capital FC, Eugene Metro, FC Portland, Oregon Premier, Portland City, and United PDX will all play in the Regional League - Far West, Broken Arrow Express will play in the Regional League - Frontier, Villareal Erie Academy will play in the Regional League - Great Lakes Alliance, Louisiana Elite will play in the Regional League - Gulf Coast, Arizona SC, CCV Stars, El Paso Locomotive, La Roca South and New Mexico Rapids will all play in the Regional League - Mountain, Napa United will play in the Regional League - NorCal Premier League, Keystone Athletic, Lancaster FC and PA Rush will play in the Regional League - Northeast, Valor Soccer and WFC Rangers will play in the Regional League - Northwest, and Empire Surf and LAFC SoCal will play in the Regional League - Southern Cal.
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Club
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Regional League
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Arizona SC
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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Broken Arrow Express
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ECNL RL - Frontier
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Catawba Valley YSA
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ECNL RL - Carolinas
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Capital FC
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ECNL RL - Far West
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CCV Stars
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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El Paso Locomotive
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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Empire Surf
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ECNL RL - Southern Cal
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Eugene Metro
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ECNL RL - Far West
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FC Portland
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ECNL RL - Far West
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Kansas Rush
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ECNL RL - Heartland
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Keystone Athletic
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Louisiana Elite
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ECNL RL - Gulf Coast
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La Roca South
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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LAFC SoCal
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ECNL RL - Southern Cal
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Lancaster FC
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Napa United
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ECNL RL - NorCal Premier League
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New Mexico Rapids
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ECNL RL - Mountain
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Oregon Premier
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ECNL RL - Far West
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PA Rush
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ECNL RL - Northeast
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Portland City
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ECNL RL - Far West
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United PDX
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ECNL RL - Far West
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Valor Soccer
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ECNL RL - Northwest
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Villareal Erie Academy
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ECNL RL - Great Lakes Alliance
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WFC Rangers
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ECNL RL - Northwest
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ECNL Regional League Girls will see more than 375 clubs compete in 25 different ECNL Regional Leagues.
"As we continue to innovate and improve the structure and quality of our competition, we are thrilled to launch the ECNL Regional League Girls - Far West this season and to welcome more high performing clubs into the platform," said ECNL Regional League Girls Commissioner Mikayla Hampton. "The club and player pathway for girls has never been stronger, with more clubs seeing their performances recognized with promotion and rewarded with incredible competition opportunities like the Leaders Cup. The ECNL Regional League Girls continues to separate itself from other leagues in quality and experience by rewarding merit on the field, and the pathway from those leagues, to the ECNL Regional League, to the ECNL even stronger moving forward."
Pre-ECNL
After an incredibly successful first season of Pre-ECNL Cups, and a new commitment to the Pre-ECNL league experience, the platform will expand with 11 new leagues set to kick off in 2026-27.
Set to debut next year in both boys and girls will be Pre-ECNL - Colorado, Pre-ECNL - Far West, Pre-ECNL - Northwest and Pre-ECNL - Utah. Pre-ECNL Girls Mountain, Pre-ECNL Boys - Northeast (South) and Pre-ECNL Boys - South Texas are also all set to begin play next season.
Pre-ECNL will also expand age groups in the following leagues next year: Pre-ECNL Girls - Heartland, Pre-ECNL Boys & Girls - Lake Michigan, Pre-ECNL Boys - Northeast (North), Pre-ECNL Girls - Northeast, Pre-ECNL - North Atlantic and Pre-ECNL Boys - SoCal.
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League
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Designation
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Pre-ECNL - Colorado
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New League
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Pre-ECNL - Far West
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New League
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Pre-ECNL Girls - Heartland
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL - Lake Michigan
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL Girls - Mountain
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New League
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Pre-ECNL Boys - Northeast (North)
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL Boys - Northeast (South)
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New League
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Pre-ECNL Girls - Northeast
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL - Northwest
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New League
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Pre-ECNL - North Atlantic
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL Boys - SoCal
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Expansion
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Pre-ECNL Boys - South Texas
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New League
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Pre-ECNL - Utah
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New League
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"The response from our clubs to the league's renewed commitment to Zone 1 last year has been tremendous," said Pre-ECNL Commissioner Bobby Reiss. "While supporting and collaborating with local clubs and leagues, these new and expanded Pre-ECNL leagues will have a huge positive impact on the team competition experience, expose more players to great environments, and inspire kids to dream bigger. The Pre-ECNL age groups are some of the most important during the developmental process, and we're thrilled to be able to offer these opportunities to more athletes across the country."
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About the ECNL:
The ECNL is the nation's leading youth soccer development platform for America's top soccer players. The ECNL mission to provide the best youth sports experience in the world drives constant innovations in competitions and experiences for players, parents, families, coaches, referees, and partners. The ECNL has questioned convention and challenged the status quo of youth sport since 2009, pushing boundaries and striving for unmatched excellence. Together with its clubs and club leaders, the ECNL creates unforgettable memories and supports the development of youth players into college stars, professionals, world champions, and leaders.
www.TheECNL.com
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