The League for Clubs announces true semi-professional men’s league for 2027
The League for Clubs (TLfC) has announced today its intentions to launch a new league that will aim to bridge the gap between amateur and professional soccer in the United States. It is the latest attempt to launch a full-season amateur league, following in the footsteps of NISA Nation and NPSL Founders Cup. The league will be sanctioned through the US Adult Soccer Association, who sanction the existing amateur league and competitors such as NPSL.
The new league is expected to run from April through October. Regular-season play will be regionally based to help reduce travel expenses. Regional champions will advance to a National Finals event, where the winning club will receive an unspecified cash prize.
So what happened to those earlier attempts at full season amateur play? Well, the National Independent Soccer Association stumbles along, albeit with their supposedly fully professional first division often playing host to players still owed their fees. NISA Nation has laid the groundwork for the regionalized schedule touted by TLfC, with the regional champions then progressing into a playoff of sorts for a National Championship. There are affiliated leagues around the country, although promotion and relegation are matters of debate rather than mandatory based on sporting performance. It is unclear how much players in NISA Nation are paid.
The National Premier Soccer League’s attempt at semi-pro came to an ignominious end as the majority of the clubs chose the NISA path instead.
In a unique move which echoes the “non-league” National League system in England, clubs will be permitted to roster both compensated and non-compensated players – allowing for a range of circumstances currently not taking place in US soccer, including college athletes with Name, Image and Likeness deals playing alongside post-college amateurs or professionals. This brings into existence the first real semi-pro league in America, where players are paid, but contractually able to perform another job to make a living. The English system is full of electricians, plumbers etc. who also play footy at the weekend.
Up until now, rosters in USASA leagues had been either entirely amateur or entirely professional, although leagues could host both pro and amateur athletes on different teams. The USASA rules have this to say:
In addition to player registration fees set by USASA, proof of the appropriate documents
and fees to reinstate a player to amateur status or to register a player as a professional as
required by USSF policies must be submitted to USASA.
Speaking about the new division, Casey Cantor, TLfC Commissioner said
“We are excited to introduce a new competitive tier above standard amateur play, helping bridge a long-standing gap in the U.S. soccer landscape on the pathway to the professional level. We look forward to the potential opportunities this pro/am league can provide for clubs, their players and staff, referees and fans who have the desire to compete in, work at, or support a local club at the highest levels of soccer in America.”