What is Leagues United and Why Was it Formed?
EPYSA, a USYSA affiliate, recently released a 5 year plan that has as its stated goals and objectives a significant re-structuring of the rules and regulations governing youth soccer. These goals and objectives are consistent with those mandated by Region 1 of USYSA for their member state organizations. Following release of this plan, the largest leagues located in southeastern Pennsylvania met to discuss these changes, the impact they would have on their leagues and member clubs as well as the management of USYSA/EPYSA. The conclusion reached after these discussions was that these changes in rules, regulations and management style were not in their or their member clubs' bests interests .
These leagues then formed an umbrella organization (Leagues United) to investigate other organizational options. These leagues are: DELCO, PAGSL., Independent Girls Soccer League, Philadelphia Department of Recreation, and Central Penn Youth Soccer League.
The options investigated by Leagues United included: staying with USYSA/EPYSA, forming an independent organization and US Club Soccer (USCS). There was some familiarity with USCS since about a dozen teams playing in the seven leagues had joint affiliation with both USYSA/EPYSA and USCS last year. Following meetings with EPYSA and USCS and discussions among the boards of the members of Leagues United, a decision was made that all seven members would affiliate with USCS for the U9 to U11 age groups beginning with the Fall 2003 season. Two leagues, DELCO and PAGSL, decided to offer two fall leagues to their members: a USCS league from U9 to U15 and an USYSA/EPYSA League for U12 and older for those teams that wished to qualify for the USYSA sponsored Snickers Cup.
Although Region 1 and EPYSA have rescinded some of the changes they were imposing for this coming year, they have not changed their overall goals and objectives – they have only changed the timeframe for implementation. Additionally, while the new league that Region 1, EPYSA and DYSA is forming borrows heavily from the organizational philosophy espoused by USCS and Leagues United, the members of Leagues United believe that their decision to affiliate with USCS offers their members the continuing ability to sponsor competitive leagues that both meet their members needs and provide local control and decision making in running of their leagues for now and the future.
At a recent meeting Leagues United established a board of directors.
Frequently Asked Questions about USCS
What is US
Club Soccer?
USCS is one of the three national affiliates of the United States Soccer Federation (“USSF”) governing youth soccer, US Youth Soccer (“USYS”) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (“AYSO”) are the other two national USSF affiliates. Formed in 2000, USCS is a non-profit (501.C.3) organization founded on the philosophies that:
The stated mission of USCS is:
To Create, Develop and Grow the best USSF sanctioned youth organization in order to foster the growth and development of club soccer programs and players (boys and girls) throughout the United States.
As a national affiliate of USSF, USCS can:
I
thought US Club Soccer was only for the very biggest and most competitive clubs?
USCS stated goal is to assist clubs and leagues at all levels to become the most successful organization possible.
An important concept for USCS is that while some clubs are more advanced than others and need to be recognized as such, it’s good for soccer that all clubs are provided with the tools to improve and develop their programs, and that help in doing so will come from USCS and the clubs themselves.
What does USCS
offer?
An organization where policy is determined by soccer people in soccer clubs and leagues.
Limited rules and the ability for clubs to develop players without interference.
Simplified player registration, on line, without massive paperwork, sign-offs and restrictions.
Sanctioning of leagues, easily, quickly, and inexpensively. League structure and competition rules are determined by the clubs/leagues
Sanctioning of tournaments for a minimal fee with approval in a few days, not months. Both USCS teams as well as USYS and AYSO teams may participate. USCS teams are never required to obtain state to state travel permission.
Insurance.
What about
tournaments?
In July of 2001, USCS became a national affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation, and as a result can run soccer programs, register players and sanction events such as tournaments, just as any USYS or AYSO state associations can.
Any tournament hosted by either a USYSA or USCS member can be an "open tournament" that accepts any team registered under any USSF affilate.
Any of the three USSF affiliates can sanction tournaments and as long as those tournaments are “Open” tournaments, any team registered with one of those three affiliates is able to participate.
If your USCS registered team wants to participate in the USYS run Snickers or Challenge Cup, it must also register with your state USYS affiliate (EPYSA, DYSA) and meet their criteria for participation.
USCS does not require permission to travel to any USCS sponsored event. If travel permission is required from a USYS team’s state association, and properly applied for, the state is required to issue the permission.
What about player
participation in the Olympic Development Program?
Players can still participate in the Olympic Development Program by directly registering with EPYSA on an individual basis – comparable to the dual registration that USCS registered teams need to do to participate in the Snickers cup
Can I be
disciplined by my state association for participating in US Club Socer?
No. USSF By-laws and federal law (the Amateur Sports Act) prohibits a player, coach, team or club from being discriminated against and punished for their participation in another USSF-sanctioned soccer organization. USCS will vigorously defend their members rights in any such manner.
Their website is www.usclubsoccer.org