An announcement of intriguing potential was made last week, as the Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) posted on its website and social media its intention to expand into the southeastern United States. According to the accompanying graphic that was provided by EPSL in their announcement, as many as six new conferences are being considered. The regional locations for each conference include one in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and two in Florida.

In an interview that was part of the announcement, key members of EPSL leadership put the case for their league and for its expansion before the public. Speaking on behalf of the league were Bill Marth (EPSL General Secretary), Aaron Sexton (EPSL Delaware River Conference Commissioner) and Nolan Bair (EPSL Northeast Conference Commissioner and CASA Executive Director). You can view the full interview, hosted by Josh Pratt from Game in Frame, at the league’s website.

The Case for EPSL

Lower League Fees

As a non-profit organization, EPSL believes it is able to set a price point for club fees that is enough so that the league does not lose money but is still lower than other fall-to-spring amateur leagues in the United States. As an example, the amount cited for annual club fees for the Delaware River Conference was $1250. (It was mentioned in the interview that some clubs run as pay-to-play, where players need to help contribute to the club fees).”If you charge too much,” explained Marth, “top clubs can’t afford it.”

Competition with Other Top Amateur Clubs and a Pathway to Pro

EPSL prides itself on having clubs with a long and storied history. The Metropolitan Conference is the home for well-known sides such as Lansdowne Yonkers, NY Pancyprian Freedoms and NY Greek Americans. Other well-regarded teams have recently joined EPSL: Christos FC in the Mid-Atlantic Conference, and West Chester Predators in the Delaware River Conference. And having a league like EPSL has given exposure to players who have gone on to play in professional leagues in this country and abroad.

A System of Promotion and Relegation with Existing Leagues

A point that was stressed during the interview was that EPSL does not look to destroy existing local amateur leagues but to partner with them. Marth noted that the EPSL was born from the Cosmopolitan League as an opportunity for league clubs to play at a higher level. The relationship between EPSL and the Cosmo League made it an easy place to start with promoting and relegating teams between the two based on merit. And now the Garden State Soccer League and the Long Island Soccer Football League have joined the Cosmo League as feeder leagues to the Metropolitan Conference. CASA in Philadelphia set up a top division above its existing divisions for the purpose of promotion and relegation with the Delaware River Conference (CASA in Boston recently announced that it will be doing the same for the Northeast Conference of the EPSL).

The Case for Southern Expansion

As a member of NISA Nation, EPSL sees moving into the South as a way to expand NISA Nation footprint. Currently, NISA Nation does not have any conferences in the states shown as expansion areas. (Florida Gold Coast League, an amateur league that plays a summer schedule, announced an affiliation with NISA Nation back in 2023). The system that EPSL currently uses (partnering with local leagues, promotion/relegation, keeping travel distances reasonable within a conference) is one that they believe will also work in the Southern region. As far as expanding to other regions, league officials were quick to say that they are not in competition with other NISA Nation regions and are focusing solely on the South.

What does this all mean? Between the work being done by the people at EPSL (as well as the folks over at the Southwest Premier League), we are now starting to see a framework where amateur clubs can move up and down based on merit from local to regional. It is still very much a work in progress, with conferences like the Northeast Conference in EPSL struggling to keep consistent club membership. But it is a framework that is being put into practical use, and is gaining some traction with existing local leagues willing to join in the experiment. A complete national system is still a long way away, and we don’t know if what the EPSL is doing is the right formula that would work everywhere. But it will be interesting to see how this develops over time.

As lower league soccer fans, we are used to seeing the ground littered with failed efforts that had good intentions. Will this be the one that clicks?

- John Howard-Fusco