The League For Clubs has made an offer to assume leadership over the remaining clubs of the NPSL. That offer was submitted to the NPSL Board earlier this week. According to the offer letter, the deal is being extended “to prevent the continued poaching of individual NPSL clubs by various leagues and, instead, offer a clear pathway for teams to join TLFC framework and together build towards a brighter future.”

Since launching at the end of July, The League For Clubs has grown rapidly since its inception and, according to the offer letter, is expecting 50 clubs to join the league over the next year. If true, it’s a sure sign that the frustration expressed by the founding clubs is felt at a much broader scale in the soccer landscape. The number of clubs joining could indicate a sea change in amateur soccer, which could spell problems for the continuation of the NPSL, who has long claimed to be the standard in American soccer leagues.

The letter claims that the NPSL is “trending towards destabilization” and there are certainly troubling trends within the league’s list of members. Over the last five years, the league has seen significant shrinkage in the number of quality soccer clubs on its roster. While multiple significant clubs made the jump to professional with NISA (and then on to other leagues including MLSNP and USLC), a further large number of clubs have made the decision to join USL League Two or other regional leagues. Included in that number are teams with large public followings like Minneapolis City, FC Buffalo, and Asheville City. Just last month, Laredo Heat, who made headlines this year with their new state-of-the-art stadium, announced it would be returning to USL League Two after seven seasons in the NPSL. According to Protagonist Soccer contributor Ryan Stallings, this offseason has so far seen USL League Two add 17 new teams and The League For Clubs 29 teams. While its competitors have grown this offseason, the NPSL has seen an overall reduction of 9 (added 6, lost 15).

In the past, the NPSL has dealt with these exits by adding clubs of reduced impact and stature, leading to a hollowing out of large portions of the map. It’s becoming a real problem and, regardless of the reasons for the exodus, something needs to be done from an organizational perspective.

The proposal laid out by The League For Clubs is as follows:

The League for Clubs will waive expansion fees for all NPSL clubs.
NPSL clubs joining TLFC will pay $4,500 in annual dues for the 2025 season plus $1,000 toward the travel playoff pool ($5,500 total).
NPSL clubs will be placed in conferences that will (1) minimize their travel (2) retain historical rivalries.
The Board of Directors of both TLFC and NPSL will work together to find a mutually agreed upon resolution for the transition of (a) staff, (b) remaining NPSL operating reserves, and (c) outstanding agreements or contracts with clubs and vendors.

As of the writing of this article, the NPSL has not responded to the offer. And while a reunification of old friends certainly seems appealing on paper, it is highly unlikely that the NPSL would accept such an offer. The founding members of The League For Clubs left (or were removed by) the NPSL after seeking changes in leadership and operations that were refused and resisted. Not much has changed in four months, at least publicly.

In the final paragraph of the offer letter, it states that “The League for Clubs is committed to providing National Premier Soccer League teams with a stable environment for growth and success.” If the NPSL Board is unwilling to accept a wholesale takeover of its organization, that promise of stability could be an offer too sweet to refuse for current NPSL teams unhappy with the direction of their league. The League For Clubs could lose the battle, but still win the war.

Wether this offer is nothing but a PR display or a sincere attempt to unify, it will be interesting to see how the NPSL’s leadership responds. The current front office has been extremely tight-lipped publicly and rarely comments quickly or with extensive explanations. The League For Clubs is making an offer the NPSL will most certainly refuse, but who wins the battle in public perception remains to be seen.

- Dan Vaughn