The news broke yesterday afternoon, Greenville FC had decided to pull out of the 2020 NPSL. The press release (as seen below) sites the exit of multiple Southeast conference opponents as the main reason for the decision. This offseason has seen Asheville City (USL2), Chattanooga (NISA), and Atlanta SC (NISA) all depart for other leagues, both professional and amateur. Just looking at the list of clubs from last season (2019) and comparing it to this season, it’s clear the quality of the conference has dropped significantly.

As of the time of this article, the NPSL website has already updated to indicate Greenville’s hiatus, showing the Southeast conference as containing Georgia Revolution, Inter Nashville FC, and North Alabama SC. Also included in the club list for the conference are two placeholders listed as “To Be Announced.” Which clubs these represent isn’t known at this point, but including two (as compared to one) certainly gives the impression that they are specific clubs in mind for the league.

Speculating on the Greenville’s new status, the explanation, centered on the shakeups to the conference, leaves something to be desired. Greenville has been on the rise since their first season in 2018. After finishing near the bottom of the table in 2018, the club made the Southeast conference playoffs in 2019. After the release of the news yesterday, we have spoken with supporters of the team and they highlighted the drop in attendance when the USL1 club, Greenville Triumph, moved into town last season. Those supporters speculated that Greenville FC may be returning to an approach more focused on local talent development, through indoor or small-sided play. They also mentioned the club has been very quiet during the offseason, further contributing to dwindling fan support. All of those concerns and comments are, of course, speculation, but speculation well-informed by the situation on the ground in Greenville.

Regardless of the long-term results of this move, grassroots soccer is better with Greenville FC in it. The NPSL is better with Greenville FC in it. Seeing a playoff-quality club forced to decide to go into hiatus is a bad thing. Soccer leagues need to be more focused on the sustainability of their member clubs, rather than simply adding expansion sides to replace those exiting. We need more clubs outgrowing the leagues than closing up shop. The cycle of clubs expanding and folding should be of great concern to all of us, especially the fans.

Best of luck to Greenville FC in their reorganization efforts.