With the cancellation of the 2020 season, the NPSL has announced the launch of an eLeague to help supply NPSL fans with a soccer fix. In a press release today, the league laid out the format for the new league. The tournament will be 11v11 style on the FIFA Pro Clubs platform. The inclusion of VPG, a big name in the industry, certainly lends credibility to the new eLeague.

“The NPSL is excited to enter the esports market for the first time,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “The VPG eNPSL will be a great way to bring our community members together for friendly competition on a virtual pitch. This will also be an opportunity to take the NPSL brand beyond our traditional boundaries and into new households across the country.”

“It’s fantastic to see the NPSL getting involved in the 11v11 FIFA esports,” Virtual Pro Gaming CEO Arron Dellosa said. “All of the teams entering into this will benefit massively as football has been postponed around the world. Many fans and gamers will enjoy watching the content created from FIFA 11v11. I am looking forward to getting this started.”

So far 8 clubs have signed up to participate: Atlantic City FC, Central Florida Panthers SC, Denton Diablos FC, Duluth FC, Fort Worth Vaqueros, Milwaukee Torrent, Muskegon Risers, and Ozark FC. We spoke with Damon Gochneaur about his club, Denton Diablos, participating in the competition. “The Diablos are excited to continue to grow the beautiful game, and one way or another, find a way to play soccer. The 11v11 format will provide an exciting format that will embody the spirit of the game. But most importantly, one way or another, we’re excited to face off in the first ever online Chisholm Trail Clasico against the Fort Worth Vaqueros.”

The schedule of the competition has yet to be announced, but the league did roll out a slick new logo for the league. Won’t lie, it’s pretty awesome. When we know more about the specifics of the league, we’ll pass them to you.

- Dan Vaughn