US Youth Soccer Region I ERL & Elite Tournaments Announce Partnership
A new partnership between US Youth Soccer Region I Eastern Regional League and Elite Tournaments is providing a new opportunity for top youth talent to compete at the highest level. Introducing a set of showcase events, Mid-Atlantic and New England clubs will compete in league play within Elite Tournaments’ event schedule.
Youth Soccer News: The US Youth Soccer Region I Eastern Regional League and Elite Tournaments have announced a partnership for 2017 that will introduce a new showcase and group play opportunities. The partnership will see the top competitive teams from the Mid-Atlantic and New England states compete in league play within the structure of Elite Tournaments’ event schedule.
The league will follow the model established by the US Youth Soccer National League. The weekend events will serve as a showcase for top talent wishing to get recruited at the collegiate level.
“We believe this partnership gives us the ability to utilize a proven model that affords our competitors a great chance to maximize their opportunity to play high caliber opponents in a tournament setting that increases their exposure to college coaches,” ERL Commissioner Tim McCoy said.
The Eastern Regional League provides an opportunity for top teams in Region I to play one another while also competing for placement in the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Teams can also earn qualification to compete in the highly-competitive US Youth Soccer National League.
“The model of playing games within existing events has been successful for the National League and will help bring exposure to the Eastern Regional League to new teams, as well as college coaches,” said Mike Libber, President of Elite Tournaments.
The Eastern Regional League will consist of four Elite Tournaments’ events this spring to provide these game play opportunities. The first event will be the Premier Cup Boys Weekend, which runs March 10-12, followed by the Premier Cup Spring Shootout, April 13-15. Both events will be held in Northern Virginia. The Eastern Regional League Showcase for the Girls is set for March 31-April 2 with the Boys Showcase scheduled for April 21-23; both events will take place at the Kirkwood Soccer Complex. Teams will then play in scenic upstate New York at the Adidas Empire Cup College Showcase. The Empire Boys weekend will be held May 6-7, while the Empire Girls weekend will follow on May 13-14. These events will provide playing opportunities for all the league age groups — U13-U19.
“We are excited to partner with Region I and the Eastern Regional League. We think this model will be advantageous to Elite Tournaments, the ERL, and its member teams by providing for higher profile events to better showcase these teams. We are honored that Region I recognized our reputation for hosting first-class events and wanted to integrate the ERL within our existing tournaments,” Libber said.
League matches will be integrated into the tournament/showcase event schedule, with six of each team’s league games scheduled in this new format. With each team attending two three-game group-play events. Clubs will play one match per day from Friday through Sunday.
“Our new approach was recommended by our Coaches Advisory Committee with an eye toward controlling long distance travel. In the past, we’ve had teams have to travel long distances and book overnight accommodations for a number of games. This will merge those games, reducing the number of long trips,” McCoy said.
All of the events will include insurance coverage to ensure all teams are given full refunds if cancellations occur due to weather. With additional housing coverage through Halpern Travel, there is very low risk to teams wishing to attend these events, but that may be concerned about potential weather conflicts.
The 2017 Region I Eastern Regional League season will kick off play on February 1, 2017.
Photo Credit: US Youth Soccer
