New Champions League Sets The Stage For Continued Growth And Development Of Programs
US Youth Soccer Region I (East) changes for future seasons of the regional league, based on feedback from club and state directors of coaching.
The regional league was restructured and is now known as the US Youth Soccer Region I Champions League, featuring:
- One game per day
- Flexible Schedules
- 32 teams in each division, which is double the former team limit
- Divisions based on geographic regions to reduce travel for teams
- Modified promotion and relegation
- Selection committee consisting of technical in addition to administrative staff
- No frozen rosters
- Ability to add club players per game
- Renewed openness to further change
The Region I Champions League will be comprised of three divisions, with the champions of the top division — Division 1 — receiving an automatic bid to the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Each division is expected to include 32 teams, which will double the previous amount of teams in the league. The divisions will be broken down into four eight-team brackets, with teams grouped geographically to reduce travel.
“We are very proud and excited to unveil the new US Youth Soccer Region I Champions League that highlights a renewed perspective of change within our region of the country,” said Natalie Schwoeble, Region I Director. “The message to clubs in the Northeast is that we are listening to you, and we will adjust where it increases the opportunities to benefit the development of our players and the game. We are not done and we want to hear ideas moving forward.”
There will be movement among the divisions, with modified promotion and relegation beginning in Spring 2016. State seeding will be performed by State Directors of Coaching or State Designates, and a Region I selection committee will complete the final rankings for placement of teams into the league.
The Spring Session will be played between Jan. 1 and July 31 and the Fall Session will be played between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31. Age groups will consist of U-12 (8v8 and 11v11) through U-18 for Boys and Girls. The guidelines for the Region I Champions League are available on the Region I website and the application to apply for the league will be available shortly.
League play will be limited to one game per day with flexible scheduling. Region I will host a tournament play weekend for the U-15 and U-16 age groups, with the possibility of other age groups being added in the future, to offer additional college recruitment opportunities.
“US Youth Soccer has been at the forefront of player development opportunities in the United States for over 40 years. Today, we see the association at its best with new leadership and changes to further impact the game, in this case, for those in the Northeastern region of the country,” said former collegiate coach and director of education for US Youth Soccer, Sam Snow. “In speaking with the club and state directors of coaching and collegiate staff, continued improvement of our programs and competitions will continue and more athletes will benefit.”
The Region I Champions League provides an opportunity for the most competitive teams in the Northeastern United States to play on a scheduled basis while also competing for placement in the prestigious US Youth Soccer Regional Championships, as well as the highly-competitive US Youth Soccer National League.
The National League is an extension of the highly successful US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues (Region I Champions League, Region II Midwest Regional League, Region III Southern Premier League and Region IV Far West Regional League). Automatic Regional League qualification was added to the National League format in January 2013, and two teams per age group from each of the four Regional Leagues in the U-13 through U-17 age groups, with the exception U-13s in Region III, earned a spot in the 2014-15 National League.
