EDP Named to Manage Four USYSA National League Conferences in the East Region - Will Provide Direct Pathways to the National League and National Championship Series.
For Immediate Release: East Brunswick, NJ (April 20, 2018) –EDP, one of the country’s largest leagues with over 3,500 teams located on the east coast of the United States, has entered into a long-term agreement with US Youth Soccer to manage four National League conferences in the East Region starting in 2018-19.
These conferences are:
US Youth Soccer National League New England EDP ConferenceUS Youth Soccer National League North Atlantic EDP Conference
US Youth Soccer National League Mid Atlantic EDP Conference
US Youth Soccer National League South Atlantic EDP Conference
In addition to managing these conferences, EDP -- as a recently approved Affiliate Member of US Youth Soccer by the organization’s National Board of Directors – will see its league play, tournaments and college showcases be US Youth Soccer sanctioned events, with college showcasing a feature of much of this new program’s efforts.
Beginning in the Fall of 2018, US Youth Soccer National League EDP Conferences will offer an expected two tiers of divisions in addition to the existing EDP programming. Both EDP and new to EDP teams will be eligible to apply for these divisions, which will provide local/regional regular season league play, cup competition and regional/national showcase events, with top teams advancing directly into the US Youth Soccer National League and the Regional Championships in the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series (NCS). Club v club and team v team models will both be offered in US Youth Soccer EDP Conferences.
EDP clubs that have already committed starting next season to playing in US Youth Soccer National League EDP Conferences – either in the club v club or team v team divisions include:
Alleycats SC (NY)
Beachside SC (CT)
Bethesda SC (MD)
BRAUSA United FC (MD)
FC Berna Legacy (NJ)
FCUSA New Jersey (formerly Jersey United) (NJ)
Ironbound SC (NJ)
Lehigh Valley United (PA)
Lower Merion SC (PA)
Maryland Rush SC (MD)
Massapequa SC (NY)
NJ Crush FC (NJ)
NJ Rush SC (NJ)
NJ Stallions Academy (NJ)
PDA Shore (NJ)
Penn Fusion SA (PA)
Philadelphia Ukrainians Nationals SC (PA)
Pipeline SC (MD)
Princeton SA (NJ)
Soccer Association of Columbia (MD)
SJEB Rush (NJ)
Smithtown Kickers SC (NY)
WHSA NJ Elite (NJ)
More exciting clubs will be announced in the near future, as well.
“US Youth Soccer’s commitment to reimagining their family of programming while establishing clear alignment with the prestigious National League and National Championship Series made this a very attractive opportunity for EDP,” noted EDP CEO Alan Shilling. “This structure will provide teams with a fully integrated games program that combines league, cup and showcase play, which is exactly what our members want.”
Shilling added: “With this new relationship with US Youth Soccer, EDP will maintain its dedication to its core principles of a great game every week with sensible travel and pathways to college.”
Importantly, all EDP clubs, no matter what EDP division they play in, will receive the same EDP customer service they are accustomed to, including the same player registration system at a reduced cost to our membership.
Shilling pointed out that all current aspects of the EDP league, playoffs and tournaments will remain the same for the current 2017-18 season.
Chris Moore, US Youth Soccer CEO said, “I am very excited to have EDP join US Youth Soccer as an Affiliate Member and the overwhelming vote by our board to approve EDP indicates that our board shares my perspective. We are committed to supporting and serving our membership throughout the country and EDP amplifies our ability to do so within the East Region. US Youth Soccer is the leader in youth soccer and we are confident that this strategic partnership will help drive this beautiful game in a positive direction.”
About EDP
Founded in 1999, Elite Development Program Soccer (EDP) is one of the largest organizers of youth soccer leagues and tournaments in the U.S. EDP operates youth leagues for boys and girls ages 9-19, conducts a Futures program for players ages 7-11, and operates U20/23 men’s and women’s leagues. EDP also runs over 20 tournaments each year. One of the major priorities of EDP’s leagues and tournaments is to enable soccer players to reach their full potential, with an emphasis on attending college. More than 3,500 teams participate in EDP’s leagues and more than 170,000 players compete in EDP tournaments annually. For more information on EDP, visit www.edpsoccer.com.
About the United States Youth Soccer (US Youth Soccer)
US Youth Soccer – "The Game for ALL Kids!®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 Member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.