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 The National Premier Soccer League kicked off its seventh season last month with plenty of changes – mainly off the field.
As has been the case during every offseason, several teams left the league and several more joined, leaving the NPSL with 38 teams for 2011.
But the offseason saw two major alterations to the way teams will be run, changing its business structure from a non-profit model to a corporate model and approving paying players starting in the 2012 season.
"The for-profit corporation decision probably will have more impact (on Midwest Region teams) than the decision to allow professional players," Madison 56ers general manager Charles Billings said.
The salaries players will be allowed to receive next season are limited: They cannot be paid more than $1,500 per game or $2,000 per year.
Billings said that the 56ers won't be paying any of its players and he doesn't expect any of the other six Midwest Region teams – a group that now includes the Quad City Eagles from Moline, Ill. – to do so, either.
"It's unlikely any teams in the Midwest will take advantage of that," Billings said. "No teams in the Midwest have the financial resources to pay players, quite frankly.
"If perhaps there are a few teams out there in the NPSL that will take advantage of it, the difference might show when you get to the playoffs – those teams would presumably have an advantage over the purely amateur teams."
With the change to a for-profit corporation, the league dissolved its setup of having an executive committee and regional commissioners and now has a Board of Directors. Billings, who had been the Midwest Region commissioner, is one of the nine Board members.
He said that the Board has brought a more business-like approach to the NPSL. While he appreciates the importance of financial matters, having dealt with them for years, Billings is concerned about the future of traditional soccer clubs in the league.
"Many of these teams are soccer teams, first and foremost, and they have issues with cashflow and things like that," he said.
For example, one recurring problem for the NPSL is clubs being late in paying their annual dues.
Many teams struggle to meet league-imposed deadlines every year, but the NPSL traditionally grants clubs leeway in order to encourage maximum participation. Billings said most teams eventually pay the fees in full, and if they don't, they are removed from the league.
However, he said the Board's preference would be to strictly enforce those deadlines – as many businesses would do – and oust teams that fail to pay on time. Billings, though, points out that under that philosophy, there wouldn't be much of a league left.
"We have this in all the regions; it's an ongoing problem," he said. "But there are teams in the Midwest and the Southeast and the West that do pay their fees (on time), and if you throw out all the other teams, those teams get punished, too, because now you have nobody to play.
"If the Midwest had enough teams that we could drop a team or two to make an example and still not affect the ability of the other teams to still have a schedule, I would not be averse to doing that."
The NPSL league fee for 2011 is $3,750 per team, an increase of $500 from last season, and each team will pay an additional $750 for an expanded All-Star program. The entry fee for new teams is $5,000.
The other big news this season is that the U.S. Soccer Federation awarded the NPSL four first-round berths in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which starts June 14.
In past years, league teams have had to qualify for the tournament, which is open to teams from all levels of soccer across the country, through regional U.S. Adult Soccer Association events. Last season, the Sonoma County Sol – the 2009 NPSL champion – were granted a spot in a play-in game.
The NPSL gave each of its four regions a U.S. Open Cup berth, and each region chose a different format for determining its entry:
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The Midwest awarded its spot to the 56ers, the 2010 division champion.
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Six of the seven Southeast teams will compete in a qualifying tournament May 27 to 29 in Chattanoooga, Tenn., for another berth. Only the Georgia Revolution won't be participating.
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In the Northeast, the Brooklyn Italians will play FC Buffalo on May 7, with the winner to meet defending regional champion FC Sonic Lehigh Valley on May 27 for a berth.
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All 10 teams in the West have been competing for a spot, which will be determined by the best performance over the season's first seven matches. The San Diego Flash (5-0-0) and Hollywood United (5-0-1), both league newcomers, are leading the way.
From the touchline
The Midwest Region consists of the Madison 56ers, Milwaukee Bavarians, Eau Claire Aris FC, St. Paul Twin Stars, Minnesota Kings FC, Chicago Fire NPSL and the Quad City Eagles. Standings and schedules. ... The San Diego Flash president and head coach is Warren Barton, who played for English clubs Wimbledon, Newcastle United and Derby County and is an analyst for Fox Soccer Channel. Former U.S. national team standout Eric Wynalda also is part of the club's management team. ... The reigning NPSL champion Sacramento Gold are 4-1-1 and tied for second in the Northwest Division. ... Hollywood United and Rattlers FC moved to the league from the USL Premier Development League. ... There are 12 new teams in the NPSL for 2011: The Quad City Eagles (Midwest); the Georgia Revolution and Knoxville Force (Southeast); Mass United FC, Seacoast United, AC Crusaders and Buxmont Torch (Northeast); and Hollywood United, San Diego Flash, Rattlers FC, FC Hasental and Santa Ana Winds (West).
Editor's note: This story was edited after its original publication to correct information concerning paying players. Teams are not allowed to pay players until the 2012 season.
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