Wisconsin Soccer Central

The Milwaukee Bavarians won't be playing in the National Premier Soccer League next summer, but the club plans to return to the amateur league in 2015.

Bavarian SC director of coaching Bob Spielmann said the club decided that the funds that would have gone to running the NPSL team in 2014 instead should go to helping fund the completion of Heartland Value Fund Stadium, the new synthetic turf field that opened at their Glendale complex in November.

"We thought it was important to get the stadium finished," Spielmann said. "We felt the quality of the field is so important – I don't know if you've talked to anyone else in the NPSL about playing at our old stadium. It wasn't good.

"If you want to have quality games, you've got to have a quality facility. And we felt that this was very, very important, not only for our soccer club, but the development of our players for the future."

This will be the second time the Bavarians have taken a hiatus from the NPSL, having done the same in 2009.

A charter member of the NPSL, which started in 2005, they are 48-28-6 in eight seasons – they won the Midwest Region in 2011 and have finished second in the Midwest or the Central Conference four times. Last year, Milwaukee was 8-3-1 and took second in the Central in its first season under coach Craig Peltonen.

"I don't think it's anything to be worried about,"  Spielmann said. "We'll be in the league the following year, certainly, just taking a little hiatus."

The Bavarians have primarily fielded Under-23 teams in the NPSL, occasionally adding older players to the roster. Spielmann said he wasn't sure if the club will have an Under-23 team in 2014 – if not, the Bavarians have an Under-19 team for younger players and field sides in the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major and Reserve divisions.

• Even with the Bavarians sitting out, the NPSL Midwest Central will grow in 2014. FC Bordo St. Louis and the Minnesota United Reserves, the reserve team from the North American Soccer League club, have been announced as expansion teams and at least one more club is expected to join the division. The Madison 56ers and Minnesota Twin Stars, both charter NPSL members, Eau Claire Aris FC and the reigning Central champion Quad City Eagles have all confirmed their returns, ensuring the conference at least six teams.
• Meanwhile, the NPSL Midwest Great Lakes Conference currently stands at eight teams with the additions of the Cincinnati Saints, Lansing United and PA West and the departure of Zanesville Athletic FC after just one season.
• Madison United's 21st annual President's Cup indoor tournament is nearly full, with 82 of the 84 teams expected to contend for titles Feb. 15 and 16 at Keva Sports Center in Middleton and BreakAway Sports Center in Madison registered. Just two spots remain in the 24-team Women's Open field, while the Men's Open (32 teams), Men's Over-30 (16) and Men's Over-38 (12) fields are full. More information on the President's Cup website