After just finishing their first season in existence, The League for Clubs will take another big step in its hurried history today. The League will announce their plan of launching a Pro-Am League. The newly announced expansion plan is being constructed “to bridge the gap between amateur and professional soccer in the United States.” Set to launch in 2027, the new league reflect the dynamic approach TLfC has consistently taken to make soccer more effectively and efficiently run in the United States.

Last season was successful by most metrics, with 6 regions across the country holding play. 47 teams participated in the inaugural season of The League for Clubs, most of which joined from the other national amateur leagues. Metropolitan Oval Academy won the first championship on penalties over Napa Valley 1839 in July.

Still in the embryonic stages of development, the announced league will be filled with clubs focused on growing into professional status. The rosters will be filled with both amateur and professional players, allowing for more flexibility in structure to reduce operational costs for the clubs involved. Alongside this roster-building approach, the goal of regionalization is also prioritized to reduce travel costs. Arik Housley, one of the primary architects that created The League for Clubs and a participating club owner, was optimistic that this Pro-Am League would serve as a defacto D4 league above the amateur level that would allow teams to test their feet in the waters of professionalism to find their limits.

When asked about the timing of launching another league, even though the organization just finished their first season, Housely was honest in his response. “In some ways, we probably should sit back and wait another year and get more established. And the other side says, ‘Wait a second.’” Arik then ticked off league after league and how they were failing to deliver for professional teams. “They're [professional clubs] all spending 3.5M a year to lose $100,0000 or more annually. And then we wonder why the American soccer system isn't working.” Housley revisited the idea of affordability throughout our chat. “Jumping from a budget of $50,000 or $75,000 to 3.5m is virtually unsustainable for 99% of the teams across the country.”

The league, which will be sanctioned through USASA, will complement TLfC’s existing National Amateur League structure. Competition standards will exceed the current “levels of amateur play while offering a more sustainable operating budget than what is typically required at the lower tiers of professional soccer.” Currently the calendar is planned to run from April through October, with scheduled breaks for the US Open Cup. The competition structure will have regional champions advancing to a National Finals event.

According to Housley, there are between 12-18 clubs already interested in the Pro-Am league and The League for Clubs is confident that this announcement will spark more movement. Housley also envisioned clubs running teams in both the amateur and Pro-Am league, in whatever ways made most sense for each club’s needs.

Knowing the people that operate the league office, there’s so many reasons to be optimistic about what this new Pro-Am structure will look like and how it will benefit the soccer ecosystem. The League for Clubs is run by operators that have weathered the challenges of amateur soccer for years, wouldn’t surprise me a bit of they conquer the waves of professional soccer next.

- Dan Vaughn