Ohio Heart Cup Competition Announced

Today, the Ohio Heart Cup was announced. The yearly competition of amateur clubs from Ohio will bring together some of the best known teams in the state, while allowing some brand new clubs the opportunity to compete. The Director of the competition, Samuel Seibert, highlighted the competition as a chance “for Ohio soccer fans to get competitive soccer closer to home.” Seibert, aside from his role with the Ohio Heart Cup, is also the president of participating club Cleveland SC.

The full list of clubs in the competition includes Cleveland SC, FC Columbus, Toledo Villa FC, Cincinnati Dutch Lions, Dayton Dutch Lions, Amish Country United, Forest City FC, Club Toledo, and Youngstown Nighthawks. Those clubs are drawn from three amateur leagues currently operating in the state: USL League Two, NPSL, and NOSL. But that list of clubs and leagues may grow in the future. According to Seibert, the tournament is open to expansion if more clubs show interest; and with the rapid expansion of the UPSL and the brand new OVPL, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more amatuer sides pop up in Ohio, ready to participate.

The structure of the tournament is in two parts, with a round robin style first round. The second round will take the top six clubs and seed them into a knockout style tournament. The final two clubs standing will play for the Cup in a championship match. The excitement for the competition is already building. “We are extremely excited for the cup to kick off,” said Braden Mast, Director of Operations for Amish Country United. “After a long time talking about the prospect of an amateur Ohio cup, it’s cool that these teams just went ahead with it and are starting it. We’re pumped to play the best teams in the area and it should be a real competitive tournament with great exposure for all teams included.” Club Toledo owner, Jake Mercer, spoke in equally glowing terms, saying the tournament had the potential to be “essentially the Ohio equivalent of the Michigan Milk Cup.”

It’s exciting to see clubs from multiple leagues, often competing for the same fans across the state, working together to grow the game in their home state. The Ohio Heart Cup will be a great opportunity for these amatuer sides to face competition and sharpen their talent. And while the announcement caught many by surprise, the ball has been rolling for some time. The competition has been in the works since spring of last year, according to Seibert, and after the 2019 season, they decided to finalize plans for this year. Once the schedule is announced, we’ll make sure to share that with our readers. 

A First Look at the OVPL

So who are you and what role do you play in the league?

The league is co-founded by Brandon Ponchak (Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC) and Jason Brown (Indy Saints FC). But, in order to start the League properly, it was essential to get other Founding Members that wanted the same as we did. So, that is where Lexington Landsharks and another club that will be named later came into play.

For those unfamiliar, what is the Ohio Valley? How big is the area?

The Ohio Valley encompasses areas that have tributaries into/out of the Ohio River. It was one of the better "brands" we could establish within the region we wanted to exist -- Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. We haven't publicized it much, as we aren't as connected there, but we have to sanction in Illinois too. We like to plug a map with the Ohio River Valley, it's just a fun image to continue using.

Why another league versus playing in an existing league?

This League project has been an 18-month, or more, project. It all started when the Champions Soccer League USA folded, in which the Indy Saints played in 2017. In 2018, CDLFC started a second team and needed more competition. In the time span that CSL USA folded and CDLFC doing more, a lot of conversation was made about how we can provide more and do more.

The Ohio River Valley is a BIG area.

At those times, nothing else existed that made sense. We also do not believe that expansion fees are needed for what we want to do. So, that negated other league possibilities.

As a member of the US soccer public, we should encourage people of all ages to continue playing. Youth clubs have forever focused on youth players, while the 18+ age group has left the game (unless they play in college). It is important to the OVPL that teams utilize a senior team to continue playing for those who have graduated out of the youth system.

Additionally, through OVPL competition, teams can qualify for the longest-running tournament in the United States - the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. With a club's involvement in the senior team division, your club could represent your community in the biggest Cup in the US.

Studies have shown over the last 10 years; soccer numbers are decreasing in the US. Through the OVPL, we want to engage people of all demographics to grow the game.

There seems to be a move towards regional leagues. Is that wrong/right? Do you see your league as part of that movement?

We believe that regional leagues are the way forward. Building strong rivalries is necessary. Easy access for all teams and fans is important. Nearly the only time to compete and show pride in your community is through high school sports. Regional leagues allow for community pride. They also provide a platform for clubs to continue to bring alumni back to play for their club in a competitive setting, especially those that are fresh out of high school through college.

Cannibalization has been on full display this offseason, how do you see that issue?

BP: Not sure "cannibalization" is the term I'd use. Teams and club leaders always want to pursue greater. That looks different for a lot of people. I can't say anyone is necessarily wrong for trying to do something they think is best for their club. As long as we continue to grow the game and clubs exist, there should be places for them to play. We are providing a platform for clubs and communities to grow the game, represent their club, and have fun.

How will you protect your league from other leagues looking for potential clubs?

BP: We want to help communities and clubs grow. If we can help others grow to be bigger and better, isn't that successful? With the youth soccer numbers on the decline, I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can to provide soccer for people. I believe this is a great step for our region.

The Northern Ohio Soccer League kicked off this year, any plans on working with them to create a peaceful co-existence?

There has been no formal communication between our two groups. The Ohio Valley is a big region and we can co-exist. Our whole goal for the OVPL is to ensure financial sustainability, and part of that is a hyper-regionalized league. We promote the same value of lower costs and travel expenses, the only difference is that we are a sanctioned opportunity for teams in the region to compete and provide a competitive platform for clubs players in the u23 area to continue to play more matches.

So what clubs are in the fold now? What's the goal for opening day?

Before even going public, we had interest from seven clubs. Within 48 hours of being public, that number rose to 17. Our teams will play a minimum of 10 matches and enjoy the regional competition. We have planned growth for this type of league, as it has the potential for clubs to bring on senior sides to continue the player's ability to represent their club and community.

According to the OVPL website, 3 clubs have officially committed to the league.

What's the timeline moving forward? When will the soccer start?

The League is actually member-driven. Some of us (CDLFC/ISFC) will probably just operate in May-July 2020. There are others interested in longer seasons, which is what we hope for anyway. In sanctioning the League, it was important that we had a later start date (May) to ensure all clubs were fully on-board and as few of kinks as possible.

What's the purpose statement of your league?

Player development is a central focus of the League, as the League strives to promote the region at a national level. We believe young players need to be pushed as high as they can, as early as they can. That's why we have the League structured like it is. It's important for people to have community pride and utilize the game of soccer to help others. We hope our members know that and do that.

Anything else we should know?

If others want help in setting up regional leagues, let us know. We want to help #growthegame. No one has to be done playing at 18 years old, 16 years old, whenever. There's always an opportunity and it can be done affordably. It takes time, but it also takes getting the right people on board to get it going. We have those people committing and looking forward to kicking off in 2020.