THE YOUTH PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE AND THE WPSL FOCUS ON REVITALIZING YOUTH SOCCER AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL

 

Written By: Andrew Mosier

 

 

 

Opportunity. Affordability. Two words that just aren’t heard enough in the parlance of youth soccer anymore. And it is driving boys and girls away from the game in record numbers. The Youth Premier Soccer League (YPSL) is changing that with its fun, low-cost youth soccer league with a focus entirely on the grassroot players.

 

 

“Over the years the emphasis of youth soccer in this country has shifted away from grassroots to the pay-to-play ‘travel’ model that has pushed countless kids away from the game, either because they can’t afford to play, or because they don’t want to commit to a ‘year-round’ financial structure,” Andy Vera, YPSL founder and director of league operations, said. “The YPSL is bringing the grassroots back to youth soccer, so kids have a fun, low-cost place to play that isn’t just result driven.”

 

 

This grassroots focus is designed to help foster the enjoyment of the game for the non-elite player, providing a safe and enjoyable space to learn and enjoy the game for players, coaches, and referees.

 

 

To help get its message out to the soccer community, the YPSL and the WPSL partnered to revitalize youth soccer at the grassroots level, sharing branding, logistic, and administrative know-how of the world’s largest women’s soccer league.

 

 

“So often grassroots soccer gets left behind. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the game, not just the best players,” Sean Jones, WPSL president, said. “Finding the opportunity to lend our knowledge and resources at the grassroots level is something we had been talking about for a long time. This proved to be the ideal opportunity to do that.”

 

 

The YPSL made huge strides in its first year of operation with 20 clubs fielding teams in various age groups in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas. Now with expansion planned in 2025 into North Carolina, and beyond, the YPSL’s goal to bring grassroots soccer back to the forefront of the youth soccer landscape spreads.

 

 

“A lot of these small clubs just don’t have very robust recreational programs,” Vera said. “The YPSL is a way for the smaller clubs to play against other clubs, so you don't see the same kid across the field from you six times during the season.”

 

 

Teams pay around $100 in league fees per season, which cover administrative and refereeing fees. In comparison, costs for youth travel soccer begins around $1,000 per player. YPSL teams are coached by volunteers—usually parents. The league offers a wide range of educational opportunities for coaches, as well referee education and certification, with the goal of minimizing costs down by keeping the many working parts of a soccer league under one roof.

 

 

To keep costs at a minimum, Vera said the YPSL will utilize local sponsorships that have shown keen interest in partnering with the YPSL and its partner clubs in large part because of the league’s mission.

 

 

“If you make it affordable, there are a lot of local businesses that want to be part of it,” Vera said. “They get a lot out of it [because] they are associated with something giving back to the community [and] giving kids a place to play. They benefit from the joint marketing [because] it reaches a huge demographic. Being associated with the league is suddenly very appealing to sponsors.”

 

 

With steady and controlled expansion of the recreational program in the Mid-Atlantic region, the YPSL will offer what Vera calls the next step in grassroots youth soccer, the YPSL+, a low-cost travel league beginning this Fall that will offer slightly better competition under the YPSL umbrella.

 

 

“It’s the next step logical step, for good teams to test themselves against teams of similar skill level,” Vera said. “Ten-noting games are not fun for anyone.”

 

 

The seeds of a partnership were planted during a conversation between Vera and Jones at a national soccer conference. At the time, Vera was already working hard on his vision of a grassroots league in and around the nation’s capital.

 

 

“Right away, we knew there was so much we could offer a league a grassroots-level league,” Jones said. “From scheduling to refereeing to rostering. Things we have learned over time running the WPSL.”

 

 

Another key aspect of the partnership between the two leagues is the shared branding that gives the grassroots youth league far-reaching logo recognition and hard-to-earn credibility across the youth soccer landscape.

 

 

“People look at the league and say, ‘You’re affiliated with the WPSL?’ To be affiliated with the biggest women’s pre-professional league in the world means something,” Vera said. “People are more inclined to want to be part of something when you have big guns like the WPSL behind you. We’re very fortunate to have such a great partnership as the league grows.”