P R E S S  R E L E A S E

 

GROUNDBREAKING AGREEMENT OPENS THE RETURN OF THE WPSL'S GULF COAST CONFERENCE 

Gulf Coast Premier League Joins the WPSL to create Regional/National Model to Further Women's Soccer

 

 

 

 

 

 

OKLAHOMA CITY (1/3/2025) — The Women’s Premier Soccer League, in a joint operating agreement with the Gulf Coast Premier League, announces the formation of the Gulf Coast Conference for the 2025 season and beyond. With the announcement, the WPSL confirms the conference alignment will be unveiled at the league’s Annual General Meeting in Oklahoma City in January.

 

 

“We have long admired what the entire GCPL team has done both on and off the field,” Sean Jones, WPSL president, said. “Partnering with the Gulf Coast Premier League will help grow all levels of the women's game in the Gulf Coast region.”

 

 

In 2016, the Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) expanded to include a women’s division and continues to be a leader in amateur soccer along the gulf coast. The GCPL footprint features teams from Louisiana, the lower halves of Mississippi and Alabama, the southwest corner of Georgia, and the Florida panhandle. 

 

 

Ten teams competed in the 2024 GCPL season where Hattiesburg FC claimed its second consecutive title after downing two-time WPSL champions, Pensacola FC, 2-1. Pensacola won the WPSL Championship in 2012 and 2019, and is one of five clubs in the country with multiple WPSL titles. 

 

 

Eight-to-12 GCPL sides will form the WPSL’s Gulf Coast Conference and have the opportunity to represent the conference in regional and national playoffs. The initial agreement will span through the 2027 WPSL season.

 

 

“We’re excited to be working with such an established organization like the WPSL and expect our clubs to hit the ground running representing the gulf south,” Jonathan Rednour, Gulf Coast Premier League vice president of operations, said.  

 

 

Through the agreement, the WPSL and GCPL will work together to ensure smooth operations are in place throughout the transition and that all WPSL standards are met. Teams from the GCPL’s second division will remain under the GCPL moniker, opening  an opportunity for promotion and relegation in the future.

 

 

“We look forward to working with them and trying to create a successful model for how national leagues can work with quality regional and local leagues to provide opportunities in women's soccer,” Jones said.

 

 

The WPSL, the most tenured women’s league in North America, opens its 27th season in May.  In 2024, the WPSL operated with an all-time high of 141 teams in 34 U.S. states and is the largest women’s league in the world.

 

 

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For more information on the WPSL or the GCPL, visit wpslsoccer.com and gcplsoccer.com.

 

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About the Women’s Premier Soccer League

The WPSL completed its 26th season of play in 2024 as the longest-active women’s soccer league in the United States. Boasting more than 140 clubs nationwide while occupying over 30 states coast-to-coast, the WPSL solidifies itself as the largest women’s soccer league in the world. Team rosters feature elite collegiate, post-collegiate, international, and standout prep student-athletes. Many of the United States’ most accomplished women’s national team players have played in the WPSL since its inception in 1998, including household names such as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, and Brandi Chastain.    

 

About the Gulf Coast Premier League
The Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) serves as the leader in amateur soccer along the gulf coast, offering a pathway for players, coaches, referees, and club staff to pursue their sporting careers, while assisting our member clubs to organically grow their brands in their communities. The GCPL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization and operates with the ultimate goal of growing the game of soccer and its culture in the gulf coast. The GCPL is a member of the United States Adult Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation.