P R E S S  R E L E A S E

 

PLAYER PATHWAY BROADENS WITH SECOND RESEARCH TRIANGLE WPSL CLUB

 

OKLAHOMA CITY (1/29/2025) — The Women’s Premier Soccer League is elated to announce the addition of North Carolina FC—part of the NCFC Youth organization which will compete under the NCFC namesake in WPSL competition—for the 2025 season. Long the standard-bearer for pathway soccer organizations across the country, today’s announcement ushers in the newest chapter of women’s soccer for the 51-year-old club.

 

 

“We are excited to add a WPSL team to the NCFC Youth player development pathway. We’ve seen growth in the girl’s game, and especially an increased demand for more high-level playing opportunities during the summer that we are already providing,” Paul Forster, NCFC Youth director of soccer, said.

 

 

With the announcement, NCFC becomes the second second club in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market, forming what is sure to be a heated local rivalry with second-year WPSL club Carolina Football Club (formerly Trinity Fire).

 

 

 

 

The WPSL side will draw from the club’s deep pool of current youth team players, as well as from some of the top colleges in the region, including the 2024 NCAA Division I champions, University of North Carolina, and 2024 semifinalist, Duke University.

 

 

“Joining the WPSL is an exciting opportunity for our current NCFC Youth players as well as former players competing at the collegiate level to experience top-level competition to prepare themselves for the upcoming fall season and continue their individual player development pathway,” Pete Sadin, NCFC Youth girls director, said. 

 

 

The trailblazing club was founded in 1974 as the Capital Area Soccer League, where it grew to become one of the region’s most vaunted soccer organizations. In 2017, the club merged with Triangle Futbol Club Alliance to become the NCFC Youth, offering a pathway for players from junior recreational programs through the women’s and men’s professional teams NC Courage and NCFC. The club’s rich history includes seven girl’s and women’s national championships. With deep roots in the community, NCFC Youth provides more than $450,000 in financial aid to qualifying families each year.

 

 

Announced last week at the WPSL Annual General Meeting, NCFC will compete in the South Region’s Carolinas Division of the Atlantic Conference, facing teams from North and South Carolina in divisional play. The club’s official schedule will be released in mid March with the league’s unveiling. 

 

 

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For more information on NCFC, visit NCFCYouth.com, and on social media at Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Youtube.

 

 

For more information on the WPSL, visit wpslsoccer.com.

 

 

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About the Women’s Premier Soccer League

The WPSL is set to open its 27th season in May 2025, remaining the most tenured women’s league in North America. The WPSL continues to operate as the largest women’s soccer league in the world. An all-time high of 141 teams in 34 U.S. states competed in the league’s first division of the 2024 season. 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.