In a collaboration designed to create a National Premier League that truly comprises the whole country NorCal Premier Soccer has joined US Club Soccer’s newly-formed Elite National Premier League, beginning with the 2017-18 club season.

Starting next year, the top National Premier League sides from the U14 to U19 levels in NorCal Premier Soccer will be eligible to qualify for the ENPL playoffs, a collaboration between the ECNL and US Club Soccer.

“It is vital for ‘performance’ soccer clubs’ teams to compete against teams of similar levels – on a weekly basis,” said NorCal Premier Soccer President Benjamin Ziemer. “Until we are in one competition structure, we will remain in a strange situation where neighboring clubs’ teams, of relatively similar levels, rarely play each other after a certain age, because they have not been chosen for – therefore, they do not have access to – the same competitions.

“The unification of the competitions – outside and below the U.S. Developmental Academy – is the best step soccer leaders can take, so clubs may finally offer their players a less expensive, merit-based, more local competition, thereby ensuring, most of the time, teams are playing teams of similar levels, because they have earned their way into the competition,” Ziemer added. “Most importantly, soccer in the U.S. needs a merit-based competitive structure, which allows, through promotion and relegation (in the older ages, especially), clubs, coaches and players a chance to rise or fall. We believe both the National Premier Leagues and the Elite Clubs National League are seriously committed to quickly coming together under one program. For this reason, NorCal Premier Soccer is excited to partner with both within the ENPL.”

US Club Soccer announced the change early Wednesday, with NorCal Premier Soccer joining along with clubs from Southern California to add to already-announced organizations from the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest regions as well as Texas.

“The opportunity that we have in front of us, with the coming together of the NPL and the ECNL into the ENPL, is an exciting one,” said NorCal Premier Soccer Director of Operations Daniel Chamberlain. “NorCal Premier is proud to be part of the first step that these two organizations are taking together, and we are excited about the prospects of what it could be in the coming years.”