San Francisco Elite Academy Joins ECNL Regional League Girls – NorCal
SACRAMENTO, CA (April 17, 2025) – NorCal Premier Soccer is proud to announce the addition of San Francisco Elite Academy into the ECNL Regional League Girls – NorCal Division, effective beginning in the 2025/26 season.
San Francisco Elite Academy joins from the Girls Academy, a move that fellow NorCal club Los Gatos United also made earlier this year.
Prior to its play in the Girls Academy, Elite was one of the top performing clubs in NorCal’s NPL.
“SF Elite has a proven track record of performance both inside and outside of NorCal competitions and will raise the level of our ECNL-RL girls division,” said NorCal Director of Competitions Daniel Chamberlain. “Moving over from the Girls Academy not only strengthens the ECNL-RL NorCal division, but also strengthens the proven pathway that we have helped to create with the ECNL.”
Added SF Elite President & Executive Director Joe Dugan: “We believe the ECNL platform is the top youth soccer platform locally and in the United States for aspiring college bound players. The exposure we can now offer our players is unmatched. We firmly believe the ECNL leadership puts players and clubs first and we are thrilled to join.”
San Francisco Elite will unite with the 26 other clubs that NorCal Premier Soccer had previously selected to become founding members of a recently expanded and realigned ECNL Regional League.
The clubs selected to be members of the updated ECNL-RL – NorCal division are top-performing boys and girls programs within NorCal Premier Soccer. Clubs were evaluated based on the quality of the teams and their performance in NorCal competitions over the past three years, a review of their technical standards, and their adherence to NorCal administrative standards.
“The addition of San Francisco Elite Academy into this division shows how strong, robust, and impactful this league is for players, teams, and clubs,” said ECNL-RL Commissioner Chris Leahey. “SF Elite will add significant quality to the league, will compete for championships, and their players will be challenged and showcased in the nation’s top competition pathway.”
About NorCal Premier Soccer:
Founded in 2004, NorCal Premier Soccer is the leading developmental soccer organization in Northern California. With a membership of over 270 diverse clubs and over 120,000 total competitive and recreational players, NorCal continues to be a driving force behind youth soccer’s development in the region. NorCal is committed to elevating the game of soccer through its comprehensive programs—including year-round competitions, NorCal State Cup, a no-cost Player Development Program, and heavily subsidized coach, referee, and club education programs. NorCal Premier Soccer is a California Nonprofit Benefit Corporation.
About San Francisco Elite Academy:
The San Francisco Elite Academy was founded in 2014 as a challenge to the status quo of youth soccer in San Francisco and its surrounding areas, with the vision to be better.
