New division will add foundational platform, elevate the youth player experience within the USL’s existing ecosystem
TAMPA, Fla. – USL Youth today announced the formation of a new division based in Northern California that will kick off in the 2024 season.
The Northern California division continues USL Youth’s growth across the United States. It will both provide a foundation for clubs already within the USL ecosystem at the professional, pre-professional and Academy levels, and welcome new clubs eager to provide more opportunities for young players within their development structure.
Through this approach, the Northern California division will fulfill USL Youth’s aim to meet players, coaches, and families where they are in their soccer journey, connecting the youth soccer community with the broader USL ecosystem of professional and pre-professional clubs.
“We’re excited to bring USL Youth into Northern California and we can’t wait to celebrate with the initial founding member clubs as they’re announced soon,” said Joel Nash, USL Senior Vice President of Youth & Pre-Professional. “We are grateful for their collaboration on building the platform that suits their club and membership needs. We couldn’t think of a better region to expand into coming out of launching USL Youth as a platform earlier this year.”
Northern California has become a major hub for clubs across the USL Championship, League One, League Two and the W League over the past decade. The region currently features Sacramento Republic FC, Monterey Bay F.C. and Oakland Roots SC in the Championship, Central Valley Fuego FC in League One, with announced plans for Oakland to also become part of the USL Super League in the coming years.
The region is also home to eight-team divisions in both the W League and League Two, featuring clubs such as Academica SC, Marin FC, Oakland Soul SC and Project 51O, and San Francisco Glens SC which bridge the two leagues.
“We’re thrilled because we know of soccer’s rich roots in Northern California, spanning from the grassroots game to the elite game,” said Gabby Del Hierro, USL Director of League & Membership Development. “Our division’s introduction in this area isn’t just about expanding the league; it’s about preserving a legacy and building ties between communities, clubs, and dreams. Northern California, This Is Our Why.”
USL Youth and its founding member clubs in Northern California have collaborated on the division’s age groups, calendar and competition structure since the beginning of the year. The inaugural campaign will feature Boys and Girls Division in the U12, U14, U16 and U19 age groups, with the regular season to be played between June and August.
Following the regular season, a collection of teams from each age group will advance to the 2024 USL Youth National Finals in December.
Details on the founding members of the Northern California division will be announced in the coming days, with additional club announcements and platform details to follow before the end of May.