ECNL adds three new member clubs for the 2013-14 season.

RICHMOND, VA (March 22, 2013) – The Elite Clubs National League will welcome three new clubs as ECNL Member Clubs for the 2013-2014 season. The new clubs accepted for the 2013-14 season are:

FC Nova (ID)
North Carolina Fusion (NC)
Match Fit Academy FC (NJ)

“The selection process becomes more and more difficult each year," said ECNL Executive Director Jay Howell, “The ECNL is confident that these three great clubs will add quality to the league and we look forward to seeing their players on the field next season."

New member acceptance decisions were based on multiple factors, including competitive history, technical leadership, player pool size and quality, history of player development, geographic location, and more.

Every ECNL club competes in the U-14 through U-18 age groups in regular season conference-based competition as well as ECNL National Events. Detailed information regarding the 2013-14 ECNL schedule, and the ECNL National Events for 2013-14, will be provided in the coming weeks. In addition to the competition platform, the ECNL partners with US Club Soccer’s id2 Program to offer player identification and development opportunities for top players, as well as offering coaching development seminars for staff of the member clubs.

”We are very excited to welcome these new clubs into the ECNL,” said ECNL Commissioner Sarah Kate Noftsinger. “We firmly believe that FC Nova, Match Fit Academy, and North Carolina Fusion will make the ECNL a stronger and better league both now and in the long-run."

About the ECNL: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) Improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) Improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for the U.S. Soccer youth national teams through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer. The Army National Guard is the official military branch of the ECNL.