NPL Model 2018-19

Red River CLUB Champions League 

The NPL Red River has announced league format enhancements for the 2018-19 seasonal year.

Related: Solar SC Joins NPL Red River for 2018-19 Season

Related: NEW Red River NPL Site

Objective:

To improve scheduling, game day experience and competitive level of the league while building a long-term vision of becoming an elite league destination. Clubs with leadership and placing the NPL Red River as a primary platform will allow the league to prosper.

Format:

Implement scheduling to have better spacing throughout the calendar and maintain participating teams and families engaged and promote excitement. Two Conferences split through 8 geographically located clubs that fit the objective above. A second Conference for clubs that have less teams committed throughout the age groups.

Club Conference = Clubs that are able to field a team in every age division. (TSC Hurricane will be in the Club Conference).

Team Conference = Clubs that are able to field quality teams in certain divisions plus additional teams from clubs from the Club Conference.

Club Conference

Age groups: U13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19 B&G 

Each club will have a team per age group and gender. All games will be played home and away throughout the year. Top 2 teams from each age group and gender will be awarded a Final Four berth and seeded according to league finish position #1 or #2. A third seed if the Team Conference has less than 8 teams in their age group league. )

NPL Final Four - top 2 advance to final four (3 if Team Conf age group less than 8 teams - See below). Clubs will set their own fixtures and send to the League Commissioner by a Deadline to be posted online. Team Conference Age groups U13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19 B&G

All other clubs can apply whichever team age groups and genders they wish.  Maximum 15 games allowing 5-8 event dates of up to three games each event per team. The scheduling will be for the event at a “neutral site” and not on a home away basis. This would be much easier for the unknown in numbers per age and gender brackets. These play dates will correspond with a main hosting date of a Club Conference Weekend.

1. Example; Team Conference event #1 in Arkansas. All teams in Team Conf will play in their age/gender bracket 2-3 games over the weekend
2. Team Conference event #2 in OKC. All teams in TC will play in their age/gender against 2-3 other teams in their bracket.

This allows for better travel planning and locations will be balanced across geographic locations.

The Team Conference teams entered will be for the 6 clubs outside of Club Conference and will have priority on having a team play. The brackets may have additional teams from the Clubs in the Club Conference up to 8 (Eight) for a home and away schedule or 14 (fourteen) for a single game per opposition schedule.

Top 2 teams in each bracket will be awarded seed #1 or #2 in the final four and play the Club Confefence #1, #2 in a seeded single elimination semifinal, Final Four Showcased event.

Final Four Playoff

If Team Conference has 8 teams or more:

TC #1 v CC #2
CC #1 v TC #2

If Team Conference has less than 8 teams:

TC #1 v CC #2
CC #1 v CC #3

Club Champion 

Each division champion awards the club 100 PTS. 

Each runner up 50 PTS

Each 3rd Place 25pts

Declare a 1st and 2nd Place Club Champions 

Cross-Conference Event

A cross-conference event will be held the weekend before Thanksgiving each year with the Central States NPL as part of an exclusive division in the adidas Sam Shannon College Showcase. This event will provide added value from a diversity of competition perspective while also playing in a college showcase in a geographic location that makes sense from a travel perspective between the two leagues. This event will be optional but encouraged for clubs to participate. Additional events may be added in the future.  

Related:  Central States and Red River NPL Establish New NPL Division at Sam Shannon Showcase via US Club Soccer

PDP/ID2

Planned PDP events will be scheduled amongst the clubs and the potential for events coordinated with the NPL Central States.