Wichita's ECNL Pathway Grows Through NPL

FC Wichita is pleased to announce expansion to it's Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) platform with the formation of the National Premier Leagues (NPL), Frontier Premier League. FC Wichita is in collaboration with nine member clubs from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. The league will be the newest addition to the National Premier Leagues (NPL) platform for both male and female, beginning with the 2024-25 season.

“The formation of the Frontier Premier League serves our membership well in the South Central region,” said Leo Garcia, NPL General Manager. “The league complements the ECNL Frontier by giving clubs a pathway to grow and develop. We look forward to a successful inaugural season for the Frontier Premier League.”

"Our recent moves to the Frontier ECNL-RL and Frontier NPL conferences is part of the larger plan to provide an ECNL pathway for nearly 500 local players in the under 11 through under nineteen age groups," said Blake Shumaker, FC Wichita ECNL Director. "From a 12 year old to 19 year old boys perspective, we now have National League Heartland Conference and the Frontier NPL. As for the 12 to 19 year old girls, they are conveniently labeled Frontier in both conferences, with the task of developing our player pool well enough to field both ECNL and Regional League teams. Lastly, our PRE-ECNL ages of U11 and U12 boys and girls will also begin competition in the Frontier this fall, but we will only field 1 team per age and gender at this time, which is currently 2013 and 2014 birth years."

Here are the member clubs, which in addition to playing in ECNL or ECNL-RL, now have an additional level of play within the NPL for their U-13 through U-19 teams:

Arkansas Comets (AR)
Blitz Academy FC (OK)
Dallas Surf (TX)
FC Wichita (KS)
Kernow Storm (TX)
Northeast Oklahoma FC (OK)
SW Missouri Rush (MO)
Tulsa Sheffield (OK)
West Side Alliance (OK)

The NPL, which formed in 2011, is a nationwide platform connecting 17 regional leagues and more than 2,500 teams with a national postseason pathway.

The Frontier Premier League represents a successful collaboration of two long-time youth soccer platforms – the ECNL, which was founded in 2009, and the NPL, which launched in 2011. ECNL Regional Leagues and NPL member leagues have formed complementary levels of competition in several regions.

The ECNL Regional League – Frontier was among a handful of leagues that are expanding or being created for the 2024-25 season, ECNL announced earlier this month. “These new clubs and leagues reflect a larger and more mobile pathway for clubs all over the country,” said ECNL Associate Commissioner Chris Leahey.

Frontier Premier League participating teams will compete for qualification to the 2025 NPL Finals, which will be held in July in Denver, Colorado, where qualifiers compete against other regional NPL member leagues throughout the country for championships. The NPL’s vision is to serve youth soccer by forming and collaborating with leagues, adopting the Players First philosophy and supporting US Club Soccer’s mission to foster the development of clubs.

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Quotes from Frontier Premier League member clubs:

Arkansas Comets FC – “The Arkansas Comets are thrilled to be a part of the Frontier Premier League. From our club’s founding in 1992, we have always sought to provide our players with a premier training and competitive environment and with pathways for elite athletes to play at the next level. We look forward to participating in this new league.” – Samir Haj, Director

Blitz Academy FC – “Academy FC is incredibly excited to be one of the founding members of the NPL’s Frontier Premier League. This league, along with our ECNL RL members, fits our club identity with creating a perfect pathway for national championships, providing high-level soccer with like-minded clubs, college recruiting opportunities for our players looking to take the next step in their soccer career.” – Shawn Slater, Director of Business Operations

Dallas Surf – “Dallas Surf is excited and honored to be included in the new NPL Frontier Premier League. The clubs involved and the level of competition provide another great pathway for our top players. As we strive to meet our mission of being the best of the best, we look for opportunities to prove ourselves, and this is a great opportunity.” – Tony Cavalle, Executive Director of Soccer

Kernow Storm FC – “Storm FC is proud to be one of the founding members of the NPL’s Frontier Premier League, along with our long-lasting relationships with like-minded clubs in previous competitions. We are excited to provide our players with an additional opportunity for development. Our commitment to the player and their development process is a standard we expect from our coaching staff and program. Offering our community, teams and players the opportunity to compete and provide meaningful competitive games continues the club’s goal of competing at the highest levels of youth soccer.” – Antony Penna, Technical Director and Director of Soccer Operations

Southwest Missouri Rush SC – “We are thrilled to be joining the Frontier Premier League of the NPL. We believe the mission of the NPL closely aligns with our core values and our commitment to player development. This will also add another pathway for our players to compete at a regional and national level.” – Thaylan Johnson, Technical Director