US Club Soccer and Northern Counties Soccer Association (NCSA) are excited to announce a long-term extension of their sanctioning agreement, as the soccer organizations renew their commitments to continued growth and opportunities in New Jersey and New York. NCSA chose US Club Soccer as its sanctioning body in 2009, mutually growing on and off the field since.

NCSA was formed in 1973, adopting the motto “Enjoy the Beautiful Game” as a guide for bringing quality youth soccer to northern New Jersey. The league has expanded to about 100 clubs today spanning the Hudson River to Sussex County and from Orange County, N.Y. to Union County, N.J. NCSA has facilitated an environment that fosters both coaching and player development, and has been steadfast in its referee program.

NCSA is taking advantage of several US Club Soccer opportunities, including: integration with the National Cup and the US Club Soccer State Cup New Jersey beginning next season, Players First and the ability to host U.S. Soccer grassroots coaching education courses.

“We are delighted to be entering into a new agreement with Northern Counties, a league with a long-standing commitment to providing all players and their parents the best possible experience,” said Kevin Payne, US Club Soccer CEO. “The league’s approach dovetails perfectly with our Players First philosophy, and we look forward to working closely together for the next five years to make every player’s experience the best it can be.”

“The past four months have been very difficult for all of us, and we continue to try and navigate through this unprecedented time,” said Dennis Burns, NCSA President. “We are excited about our new five-year agreement with US Club and the safe return to soccer this Fall. The new agreement between US Club Soccer and NCSA will provide our clubs long-term financial stability of our fees and new access for their top teams to participate in both National Cup and State Cup competition.”

“COVID-19 presents new challenges for everyone involved with youth sports,” said Bob Heinrich, NCSA Vice President. “We felt that at this time, it was critical for our league that we secure a long-term extension with US Club Soccer. The alignment of strategic vision between NCSA and US Club Soccer will result in developing and implementing programs that will benefit our clubs, coaches and players through the return to play and for many years to come.”

US Club Soccer’s mission is to foster the growth and development of soccer clubs throughout the country to create the best possible development environment for players of all ages in every club. The primary vehicle for accomplishing that ambition is Players First: a branded, holistic club soccer experience for parents and players which emphasizes the development of each individual to his or her full potential, and helps parents make better choices about where their children should play.

That Players First philosophy is supported by best-in-class partners and resources, including LaLiga, and is anchored by five pillars: Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety. In particular, Player Health & Safety is the emphasis, as US Club Soccer prides itself on fostering the safest environment for players in youth sports. US Club Soccer has stringent requirements for all staff registration/eligibility and also provides a variety of safety-related resources and recommendations to members.

NCSA was formed in 1973, with the purpose of providing a forum for quality youth soccer. What began with several clubs from the Northern Bergen County area such as Torpedoes and Americans along with a handful of other Northern Jersey clubs like Montclair and Thistle has expanded to about 80 clubs stretching from the Hudson River to Sussex County and from Orange County NY to Union County NJ.

Our aim is still to provide quality youth soccer. The enormous interest in the game combined with the desire for kids to participate has spurred growth of the league to about 1,100 teams in the spring of 2015. NCSA offers premier level flights at every age group and provides many additional flights for children to hone their skills and work to move their game to a higher level. Many of NCSA’s clubs offer professional training and coaching, resulting in higher quality levels at all ages.