Women's Premier Soccer League Elite
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| Countries |  United States |
|---|---|
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Folded | 2013 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Levels on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | None |
| Website | Official site |
 2012 WPSL Elite Season |
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The Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) was a women's professional soccer league created by the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to support the sport in the United States, both from continued interest by WPSL teams in professionalism and as a response to the suspension (and ultimate demise[1]) of the WPS.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Inaugural season
For the 2012 season, the league featured former WPS teams, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Western New York Flash, in addition to many WPSL teams primarily located in the northeast and midwest regions of the United States. Six of the eight teams were considered fully professional.[2] Western WPSL teams were expected to join the Elite League starting in 2013.[3][4]
| Season | Champion | Coach | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Western New York Flash |  Aaran Lines |
Chicago Red Stars |
[edit] 2012 Teams
| Team | Home | Pro-am | Joined | Founded | Previous leagues |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASA Chesapeake Charge | Multiple locales in MD. | NCAA compliant | 2012 | 2012 | WPSL |
| Boston Breakers | Somerville, Massachusetts | professional | 2012 | 2008 | WPS |
| Chicago Red Stars | Lisle, Illinois | professional | 2012 | 2007 | WPS, WPSL |
| FC Indiana Lionesses | Indianapolis, Indiana | professional | 2012 | 2000 | W-League, WPSL |
| New England Mutiny | Agawam, Massachusetts | professional | 2012 | 1999 | WPSL |
| New York Fury | Hempstead, New York | professional | 2012 | 2011 | WPSL |
| Philadelphia Fever | Multiple locales in N.J. & PA. | NCAA compliant | 2012 | 2012 | none |
| Western New York Flash | Rochester, New York | professional | 2012 | 2008 | WPS |
[edit] Folding
The Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars and Western New York Flash joined the National Women's Soccer League for the 2013 season. The WPSL-Elite was disbanded and the remaining teams returned to the WPSL.
[edit] League expansion
A Western conference of the league was planned to begin competition in 2013.
[edit] Committed cities for 2013
| Expected team(s) | Committed city | Pro-am | Join | Founded | Previous and current leagues |
Club website |
League page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego WFC SeaLions | San Diego, California | 2013 | WPSL | link | link | ||
| Los Angeles Vikings | Los Angeles, California | 2013 | WPSL | link | link | ||
| California Storm | Sacramento, California | 2013 | 1995 | W-League, WPSL | none | link | |
| Bay Area Breeze | Bay Area, California | professional | 2013 | WPSL | link | link | |
| unnamed | Seattle, Washington | 2013 |
[edit] Further candidate cities
- Phoenix
- Houston
- Dallas[citation needed]
[edit] Organization
[edit] Playing structure
The Elite League features a standard home-and-away double round robin format, with a separate postseason from the regular WPSL playoffs. The Elite League's playoffs involve four teams in two-leg aggregate series.
[edit] References
- ^ Dure, Beau (May 18, 2012). "Women's Professional Soccer folds". espnW.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Philadelphia Fever Joins New WPSL Elite League". PRLog.org. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ "New Elite League". SoccerNation.com. 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ "WPSL Elite League launches for 2012 with Flash, Breakers, Red Stars, FC Indiana". EqualizerSoccer.com. 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
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