National 1 League
Registration
Before teams can register, clubs must be affiliated with US Club. US Club Soccer membership is at the club/organization level, not the individual team level. Please first check internally with your club/administrator to confirm US Club Soccer membership.
Application submission does not mean team(s) are accepted
Teams who apply for acceptance into the National 1 League will be chosen by a Review League Committee
Acceptance will be based on strength of roster and standings per the last completed season (Advanced League and/or acronym league)
Teams will be notified via email if accepted on Thursday, May 28th
Teams will be charged the registration/league fee once accepted
Teams who are accepted to participate in National 1 League and in CSA Advanced League will receive a team registration discount for the Advanced League
Dates
**ALL DATES AND LOCATIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE**
All games will be played in Colorado.
Schedules & Standings
**A LINK TO THE SCHEDULE AND STANDINGS WILL BE POSTED IN SUMMER 2026**
Vision
In alignment with the U.S. Soccer Pathways Strategy, beginning 2026-27, US Youth Soccer and US Club Soccer are creating the top, team-based competition structure, by unifying US Club Soccer's National Premier Leagues (NPL) and US Youth Soccer's National League (NL).
This landmark partnership takes the first step in a broader effort to strengthen soccer competition platforms among national organizations and local/state leagues.
Pathway
The alignment of NPL and The NL to create a new competitive league brings together up to 10,000 teams and approximately 150,000 players. All teams will apply to be part of National 1 League in year one.
This provides more clarity to parents and players about their soccer environment, and it will help provide a better youth soccer experience by reducing confusion, reducing cost, reducing travel and helping to stop the fracturing in the youth soccer landscape. The intent of the league is to be inclusive of all teams that meet the standards.
The inaugural National 1 League season will end in Summer 2027 at the ECNL Conference League Playoffs. These playoffs, operated by ECNL, US Club Soccer’s top league, will combine the qualifying teams from the ECNL Regional League with National 1 League to form the top team-based league playoff competition in the country and offer best-in-class college scouting opportunities and event experience for families.
More information on the playoff structure will be announced through Spring 2026.
Colorado’s Role
There have been eight conferences created to align with planned U.S. Soccer’s talent identification models. There are 34 districts across these 8 conferences, with Colorado being one of those districts. Colorado Soccer Association was designated the league operator due to our experience running leagues, our league standard, and our knowledge of the soccer landscape.
Contact
For more information on the National 1 League, please contact Nate Shotts (email: nshotts@coloradosoccer.org; phone: 303-641-4464) or Katie Shaffer (email: kshaffer@coloradosoccer.org; phone: 720-376-0863).
Click below to view other leagues & events:
