The Ohio Valley Premier League (OVPL) is a USASA-affiliated league through US Club Soccer that includes teams from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The regular season of the OVPL runs May through July. It is the only premier U23 adult amateur league in the region.
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | Men - 22; Women - 12 |
| Domestic cup(s) | U.S. Open Cup National Amateur Cup |
| Current champions | Ohio Premier (Summer 2024) |
| Most championships | Ohio Premier (2) |
| Top goalscorer | Fin Sallows (24) |
| TV partners | YouTube.com |
| Website | ovplsoccer.com |
| Current: N/A | |
The men's division was announced in November 2019 and the women's division was announced in February 2020. Both were due to begin play in summer 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer season was cancelled and a fall season was started. In 2021, the OVPL also hosted a spring season.
Background
editThe OVPL is a competitive soccer circuit to offer the only amateur competition throughout the Ohio Valley (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia) region.[1]
The Ohio Valley Premier League (OVPL) has received sanctioning from US Club Soccer and is set to kick off in May 2020. A first of its kind in the region, the OVPL will seek to provide a competitive league for players of all ages, beginning with a competitive amateur men's division.
As a league, the OVPL will operate within Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to help local communities grow the beautiful game through competitive matches and local soccer culture. The amateur men's division allows for players as young as sixteen (16) years old to compete in a structure that provides an opportunity for competition in the country's longest-running tournament in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Due to the structure of the OVPL, no players will jeopardize amateur status within their youth clubs, high schools, or universities.
With the sanctioning of the OVPL through US Club Soccer, the regionalized league is a first of its kind for the Ohio Valley area.
Clubs
editCurrent
editMen's Division[2]
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined OVPL | Head coach | Other Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indy Saints FC | Indianapolis, IN | Cardinal Ritter High School | 2017 | 2020 | TBD | WPSL |
| Lexington Landsharks | Lexington, KY | Transylvania University | 2019 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Cincy SC | Cincinnati, OH | TBD | 2015 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Valhalla FC | Milford, OH | Milford High School | 2018 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Cincinnati Swerve | Fairfield, OH | Fairfield High School | 2015 | 2020 | Rudy Argueta | PASL |
| Ohio Premier Soccer Club | Plain City, OH | OP Training Facility | 1993 | 2020 | TBD | ECNL |
| Croatia Juniors | Mentor, OH | Mentor High School | 1957 | 2020 | TBD | GLA/NPL |
| Ohio Galaxies FC | Dayton, OH | DOC Stadium | 1974 | 2020 | Arturo Rodriguez | USL2 |
| Hoosier FC | Noblesville, IN | TBD | 2003 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Cincinnati Saints SC | Crestview Hills, KY | Thomas More University | 2020 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Clermont County FC | Batavia, OH | TBD | 2020 | 2020 | Tim Farrell | N/A |
| Dana Gardens FC/Xavier Club | Norwood, OH | Xavier University | 2020 | 2020 | Steve Abbenhaus | N/A |
| Northern Kentucky FC | Highland Heights, KY | Highland Heights Soccer Field | 2015 | 2020 | Sean Eubanks | N/A |
| Cleveland Force SC | Willoughby, OH | Lost Nation Sports Park | TBD | 2021 | Bill Lawrence | USL2 |
| Soccer Field Academy | Grove City, OH | Grove City Christian School | 2016 | 2021 | James Field | Super Y League |
| Century United | Pittsburgh, PA | Century Field | 1984 | 2021 | John Lichina | WPSL |
| Blast FC | Marengo, OH | Highland High School | 1986 | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Evansville Legends FC | Evansville, IN | Old National Bank Field | 2021 | 2021 | Jesse Sharp | TBD |
| Club Ohio | Dublin, OH | TBD | 1997 | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Wheeling Highlanders FC | Wheeling, WV | East Wheeling Turf Field | 2021 | 2021 | Ryan Wall | N/A |
| Old Bhoys SC | Indianapolis, IN | Cardinal Ritter High School | 2017 | 2021 | Steve Bushre | N/A |
| University of Cincinnati Men's Club Soccer | Cincinnati, Ohio | Gettler Stadium | 2001 | 2021 | Randy Anderson | Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference |
| Ambassadors FC Ohio (AFC Ohio)[3] | Macedonia, Ohio | Pioneer Park / CVCA Stadium | 1990 (as Ambassadors in Sport) / 2021 (as AFC Ohio) | 2022 | Ryan Dean[4] | NOSL |
Women's Division
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined OVPL | Head coach | Other Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Fillies | Lexington, KY | Transylvania University | 2019 | 2020 | Jim Borman | N/A |
| Cincinnati Sirens FC I | Fairfield, OH | Fairfield High School | 2016 | 2020 | Jake Morrison | WPSL/PASL |
| Cincinnati Saints SC | Crestview Hills, KY | Thomas More University | 2020 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Cincinnati Saints SC II | Crestview Hills, KY | Thomas More University | 2020 | 2020 | TBD | N/A |
| Cleveland Ambassadors FC I | Macedonia, OH | Nordonia High School | 1990 | 2020 | TBD | WPSL |
| Club Ohio | Dublin, OH | TBD | 1997 | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Empire FC | Bridgeport, WV | Bridgeport Recreational Complex | 2018 | 2021 | Hannah Abraham | TBD |
| Ohio Premier Soccer Club | Plain City, OH | OP Training Facility | 1993 | 2021 | TBD | ECNL |
| Cincinnati Sirens FC II | Fairfield, OH | Fairfield High School | 2016 | 2021 | TBD | PASL |
| Ohio Galaxies FC | Dayton, OH | DOC Stadium | 1974 | 2021 | Javier Iriart | WPSL |
| Croatia Juniors | Mentor, OH | Mentor High School | 1957 | 2021 | TBD | GLA/NPL |
Former
edit| Team | Founded | Joined OVPL | Left OVPL | Other Affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Dutch Lions | 2013 | 2020 | 2020 | USL League Two | Club folded |
| FC Pride | 2001 | 2020 | 2021 | WPSL | Hiatus |
| Kings Hammer SC | 2012 | 2020 | 2021 | USL2/USLW | Hiatus |
| 1927 SC | 1927 | 2022 | 2022 | N/A | Moved to Midwest Premier League |
Champions
edit| Season | League Champions | River Division | Valley Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Summer | Ohio Premier | Valhalla Fc | Ohio Premier |
| 2023 Summer | Ohio Premier | Valhalla FC | Spire Academy |
| 2022 Summer | 1927 SC | 1927 SC | Wheeling Highlanders FC |
| 2021/22 Fall/Spring | Valhalla FC | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 Summer | Evansville Legends FC | Evansville Legends FC | Ohio Premier |
| 2021 Spring | Ohio Galaxies FC | N/A | N/A |
| 2020 Fall | Kings Hammer SC | N/A | N/A |
| 2020 Summer | Pandemic cancelled | N/A | N/A |
Summer season is split into Valley and River Divisions.
Notable players
edit
Enrico del Rosario (Northern Kentucky FC), 2021-present, Northern Mariana Islands National Team
Manny Adjei, 2021-present, U.S. 6 National Team[5]
Kalu Abass (Northern Kentucky FC), 2021-present, member of MASL Cincinnati Swerve[6]- Andrej Novakovic (Northern Kentucky FC), 2020-present, member of MASL Cincinnati Swerve since 2021[7]
- Bryce Day (Northern Kentucky FC), 2021-present, member of Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC in 2019
- Andrew Norman (soccer player) (Northern Kentucky FC), 2021-present, member of Cincinnati Swerve PASL from 2017-20[8]
- Ryan Gray (Northern Kentucky FC), 2021-present, member of Cincinnati Swerve PASL from 2017-21[9]
- Sean Eubanks (Northern Kentucky FC), 2020-present, member of Cincinnati Swerve PASL since 2020[10]
Paul Nicholson (Kings Hammer SC), 2020, retired who played in the United Soccer League from 2011 to 2017.
Notable former players
edit- Jacob Goodall, Kings Hammer SC - 2021, signed in 2021 by Greenville Triumph SC ( )[11]
- Cameron Cool, Lexington Landsharks - 2020, signed in 2020 by SC Hansa von 1911 e.V (
) 
Rizwaan Dharsey, Kings Hammer SC - 2021, signed in 2021 by Vitória Futebol Clube - Pico (
)- Max Miller, Lexington Landsharks - 2021, signed in 2022 by FC Cincinnati 2 ( )[12]
- Mohammedi Alkhateeb, West Virginia Highlanders FC - 2021, signed in 2022 by KF Trepça (
)[13] - Josue Dubon, Evansville Legends FC - 2021, signed in 2023 by AD Chalatenango (
)[14] - Diallo Irakoze, Lexington Landsharks - 2020, signed in 2023 by Lexington Sporting Club ( )[15]
Abubakar Kasule, Northern Kentucky Nitro FC - 2022, signed in 2022 by Express FC ( )[16]- Sam Robinson, Kings Hammer SC - 2023, international call-up to Puerto Rico men's national soccer team (
)[17] - Laurence Wootton, Ohio Premier - 2023, MLS SuperDraft Pick (Round 3, Pick 6; 64th Overall) by Chicago Fire FC ( )[18]
References
edit- ^ "OVPL to begin play in 2020!". November 17, 2019.
- ^ "Ohio Valley Premier League". ovplsoccer.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Ambassadors Football Club". Ambassadors Football Club. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Ryan Dean - Men's Soccer Coaching Profile". LinkdIn. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Alum Adjei Called up to USA 6 National Team". April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Kalu Abass".
- ^ "Risers late rally short circuts BC Swerve in M2 season opner in Cincinnati". December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Andrew Norman".
- ^ "Ryan Gray".
- ^ "Sean Eubanks".
- ^ "Triumph SC Signs Defender Jacob Goodall". March 23, 2021.
- ^ "Maxwell Miller | FC Cincinnati".
- ^ "Register". Retrieved September 14, 2023 – via linkedin.
- ^ @ADChalatenango (January 9, 2023). "Register" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Homegrown talent Diallo Irakoze signs with Lexington Sporting Club". www.lexsporting.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ "Abubakar Kasule Returns To Express". www.the-sportsnation.com. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ "Charlie Trout Toma El Mando De La Selección Masculina En Puerto Rico De Cara A Las Próxima Ventana De La Liga De Naciones". www.fpfpuertorico.com (in Spanish). March 19, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ https://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2024/draft-tracker [bare URL]