New D3 League NISA Launch 2018-Pro/Rel with NASL (top tier) & NPSL (bottom Tier)

[CDNFootballer]

New Division 3 National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) launching 2018 and plans future pro-rel with NASL and NPSL :

In April, the group held a meeting with representatives from potential clubs in 17 different markets.  Shortly thereafter, Wilt and Cummins formed the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), and have since received 10 letters of intent to join. Wilt expects that the NISA will kick off in the spring of 2018, and that 8-10 clubs will be part of the inaugural season, with other investor groups expected to take the league up to 14-16 teams for the 2019 season.  The intention is for NISA to top out at 24 clubs, and then participate in promotion and relegation with other leagues.

Building a traditional, global style soccer pyramid with promotion and relegation between the NASL, NISA and NPSL, offers an alternative to the the MLS-USL strategic partnership. NISA is being launched with the intention of one day being involved in a promotion and relegation system, ideally with the NASL above it and a full season tier of an amateur or semi-pro league such as the NPSL operating at a fourth division level below it.  However, there is no formal agreement with either league today that will bring about promotion and relegation.

http://midfieldpress.com/2017/06/06/exclusive-the-national-independent-soccer-association-nisa-a-new-division-iii-professional-soccer-league-expects-to-launch-in-2018/

 

[Big_M]

Important to note that they have not requested sanctionning yet but want to get sanctionning at the US Soccer board meeting in September.

[shermanator]

Given the direction that the CSA is going with the CPL, this shouldn't even be on our radar when it kicks off.

[yothat]

would it be a better place for fcmtl tfc2 thundercaps than div.2 usl

[CDNFootballer]

NISA website :

http://www.nisaofficial.com/

 

With Peter Wilt behind this league its likely to be well organized. Will be interesting to watch the markets that join NISA. Detroit City FC could be one of the NPSL clubs that join and would give them a prime market with strong attendance if they don't move up to NASL for 2018 like has been rumored.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

5 hours ago, shermanator said:

Given the direction that the CSA is going with the CPL, this shouldn't even be on our radar when it kicks off.

The problem is that CPL isn't far enough along yet to be totally confident that there will be a when given there is no Calgary, Edmonton or Ottawa involvement yet. If those three cities were all on board along with Hamilton, Winnipeg and Halifax, NISA could be safely ignored. 

[Ansem]

2 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

The problem is that CPL isn't far enough along yet to be totally confident that there will be a when given there is no Calgary, Edmonton or Ottawa involvement yet. If those three cities were all on board along with Hamilton, Winnipeg and Halifax, NISA could be safely ignored. 

It will be safely ignored, trust me

[CDNFootballer]

Inaugural Applicant Markets Announced for New US Pro Third Division Soccer League

Interesting that 3 of the 8 teams in NISA are in existing USL markets and one in an NASL market.

Clubs/Markets announced yesterday are :

Chattanooga FC (currently in NPSL)

Charlotte FC (currently in NPSL)

St Louis

Miami United FC (currently in NPSL)

Connecticut

Omaha

Phoenix

Milwaukee

NISA will be the second tier in a future Pro/Rel pyramid within a pyramid with NASL the top tier and a premier NPSL full season league the 3rd tier.

http://www.nisaofficial.com/2017/08/30/inaugural-applicant-markets-announced-for-new-us-pro-third-division-soccer-league/

[CDNFootballer]

NISA/Peter Wilt's New Pro/Rel Pyramid Plans Detailed :

NISA’s vision and plan includes the following:

• A new pyramid not connected with MLS or the USL leagues
• Open system promotion and relegation
• Advocate and push for a minority percentage fan ownership
• Advocate and push for academies and links to foreign clubs
• Advocate and push for training and solidarity payments to youth clubs

When first conceived, NISA intended to create an alliance with the NASL for NISA to serve as the lower Division 3 league connected to the NASL’s Division 2 league. There were many discussions with NASL leadership and while both parties desired that goal, the NASL and NISA were not able to agree on terms prior to last month’s US Soccer board meeting. NISA remains desirous to have a formal relationship with NASL as its Division 2 partner and NPSL as part of this new pyramid. We are also prepared, if necessary, to create Division 2 and semi-professional Division 4 leagues in the near future independently, that will link with NISA’s Division 3 league and operate under one governance structure.

The teams in what we can refer to as NISA 1, NISA 2 and NISA 3, will be independently owned. The club owners will have full control of their league’s governance and club owners – not third parties – will have majority ownership of the league shares.

Most, but not all, of the applicants are ready to move forward for a 2018 launch. If eight or more teams are prepared to launch by mid-November, we will move forward seeking sanctioning from US Soccer. If not, NISA will launch in July, 2018 after the World Cup in a single table season. Once there are 20 or more teams, the single table will be used to determine which ten clubs are promoted to NISA 1 in 2020 while the remaining clubs will play 2020 in NISA 2.

The result of the NASL’s request for a temporary injunction will likely affect the fate of the NASL and its teams. If the injunction is granted, NASL will likely continue play with provisional Division 2 sanctioning. If the injunction is not granted, the NASL may dissolve allowing its ten current member teams and several prospective teams to seek a new league, which NISA would be an option.

http://midfieldpress.com/2017/10/18/vision-and-plan-to-use-prorel-to-get-us-soccer-on-track/

[yothat]

sounds like a good home for TFC2, Whitecaps2, fcmtl 

[CDNFootballer]

3 hours ago, yothat said:

sounds like a good home for TFC2, Whitecaps2, fcmtl 

Those type of teams will be left in the MLS-USL closed pyramid system, its not what Peter Wilt/NISA and the independent league's are going for and MLS has the USL as its development/minor league.

[CDNFootballer]

NISA UPDATE - December 1

Dear NISA Followers,

As we head into December, I would like to provide an update on the progress – and in some areas lack of progress – of the National Independent Soccer Association.

After announcing three months ago that we had received eight applications from 15 signed letters of intent to join, NISA has reviewed and vetted all eight applications. Three of the eight applications have been accepted, four have been returned with requests for improvements and one has been rejected. The three that have been accepted are from Chattanooga, Connecticut and Miami. The four seeking improvements are Charlotte, Omaha, Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Phoenix application has been declined.

Additional active conversations about joining NISA are ongoing with 20 other markets. These include nine existing amateur teams, four existing professional teams and seven groups that do not yet have a team in any league.

We expected to be further along confirming teams to join. The delay in securing teams has pushed NISA’s expected kickoff to post-2018 World Cup in either July 2018 or spring 2019. The delay is disappointing, because we are all anxious to get started building a new open system pyramid for American soccer. It will however, provide more time to build the foundation of the structure and gain support from all necessary sectors including fans, investors, broadcasters, sponsors, players and administrators.

http://www.nisaofficial.com/2017/12/01/nisa-update/

Suspect the 4 pro teams talking with NISA are NASL clubs waiting on the Dec 15th appeal decision on NASL injunction. If no injunction and NASL folds bulk of NASL clubs join NISA imho.

[grande]

^ I would kill for that level of communication from the CPL.

[YEG Round Baller]

Seriously?

It was bad enough having competing leagues, fighting for supremacy amongst and against themselves (NASL vs MLS.)  They now want to have competing Pyramids?

We're going to have to wait for about a decade for the MLS owners to amortize their several-hundred-million-dollar investments in stadia and franchise fees before we start to get serious about pro/rel.  In the meantime, could this new league just please try to find a place in the current pyramid and try to get pro/rel going for levels 2 and lower.

[CDNFootballer]

21 hours ago, YEG Round Baller said:

Seriously?

It was bad enough having competing leagues, fighting for supremacy amongst and against themselves (NASL vs MLS.)  They now want to have competing Pyramids?

We're going to have to wait for about a decade for the MLS owners to amortize their several-hundred-million-dollar investments in stadia and franchise fees before we start to get serious about pro/rel.  In the meantime, could this new league just please try to find a place in the current pyramid and try to get pro/rel going for levels 2 and lower.

There's obviously room in the US market for them. There's also two different models that prospective owners are looking at, the MLS/USL AAA model more like traditional US sports league's and the Independent club model more like the rest of the worlds soccer leagues that includes pro/rel.

More variety for the fans with two different models/pyramids and makes things more interesting and competitive imho.

[CDNFootballer]

NISA : Independent Soccer’s Future in America: Align out of NISAssity

 

NASL (sanctioned by USSF as a professional league) and USASA (United States Adult Soccer Association, an affiliate member of USSF, who sanctions UPSL, NPSL, GCPL and a litany of other adult amateur and semi pro leagues in the US) should merge together to form their own association, NISA, keeping USASA’s affiliate membership in USSF, and therefore also FIFA.

Let me say it again in case it was unclear: USASA, NASL, and the proposed NISA should all merge into a separate association building on the current USASA. The new association will then remain an affiliate member of USSF, just as USASA is today*. The NISA name already includes the word association. It’s a sign.

In Peter Wilt’s manifesto published on Midfield Press outlining his plan to fix American soccer, he makes the case for a separate pyramid and a separate league structure with NISA 1, 2, and 3 and support from existing lower divisions. I want to take that idea one step further with a full merger. http://midfieldpress.com/2017/10/18/vision-and-plan-to-use-prorel-to-get-us-soccer-on-track/

*It’s worth noting that USASA operates as a national affiliate, which is “an amateur sports organization” according to USSF membership guidelines. NISA would likely need to work something out with USSF to have professional standing as an affiliate, but USSF would likely not mind having to directly regulate and govern over a sudden mass of 500–800 clubs.

https://medium.com/@davidmconiglio/independent-soccers-future-in-america-align-out-of-nisassity-c84d7b9a1fcc

 

[CDNFootballer]

NISA Eliminates Expansion Fees, Territory Exclusivity In An Effort To Create Open System Pro Soccer In the USA

NISA Division III is still planned as a launching point for the system, and is now intended to start in Spring 2019.  In addition to NISA DIII, a professional NISA Division IV is also intended to start in Spring 2019.  NISA would look to add a Division II league to its system in the years ahead, ideally through a partnership with the NASL but if not by creating one.  

A NISA Premier Division is built into the design, to be added at a future date when the system supports it.  A fully populated NISA system would support 128 total teams (20 in DI, 20 in DII, 24 in DIII and 64 in DIV).  These divisions would be linked with each other through promotion and relegation, and NISA DIV would seek a partner league at the top of the USASA’s amateur pyramid to promote from and relegate to.

Primary among NISA’s model changes are the elimination of expansion fees at both the NISA DIII and DIV levels.  The removal of expansion fees will reduce barriers to entry to join NISA.  NISA is also reducing its league dues.  NISA planned to charge $150,000 in dues, but will now charge $100,000 plus a percentage of ticket sales at the Division III level, and $50,000 plus a percentage of the gate at the Division IV level. The Performance Bond in NISA DIII will be lowered to $250,000, and will be set at $100,000 for DIV, subject to US Soccer approval.

For the initial launch of the league, NISA will only process $25,000 of the league dues up front until Division III is populated with a minimum of 8 teams, holding the other $75,000 in escrow until that time.  Division IV will have a very regional structure from the start, so any groups joining NISA DIV would also see only $25,000 of the league dues processed upfront and the other $25,000 held in escrow until their regional conference is fully populated with eight teams.

NISA Division III teams are expected to operate with annual budgets between $1M and $3M, while NISA Division IV teams are expected to operate with annual budgets in the $500,000 range.  NISA DIII is expected to ultimately consist of four divisions with six teams each, while NISA DIV at its full capacity would have eight highly regionalized divisions with eight teams each.

NISA also intends to launch an annual Cup competition between the teams in its system as well as those in any professional or amateur leagues partnered with its system.

NISA will strongly encourage its teams to add a fan ownership element to their organizations via Supporters Trusts, as well as advocate that teams pay training and solidarity payments to youth clubs they receive players from.  NISA will also encourage clubs to develop their own academies.

http://midfieldpress.com/2017/12/21/nisa-eliminates-expansion-fees-territory-exclusivity-in-an-effort-to-create-open-system-pro-soccer-in-the-usa/

[CDNFootballer]

A year late and with NASL on haitus likely again in 2019 and NPSL (including 3 NASL clubs) starting their own Pro league in 2019 but never the less :

NISA Submits Application For Division III Pro League Sanctioning for 2019

"On Friday, August 31 the National Independent Soccer Association (“NISA”) formally petitioned the United States Soccer Federation for admission as a Men’s Division III Professional Soccer League.  By submitting this paperwork, NISA has asked the U.S. Soccer Federation to approve the league for play in 2019.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has strict requirements for professional soccer leagues seeking to play in the United States.  These Professional League Standards require that American leagues meet certain requirements relating to financial stability, stadium size, geographic distribution and number of teams.

NISA’s application meets or exceeds all Federation standards. There are currently no sanctioned Division III League in American soccer. 

NISA expects to begin play in August 2019, with professional teams throughout the country bringing an exciting new brand of soccer to the American landscape."

http://midfieldpress.com/2018/09/04/nisa-submits-application-for-division-iii-pro-league-sanctioning/

[yothat]

maybe a bowl or club game for the CPL winner vs NISA winner 

[PhillyJawn-guy]

It's amazing how Canada never has "Soccer Warz" and can plan a real soccer pyramid at the first try while the US goes through leagues folding and several failures without learning anything from mistakes. I've never seen Canadian soccer embroiled in such a mess of feuding leagues with an alphabet soup of acronyms or the USL can't decide what to call themselves and keep rebranding.

[CDNFootballer]

NISA Sanctioning approved by USSF this weekend to operate as a professional US league starting August 2019 (likely a competitor somewhat for players with the CPL for 2020) :