The Villages will be awarded a franchise in the Premier Development League, a men’s amateur league that is part of the United States soccer league system.
“We are very excited to bring a PDL franchise to The Villages as we seek to build a pathway for the local talent in the area,” said club co-founder Dr. Maen Hussein in a press release. “As our youth soccer environment has grown, the need for a higher level of competition for those players looking to continue their development toward the professional ranks became clear. The PDL will offer that and also (provide) high-level competition for local soccer fans as well.”
Hussein, an area physician, and Anderson DaSilva, president of The Villages Soccer Club, are founders of the newest PDL entry, according to Alex Perez from The Villages Soccer Club.
“We are pleased to welcome The Villages to the PDL,” said league director Todd Eason. “Anderson DaSilva has had notable success not only in putting strong teams on the field in the past in the PDL, but he has also helped players move on to the professional ranks. We are pleased to have him and Maen Hussein leading this new club.”
Founded in 1995, the PDL is sponsored by United Soccer Leagues (USL) and is considered to be the fourth tier in the U.S. soccer league system, behind Major League Soccer (MLS), the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the USL.
Eason said the PDL is the highest level of amateur soccer in North America. Because it is an amateur league, Eason said many college players compete during the league’s summer season without losing their college eligibility.
There were 63 teams in the PDL in 2015, with 57 teams in the U.S. and six in Canada. The leagues was comprised of 10 divisions in four conferences — Eastern, Southern, Central and Western — with most teams playing between 12 and 14 games during the regular season.
The K-W United FC, based in the Kitchener-Waterloo region in Ontario, Canada, beat the New York Red Bulls U.23 4-3 on Aug. 2 for the league championship.
In addition to The Villages, the PDL announced Jan. 15 that it had awarded a franchise to Peachtree City, located about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta.
More than 200 players with PDL experience played in the MLS during the 2015 season. In fact, Eason said 70 percent of players selected in the MLS SuperDraft over the past seven years played in the PDL.
“The PDL has provided a major development platform for future professional players,” Eason said. “Twelve of the (PDL’s) current membership are owned and operated by an MLS or USL club or are holding a partnership with an MLS or USL club. The PDL has received strong support from MLS and USL as it provides a proven pathway to the professional ranks for top college-aged players in North America.”
The Villages PDL club will be a part of The Villages Soccer Club, according to Perez. The Club has offered an outlet for sports enthusiasts in The Villages. Since it was formed in 2008, the Club is grown and held its first annual tournament — The Villages Cup — in 2015.
“The addition of the PDL team to our club is the realization of a dream,” Perez said. “The new club will fit perfectly into our mission to promote the growth of and the appreciation of the game of soccer in an environment that promotes teamwork, sportsmanship and mutual respect.”