Founded in 2024, the Mid-Atlantic Premier League was formed by like-minded Girls Clubs looking to provide their second-tier players and families with an optimal Club v. Club youth soccer experience. Stemming from the ECNL-RL Northeast formed in 2023, nine soccer clubs got together. They aligned to create the Mid-Atlantic Premier League, a member of the National Premier League (NPL). Since the initial launch, the league has now added eight soccer clubs to form a Boys Club v. Club platform that launched in Fall 2024.

Beginning with its inaugural season in 2026-27, the National 1 League brings together two established league platforms — US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues and US Youth Soccer’s National League — in an extraordinary display of collaboration.

In alignment with the U.S. Soccer Pathways Strategy, National 1 represents the top team-based competition structure in US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer.

This landmark partnership takes the first step in a broader effort to strengthen soccer competition platforms among national organizations and local/state leagues.