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Ken Garner's avatar

I believe Florida Roots in Panama City opted for APSL over TLfC….

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Ken Garner's avatar

Guys, I may have been posting under the influence of a major brain fart re: Florida Roots. I was mistaking APFC — which is NOT a football league — with APSL. I had seen a post on their site saying they had partnered with APFC without further explanation. Below is the further explanation, thanks to a little more research:

Florida Roots Futbol Club has partnered with APFC (Albert Puig Football Concepts) to enhance player development and create a club-wide curriculum, focusing on "Juego de Posición" (Positional Play) and a comprehensive soccer education program led by Albert Puig, a former Barcelona F.C. coach.

OOPS. I also noticed they’re preparing to make an announcement tomorrow; maybe we’ll learn their plans for this summer.

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Dan Floyd's avatar

Would they flip to more of a year-round model? I've wondered how the new NPSL/UPSL club will impact Roots on the men's side

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Ken Garner's avatar

I’m not really sure, but it’ll be interesting to find out. I don’t know if they can if most of their teams rely on offseason college players….

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SoocerKing's avatar

What's the entry fee for the APSL, and how does it compare with peer leagues (LfC, NPSL, USL League 2, etc.)? Is the entry fee paid annually, or there is a large upfront "franchise" fee, following by annual fees, and who pays the refs, etc.? Thanks for insight!

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Soccergeek20's avatar

Due to their nonprofit structure, The APSL annual entry fee is the lowest of any national league at only $1,500. There are no large upfront franchise fees other than a 1 time $1,000 bond. Player registrations and referees are handled separately by clubs but are still extremely affordable

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SoocerKing's avatar

Hello, Soccer-cousin!

That's helpful info. A downside is the APSL fee does not convey any territorial rights. Consequently, your next door neighbor could launch a competing APSL team named identically to yours, and steal away all your fans, staff and talent?

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Soccergeek20's avatar

That’s one way to look at it, but in reality most of the clubs at this level starting out are looking for a low barrier to entry league with professional standards. The APSL encourages localized conference travel to build clubs, not teams that burn out after a few years due to high costs / unnecessary travel. The best clubs on merit rise to the top of this European modeled system and attract the best talent/ coaches etc, instead of money creating barriers

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Calum Ewing's avatar

$1500 plus bond, much cheaper then other leagues. Unsure if it’s annually or one-time.

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SoocerKing's avatar

That HAS to be annually! Plus the competing clubs probably have to split the ref fees, paid in cash before each match!

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