The FESL Foundation : The future looks bright as the FESL will be molding it's self into shape over the next year or two. The future will see the FESL and it's teams take on international teams, promotion & relegation, the US Open Cup and so much more. The following breakdown will better help to explain the future goals and aspirations of the FESL and it's club teams. Players, clubs and supporters alike will be given the chance to shine on some of the biggest stages from across the world, from Okeechobee to Tokyo, the FESL will be providing the world's greatest game to the fans of Florida and beyond.
2008 through 2009 will see the league expand with a geographical process that will grow the player and fan base naturally which will help to solidify a network of financially thriving organizations. This process will help the league and it's club teams maintain, develop and identify players,supporters and sponsors. 2010 & 2011 will see the FESL expand into it's final stages with the league operating three divisions throughout the entire state of Florida and outer lying regions.
FESL Premier Division
Cape Coral SC
Crystal Palm Beach
Ft. Lauderdale Utd
Freeport Lucayans
Jacksonville Northsiders
Orlando City FC
Palmeiras FC
Seminole County FC
Space Coast Strikers
St. Petersburg City
Tallahassee Capitols SC
Treasure Coast Galleons FC
FESL Division One - North
Brick City SC
Golden Isles Rovers
Daytona Beach SC
First Coast FC
Gainesville Gators
Panama City SC
Valdosta Azaleas
FESL Division One - South
AFC Boca
Dade County FC
Deportivo Okeechobee
Lakeland Leopards
Monroe County Keys SC
Naples Utd
Vero Beach Breakers
Match Play
Teams within the Premier Division will play each other twice, home & away. The top five teams at the end of the regular season will play in a single elimination playoff with the winner being crowned champion. The team that finishes first at the end of the regular season with be awarded a first round bye in the playoffs.
Teams within the North & South Division will play each club from within their Division at least one time and no more then two times with remaining matches being granted against regional rivals from the opposite Division.
Promotion & Relegation
Premier Division
The winner of the FESL Premier Division will be awarded a place in the FESL Emerald Series & US Open Cup regional qualifier.The bottom three clubs at the end of the regular season will be relegated into Division One.
Division One (North & South) -
The first place club from the North & South Division will be directly promoted to the Premier Division. The second placed teams from each division will play in a two legged series with the winner being promoted into the Premier Division.
The winner of the North Division & South Division will play each other in a one match series with the winner being awarded a place within the US Open Cup regional qualifier. The home/host team will be determined by overall regular season record.
FESL League Cup
All teams playing within the FESL will compete for the FESL League Cup. The League Cup format will be run as a single elimination tournament with the away goals rule in effect. The winner of the FESL League Cup will be awarded a spot in the FESL Emerald Series & US Open Cup regional berth.
US Open Cup
The winner and runner up of the Premier Division will receive automatic entry into the US Open Cup regional qualifiers along with....the FESL League Cup Champion & the winner of the playoff series between the North-South Division Champions. These four teams will be awarded a place within the US Open Cup qualifiers.
US Open Cup berths
1-Premier Division Winner
2-Premier Division Runner Up
3-League Cup Champion
4-North/South Division Champions Playoff Winner
FESL Emerald Series
The FESL Emerald Series is a friendly tournament consisting of two FESL teams (Premier League & League Cup winners) and two guest clubs. The winner of each match on match day one will square off in match day two for the FESL Emerald Series Cup with the two defeated clubs from match day one playing each other in a third place match.
Example
Match Day One :
FESL #1 vs. Guest #1
FESL #2 vs. Guest #2
Match Day Two :
Loser of Match 1 vs. Loser of Match 2 (3rd Place Match)
Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2 (Championship)
FESL Turf Wars
The FESL Turf Wars tournament will take place over one weekend during the off season. This tournament will take place indoors with each FESL team being able to enter themselves within the weekend tournament along with two guest clubs as determined by the league.
Teams will be able to mix players from their roster with special non roster guest players. The league will help to place high profile current and former professionals on each team to further help to heighten the experience on and off the field. Each team will field 5 players players plus a goalkeeper, 6 vs. 6. This tournament will help to keep players, fans and sponsors in touch with the FESL while the league is in it's off season period. Currently December 2008 has been earmarked as the first annual Turf War Tournament with one of the following three potential cities being selected - Miami, Ft. Myers & Savannah,GA.
International Friendlies
TS Academy & Green Pitch Alliance will be working together to bring top flight teams from across the globe to the state of Florida and the FESL. Teams from within the FESL will given the chance to train with and play against some of the best teams from across the globe. While some matches will be taking place in closed door settings, the FESL will be making sure that players and fans alike get to experience International Soccer at it's best.
National & International Partnerships
The FESL has and will continue to foster and develop new national and international partnerships with club and league officials. These partnerships will be forged to better help players and coaches of the FESL along with league supporters who will have the chance of seeing their hometown hero's play alongside international and national stars of today and tomorrow.
The FESL has currently forged it's first initial international partnership by joining forces with the Green Pitch Alliance and TS Academy. This Alliance of teams and academies from four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe & North America) will help to provide each club with a never ending supply of well informed coaching strategies & solutions, along with a steady line of player development and identification. Two more additional clubs from England & Japan are currently undergoing final discussions. Supporters will also benefit from the Green Pitch Alliance as every official club will offer fans from other official clubs the chance to purchase discounted vacation packages to watch their favorite sport in a different environment, plus supporters can purchase discounted merchandise and win prizes from every member of the Green Pitch Alliance.
The FESL also has another partnership currently in the works with the soon to be debuted West Palm Beach expansion franchise. This partnership will help to better strengthen the FESL's national and international presence and it's ability to attract, develop and nurture skilled players.
Current '08 Green Pitch Alliance members :
AFC Leopards - Kenya Premier League
Bayer Leverkusen - German Bundesliga
Florida Elite Soccer League - All FESL teams
Royal Virton - Belgian 2nd Division
Wuppertaler FC - German 3rd Division
Japan TBA - Japanese 2nd Division/J-2
England TBA - England 1st Division (Championship)
FESL Park Project
The FESL and it's current and future club owners will be taking part in the "FESL Park Project". This operation will see the league and club owners form a financial trust which will identify select club teams for renovation of their current home stadium or help to establish a new soccer specific stadium. Stadium requirements will also see all clubs adhere to a player & supporter friendly list of requirements. These requirements will be another staple of the FESL Park Project as it will help to sustain a consistent standard of functional playing and training fields for both players and supporters.
Currently the Treasure Coast Galleons and the Space Coast Strikers are looking into constructing their own soccer specific stadiums, along with another three identified expansion teams. Once the league has a minimum of 50% of it's teams playing within stadiums controlled by the club, the league will consider moving and expanding the schedule to run from the Fall through the Spring.
Media & Publicity
The FESL is currently in the process of putting the final pieces together for it's television & radio debut. The FESL will provide it's fans with up to two matches per week on television, plus a network of live radio broadcasts and internet broadcasts. The FESL is currently aiming for "Match Night" which will be a once a week telecast during the regular season and playoffs, along with coverage of FESL International friendly matches and FESL League Cup matches. Last season the FESL was able to receive coverage on Azteca TV of Orlando, with the near future looking to further expand the FESL's television coverage. One unique aspect that the FESL and it's media partners are also currently investigating is providing a bi-lingual broadcast of English & Spanish.
Regional sporting journalists and sports radio broadcasters will be supplied with updated league, club & player news along with a league wide open door policy making all players, coaches and club owners accessible at all times.
"Supporters First"
Supporters First, is not only a statement but it's an initiative started by the FESL and it's club owners to ensure that every fan has their opportunity to stand and support their hometown club & players. Supporters of the FESL will have the chance to follow their club on every level with ease thanks in part to the Supporters First initiative.
FESL supporters will have the chance to go virtually anywhere in their quest for soccer satisfaction. The FESL will be making every part of the season accessible to it's supporters as the league will be offering it's fans the chance to hit the road with their favorite team. Fans will not only have the chance of catching their team on the television or the internet but also live and in person. The FESL Supporters First campaign will offer supporters the chance to purchase discounted rail tickets and car rentals for all away matches throughout the entire season. The supporters package will contain not only transportation but also a pair of tickets to the match as well....discounted hotel rooms will also be another option for fans looking to stay the evening.
... it would be a nice promotion, imho...
