The Southern Premier Soccer League (SPSL) was an amateur soccer league featuring teams from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and Oklahoma and recognized by the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

and

United States Adult Soccer Association The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 55 state organizations as well as national, regional and state leagues. The National Premier Soccer League, NI ...

. The league existed from September 2010 to June 2011, and ran two seasons during this brief but unsteady existencea six-team 2010-2011 winter season that saw two teams depart or fold mid-season, and a six-team 2011 spring season that saw one team fold mid-season.

Origin

The

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the U ...

(NPSL) had intended to introduce a NPSL Winter League, with initial operation in the 2010–2011 winter season. However the FC Tulsa folded at the end of the normal NPSL 2010 season, leaving the NPSL's South Central division with three teams, less than the minimum four required for a division. The remaining NPSL South Central teams

Galveston Pirate SC Galveston Pirate SC is an American soccer team based in League City, Texas. Founded in 1916, the team played until the 1940s, then reemerged in the 1960s and 1970s for a period of about seven years each time. In 2010 the team was again reborn a ...

, Houston-based Regals FC, Corpus Christi Fuelfounded the SPSL in September 2010, reaching out to a number of potential new teams to join the newly formed league. By month's end, the SPSL finalized a slate of six teams to start the season; the original survivors of the NPSL South Central division, plus Club América Soccer Academy Houston, Texas Lonestrikers from

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...

, and a new Tulsa-based team, Tulsa Lobos FC.

SPSL 2010–2011 winter season

The inaugural 2010–11 SPSL season ran from October 2 through March 26. Each team was to play 20 games during the regular season. Before the season ended, Texas Lonestrikers folded and Galveston Pirate SC, having reached a new agreement with the NPSL, withdrew from play. Regals FC won the inaugural season, with five of the six top goal scorers in the SPSL playing for that club.

SPSL 2011 spring season

Having ended its first season with just four teams, the SPSL continued to recruit new clubs for the 2011 spring season. Two additional teams were added in time for the season: the

Rio Grande Valley Ocelots FC Rio Grande Valley Ocelots FC were an American soccer team based in Brownsville, Texas, United States. Ocelots FC was founded in 2010 and competed in the Southern Premier Soccer League's single 2010–11 season of existence. The team played its home ...

(continuing on from their summer 2010 season in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

) and the Houston Hurricane (revival of a name last used in 1980 by a team playing in the North American Soccer League). Club América folded before the season finished. The Ocelots won the short 2011 Spring season, with a 9–1 record and a championship game victory over Regals FC.

SPSL folds

The SPSL folded after completing a shortened 2011 Spring season.Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
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Teams

References

{{USSoccer Defunct soccer leagues in the United States Soccer in Texas Soccer in Oklahoma Sports leagues established in 2010 Sports leagues disestablished in 2011 2010 establishments in Texas 2011 disestablishments in Texas 2010 establishments in Oklahoma 2011 disestablishments in Oklahoma