AZ FAQ

For answers to any questions not listed, please visit the STAFF PAGE for contact information.

WHY COMPETE IN THE SWPL?

We put the Clubs first! We are all about sustainability and want to support teams in coming alongside them to help them achieve their goals. Check out the other leagues, is their marketing more about their league or do they put clubs first?

We charge less, so clubs have more money to invest in their teams.

We believe in local and regional competition. We do not believe it is sustainable for an amateur club to be spending thousands of dollars to travel all across the country to determine a so-called "national champion". It costs more to travel to play these games than the prize money you would win!

We believe in US Soccer. We support the US Open Cup and ALL of our member clubs are eligible to complete in the US Open Cup. We believe that is the only competition worthy of traveling across the country for!

We believe if your team wants to travel then do it for the experience, find a tournament in another state, another country even, to compete in. Other than that, focus your efforts on growing your club, developing your business plan, spend your money on a run in the US Open Cup. We will help you!

HOW LONG IS A "SEASON"

For SWPL, seasons vary by region (see other Regional FAQ's to see specifics). We believe in and it is our goal in each region to play in the traditional 10 month season that reflects world football (specifically, the European Calendar of football).

  • ​NISA Independent Cup Playoffs
    • SWPL will hold regional playoffs for all regions. The top 1 or 2 teams in each region will enter a playoff series in June to compete for a spot in the 2024 NISA Independent Cup

WHAT COMPETITIONS IS AN SWPL MEMBER CLUB ALSO ELIGIBLE FOR?

We have multiple competitions. These are determined by region, conference and length of competition.

Here are some current registration dates:

  • US Open Cup - teams will be notified when the USOC registration is open

  • NISA Independent Cup - Qualification is through League and Cup competition

  • USASA Amateur Cup

 

WHEN CAN I REGISTER MY TEAM?

You can register a team at any time. While we take teams anytime we have an opening our traditional open registration period is between June 1 and July 31. You can start by filling out your EXPANSION FORM here.

HOW DOES PROMOTION/RELEGATION WORK IN SWPL?

SWPL has strategic partnerships with other local leagues across our network. It is NOT our goal to take over smaller/local leagues. If any team wants to promote up into SWPL then we will pay that league up to 75% of the annual league fee to show solidarity to that league. We will also encourage the team to become a club and form a reserve team to continue playing in the league they came from.