The initial group of Elite 64 clubs share a collective vision and are dedicated to providing an elite gameday experience, in addition to maintaining the highest standards, both on and off the field, to maximize the opportunities available to their players.

“We are thrilled to welcome these first-class clubs as inaugural members of Elite 64. They each have a proven record of developing great players, and they understand the needs of players looking to compete at the highest level,” said Simon Collins, USYS National League Commissioner. “We look forward to working with the leaders of each of these clubs to provide a great experience for the players competing in Elite 64 and a clear development pathway for every level of athlete within their clubs.”

The newly-announced elite performance tier of the National League, Elite 64 will begin play this fall and feature club-based competition for the nation’s top boys and girls players in the 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 18/19U age groups. The 64 clubs in each gender will be geographically positioned into eight groups of eight clubs. Teams play a 14-game league season and have access to two national showcases (alongside National League P.R.O.) and the Elite 64 national finals.

Each of the inaugural Elite 64 clubs will benefit from world-class performance analysis from ProScore and new USYS partner STATSports, which will provide Elite 64 clubs with unparalleled access to the world’s most advanced performance wearable technology. All data and analysis collected will be shared with college coaches and professional scouts — making every Elite 64 game or training session a recruitable moment.

Acceptance into Elite 64 guarantees each club a minimum three-year involvement in the competition, with 18-month evaluations of every club taking place to ensure standards are met and Elite 64 maintains the highest possible level of competitive balance across the platform.