The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Central Florida Soccer Club (Orlando, FL) has joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin competition in the South Region’s Sunshine Conference in 2019.

“The NPSL is thrilled to grow its presence in Florida,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “We expect Central Florida Soccer Club to do many great things on and off the field. They bring so much to the league, including strong leadership and many talented players and coaches.” 

Central Florida Soccer Club, which will also go by the nickname of the Panthers, is led by an Executive Board of Directors that includes President Eddie Loyola, Vice President Giovanni Taliaferro, and Treasurer Alphonse Amato.

Loyola, who also serves as Vice President for the Florida State Soccer Association (FSSA), has always had the goal of helping others get on the pitch. This is the start of a new chapter that, through his leadership, will continue that goal while enhancing the experience for members of the Central Florida Soccer League (CFSL).

Taliaferro has been working on an NPSL membership for several years and is elated to see the goal now become a reality. He has developed a number of soccer brands over the years and this is the culmination of over five years of work.

Amato is an esteemed member of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) Hall of Fame and the Florida State Soccer Association (FSSA) Hall of Fame. He has been a leader in the game for over 40 years.

“We expect to showcase the wealth of talent that participates in the Central Florida Soccer League and our affiliate, the Florida Suncoast Soccer League,” Loyola added. “With an NPSL membership, we will be able to provide a pyramid of opportunities for our league’s amateur players and coaches.”

Central Florida Soccer Club is directly affiliated with the Central Florida Soccer League. The CFSL was founded in 1964 and is the oldest and largest adult amateur league in Florida. The CFSL is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit amateur soccer league located in the greater Orlando Florida region. The CFSL is affiliated with the Florida State Soccer Association.

League matches are played at facilities throughout Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties. The Premier Division is a USASA Elite Sanctioned Premier Division. The goal of the league is to help develop and build the community through the sport.

“While other clubs may be standalone organizations with some having a youth infrastructure, our organization will be a vehicle to serve two main purposes,” Loyola continued. “First, we will provide league players with exclusive opportunities to further their careers in the beautiful game with increased exposure via an NPSL membership. Second, we will provide league coaches with exclusive opportunities for hands-on experience coaching at a higher level.”

More information about the club can be found at www.cfscpanthers.com or by following the club on Facebook (@centralflsc), Instagram (@cfscpanthers), and Twitter (@cfscpanthers).

“It is exciting that Central Florida SC has joined the NPSL,” NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case concluded. “The club will be affiliated with the Central Florida Soccer League, which boasts nearly 3,000 adult soccer players. The addition of an NPSL team to their organizational structure makes sense and we welcome the experience that club officials have to offer from a Florida State Soccer Association leadership perspective.”