Lake Forest, CA (January 10, 2024) – The Open Soccer Alliance (OSA), a new effort to unite advocates for an open system structure of professional and amateur soccer launched today, OSA President Michael Collins announced. The organization intends to create an authentic and affordable national alliance of professional and amateur clubs and leagues that will replicate the global structure of soccer in the United States.
The announcement is fueled by recent grassroots support for a unified open system, in part, due to widespread reaction to last month’s denied attempt by MLS to withdraw its first teams from the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The non-profit, member-governed OSA will emphasize open system elements. These global soccer initiatives include promotion and relegation, open rights to territories, training compensation and solidarity payments. Six figure prize money pools, regional play, cross league competition opportunities, and revenue sharing will also be important elements of the OSA.
“This Alliance is long overdue. Many people want this. Recent events surrounding the US Open Cup indicate that it is important to the sport’s future in this country that all of these people who desire an open system be connected and united for the benefit of the sport. It has become a movement,” Collins said.
OSA is looking for existing leagues and clubs with shared values to join and help shape this movement. “We plan to provide the structure that will allow existing and new leagues and clubs to unite in a non-profit organization that will share the open system elements and values they desire in an affordable, equitable and inclusive way,” he concluded.
The OSA leadership includes veteran soccer executives Peter Wilt, Ron Gilmore and Daniel Callazo. Along with Collins, they will all be at the United Soccer Coaches Convention this week and are available for media opportunities as well as to discuss OSA with interested clubs and leagues Those interested in joining or affiliating with OSA may also request further information on the OSA website at opensocceralliance.com. The Alliance expects to have enough clubs and/or affiliated leagues to start regional amateur play in late Spring, 2024 and will apply for a third division professional league to be sanctioned by US Soccer for the fall of 2025.
OSA believes that this new organization will facilitate US Soccer’s recently stated Strategic Vision:
- Grow the game.
- Foster the best playing environments.
- Develop winning teams.
- Grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment.
- Create a world-class organization.
ABOUT OPEN SOCCER ALLIANCE: OSA has applied for its 501c6 non-profit status and is dedicated to uniting American soccer leagues and clubs in an open system. OSA’s mission is to unite and grow American soccer by building an affordable multi-tiered alliance of professional and amateur clubs and leagues who advocate for an open system that reflects the sport’s structure globally. Its vision is to create a national multi-tiered alliance of clubs and leagues controlled by its member teams that embrace the open system principles of sporting merit, solidarity, promotion and relegation, membership control and territorial freedom. The pillars of OSA are working with and supporting leagues and clubs that advocate open system tenets in a structure that offers significant prize money, reasonable revenue sharing, regional travel and affordable membership fees and annual dues. Leagues and clubs interested in joining or affiliating with OSA may request further information on the OSA website at opensocceralliance.com