Carolina FC - www.CarolinaFC.net
Carolina FC (CFC) is the oldest soccer club fielding competitive teams in the Spartanburg area. Founded in 1981 as the Northside Soccer Club of Spartanburg, it later changed its name to Spartanburg Youth Soccer Club and then to Carolina FC in 2005 to reflect its evolution as a club and the membership it draws from Greenville to Gaffney, Inman to Woodruff.
CFC offers Recreational/Developmental, Academy, and Competitive (Select) soccer programs for boys and girls from age 5 to age 18. Developmental and Academy teams participate in the CESA Developmental league; Select teams (Challenge and Classic) participate in the SCSCL and PMSL.
Upstate Soccer Alliance - www.upstatesoccer.org
The Upstate Soccer Alliance (USA or Upstate) is a soccer club/association created to provide youth soccer for the children of Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina and the surrounding areas. The USA was formed when members from the West Spartanburg Soccer Club joined the Saint Margaret’s Soccer Club in order to enhance the playing experience for all the members.
USA offers recreational/developmental, Academy, and competitive (Select) soccer programs for boys and girls from age 5 to age 18. Developmental and Academy teams participate in the CESA Developmental league; Select teams participate mainly in the PMSL with an occasional SCSCL entry.
Spartanburg Arsenal - www.spartanburgarsenal.com
Formed in 2006, Spartanburg Arsenal FC is a recent addition to the Spartanburg club soccer scene. With a player membership of less than 100, it has provisional status with SCYSA. Recently fielding two PMSL teams and offering an Academy program, the goal of this emerging club is “to promote good sportsmanship and teamwork in our players through the development of their soccer skills.”
National Club Trends
As is often the case in developing soccer communities, several soccer clubs have appeared in the Spartanburg area each offering its own flavor of soccer programming. If national trends hold true, following the establishment of several soccer clubs in one area, clubs of like philosophy and missions begin to merge, thereby reducing the number of clubs in an area.
The ultimate example of this in the Piedmont District is Carolina Elite Soccer Association (CESA). This mega-club is the result of the merger and/or folding of at least 6 clubs in the Greenville area within the past 10 years to the point that CESA is essentially the only option available in the area. Its levels of competition and overall success have attracted players from not only across the Piedmont District, but from the Mid-State and Coastal Districts of South Carolina, and from across the borders of neighboring states.
This trend is not unique to Greenville, but is alive and well throughout the United States, frequently in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Raleigh & Dallas.
