Premier Development League
Premier Development League Logo
The BYU Men's Soccer Team left the Collegiate Club division of soccer and began playing in the Premier Development League in May of 2003. Part of the United Soccer Leagues, this league provides the year round competition necessary to develop individual and team skills that in hand will better prepare them for success in their international travels. BYU was the first University sponsored soccer program to ever purchase a franchise and that will compete at a level considered higher than NCAA soccer in the pyramid of US soccer development.
The Premier Development League (PDL) is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid. It is currently the top level men's amateur competition in the United States and is considered to be the fourth tier of competition, behind Major League Soccer, the USL First Division and the USL Second Division, and roughly equal with the National Premier Soccer League and the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
As PDL seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elite NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility. While the majority of players do not receive payment, the PDL prides itself on its professionalism in terms of its organization and the way the league is run, and its dedication to developing young soccer players, preparing them for future careers in professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere.
PDL rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger.
BYU will compete the 2009 season in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference against teams from Azusa (Los Angeles Legends), Bakersfield (Bakersfield Brigade), Fresno (Fresno Fuego), Irvine (Orange County Blue Star), La Mirada (Southern California Seahorses), Lancaster (Lancaster Rattlers), Los Angeles (Los Angeles Legends), Ogden (Ogden Outlaws) and Ventura (Ventura County Fusion).
