Midwest Premier League

What Midwest Premier League does

Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional soccer league founded in 2019 by four clubs formerly in the United Premier Soccer League Midwest Conference (Union Dubuque FC, RWB Adria, DeKalb County United, and Cedar Rapids Inferno). Following a pandemic-delayed inaugural season in 2021 with 20 clubs, MWPL has scaled to 53 member clubs across 8 states (Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin), organized into 7 divisions across 3 conferences: Gateway, Great Lakes, and Heartland. The league operates a 10-game regular season from May to July with conference championships, and implements promotion and relegation within the Heartland Conference as the first phase of its 2030 Plan to introduce tiered competition league-wide.

The league's product surface consists of the core regional soccer competition, the MWPL 2030 Plan strategic framework, an Expansion/Membership program (intake via online inquiry form reviewed by an expansion committee), and the MWPL Insiders Podcast produced in partnership with Protagonist Soccer. The underlying technology is SportsEngine's Sports Relationship Management (SRM) software, which powers the league website, scheduling, standings, and member club coordination. MWPL is governed by a Board of Directors (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and additional members), a League Commissioner (Duncan Riddle, hired November 2024), two Associate Commissioners, an Expansion Committee member, and a Marketing Coordinator. Revenue is generated through sponsorships and partnerships, with no public disclosure of club membership fees, player registration costs, or financial statements. Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Bluesky, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), the podcast, the league website, and the expansion inquiry form.

Name

Midwest Premier League

Legal name

Midwest Premier League

Website

https://midwestpl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midwest Premier League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional soccer league operating 53 member clubs across 8 Midwestern states in three conferences, offering amateur and pre-professional competition with promotion and relegation under its 2030 Plan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Soccer League

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Amateur soccer league
• Pre-professional soccer
• Regional soccer competition
• Soccer club membership
• Promotion relegation league

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: The league operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that generates revenue through business partnerships and sponsorships. Sponsors can align with the league to connect with passionate fans, ambitious clubs, and vibrant communities throughout the Midwest.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Midwest Premier League operates a regional amateur and pre-professional soccer competition for member clubs across the Midwest United States. The league organizes a 10-game regular season (May–July) across three conferences (Gateway, Great Lakes, Heartland) and seven divisions, with a promotion-and-relegation system in place. The league also supports member clubs through best-practice sharing and offers expansion/membership services to prospective clubs.

Product overview

Midwest Premier League operates as a unified soccer league platform offering pre-professional and amateur club competition across the Midwest United States. The core product is the MWPL Soccer Competition, featuring 53 member clubs organized into three conferences—Gateway Conference (East/West), Great Lakes Conference (East/West), and Heartland Conference (Division 1 and Division 2 with Group A/B structures). The league operates under the MWPL 2030 Plan, implementing a promotion and relegation system in the Heartland Conference while Gateway and Great Lakes conferences determine champions through championship games. Additional services include an expansion/membership program for prospective clubs and the MWPL Insiders podcast produced in partnership with Protagonist Soccer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midwest Premier League Soccer Competition
• Expansion/Membership Program
• MWPL Insiders Podcast

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The League for ClubsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Partnership announced in May 2025 with The League for Clubs, a platform supporting amateur soccer league operations.
• SportsEnginecoreTechnology or IntegrationSportsEngine provides the Sports Relationship Management (SRM) software platform powering the MWPL website. This technology platform enables league management, scheduling, standings, and member club coordination.
• Official MWPL Matchball SuppliercoreOthersOfficial matchball partner providing match-level equipment for all MWPL competitions.
• Preferred MWPL Vendor PartnersminorOthersMultiple preferred vendor partners supporting league operations across various categories including equipment, services, and supplies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Independent Soccer Association (NISA): Independent professional soccer league in the lower tiers of the U.S. pyramid; competes with MWPL for top Midwest amateur clubs seeking a faster path to fully professional play.
• National Premier Soccer League (NPSL): U.S. amateur soccer league with a Midwest presence and a pathway to the National Independent Soccer Association; competes with MWPL for member clubs and offers an alternative semi-pro development pipeline.
• United Premier Soccer League (UPSL): National amateur soccer league from whose Midwest Conference MWPL's four founding clubs defected in 2019; competes for the same amateur clubs, sponsors, and players in overlapping Midwest geography.
• USL League Two: The amateur/pre-professional tier of the United Soccer League; directly competes with MWPL for the same semi-pro clubs and players across the Midwest, and operates with promotion pathways into USL League One/Championship.

Broad incumbents

• MLS NEXT: Major League Soccer's official youth player development platform offering competitive pathways; competes with MWPL academy and U23 teams for top youth talent and developmental clubs.
• USL League One: Fully professional Division III league within the USL ecosystem; represents the next tier above MWPL in the U.S. soccer pyramid and a potential destination for the league's most ambitious clubs.

Emerging players

• W League: USL-operated pre-professional women's soccer league; structurally comparable to MWPL's amateur/pre-pro model and a potential expansion template or competitor for women's soccer clubs in the Midwest.
• The League for Clubs: Amateur soccer league platform that entered a partnership with MWPL in May 2025; an emerging player in the amateur ecosystem with overlapping club membership ambitions.
• United Women's Soccer (UWS): National amateur/pre-professional women's soccer league; offers an alternative women's pathway comparable to MWPL's mixed/amateur men's structure.

Regional players

• US Adult Soccer Association (USASA): National governing body for adult amateur soccer in the U.S. and US Soccer affiliate; operates the National Amateur Cup and Open Cup pathways that MWPL clubs participate in, providing the broader sanctioning context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midwestpl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@midwestpl
• Facebookfacebook.com/mwplsoccer
• Instagraminstagram.com/midwest_pl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwest-premier-league

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midwest Premier League