We’re not building for one season. We’re building for what comes next.
Jason Brown | Managing Director | Read The 2027 Open Letter ➡
02 / Notes & updates from around the league.
field notes.
03 / The league in five numbers
2020
where it started.
5
States, with one river running through them.
2
Conferences, named for the land: River and Valley.
4750+
Players that have played in the league
1
vote per member club
04 / The long view
Three things
that stay put.
Leagues come and go. This one is meant to outlast all of us, so the work is patient, steady, and out in the open. These are the parts that don't change from one year to the next.
1. The door stays open
Anyone can build a team and enter. What happens on the field opens the next door, from the OVPL to the Great Lakes Alliance to NPSL-RL and beyond.
2. Close To Home
Cost and distance are what pull people away from the game. Fees are set in advance and shared openly, and no away trips are overnight.
3. clubs shape the league
The Managing Director looks after the day-to-day. Member clubs set the direction at the Fall AGM, and every decision is written down where anyone can read it.
05/ OPEN BOOKS
What It Costs.
What You Get.
OVPL membership is designed to provide clubs with a complete, organized league experience while keeping responsibilities clear between the league and each participating club.
League fees cover the core competition and administrative services needed to operate the league, while clubs remain responsible for their own team-specific expenses and local match-day needs.
YOUR FEE COVERS
● Competition Administration● Player Insurance● Field Insurance● 6 Capelli Match Balls & Equipment Discounts● Officials Scheduling● League Exchange Powered by VEO● CPPL Regional Championship● US Open Cup & NPSL0-RL Player Pathway
YOUR CLUB COVERS
● Match Officials, $300 per home match, 5 home dates● Athletic Trainer on matchday● Field Rental● Travel, Kit, and Matchday Operations● Annual player pass $26.25
Membership Dues: $2,150 Men | $1,800 Women [No Application Fee]
Payment options will be provided during the application and approval process.
06 / The pathway · open · merit based
STEP 1
SENIOR YOUTH
Youth system graduates, local side
STEP 2
LOCALLEAGUE
GRASSROOTS AMATEUR LEAGUES.
STEP 3
OVPL
ASPIRING U23+ AMATEUR TEAMS PLAYING ACROSS IN, KY, OH, PA, WV.
STEP 4
NPSL-RL
ASPIRING PRE-PROFESSIONAL PATHWAY FOR TEAMS SEEKING NATIONAL AFFILIATION.
STEP 5
OPEN CUP
AVAILABLE TO ALL MEN'S MEMBERSHIP. OVPL WINNER RECEIVES $250 APPLICATION WAIVER & COMPETITION STIPEND.
07 / Clubs + table
River vs. Valley
08 / Road to 2027
THE YEAR AHEAD
OCT
20
informationsessiononline - 7pm!
NOV
TBA
AGM [ONLINE]
JAN
15-19
UNITED SOCCER COACHES Convention
FEB
28
APPLICATION DEADLINE
MAY
1
SEASONOPENS
09 / Honor roll
NAMES ON THE WALL
2026
2025
2025: Northern Kentucky Nitro Takes the Crown
The 2025 season brought another competitive chapter to the league’s story, with Northern Kentucky Nitro emerging on top.
Nitro claimed the championship, finishing ahead of Ohio Premier, who earned the runner-up position.
But 2025 was about more than one championship. It was another step in the evolution of a league built by clubs willing to compete, take risks, and help shape something bigger than themselves.
From the founding clubs of the inaugural season to the growing number of teams now competing across the region, the league has continued to expand its reach and raise its level.
Northern Kentucky Nitro now holds the crown—but the bigger victory is what has been built together. The competition is stronger, the footprint is wider, and the future is just getting started.2024
2023
2023: Building on the Foundation
The 2023 summer season continued the league’s growth and competitive depth.
Ohio Premier claimed the championship, with Valhalla FC finishing as runner-up.
The season represented another step forward for a competition that was becoming more established year after year. Returning clubs brought continuity, while the growing strength of the field continued to raise the level of competition.
Ohio Premier took the title. Valhalla FC pushed for it. And the league continued to build.2022
2022: A Regional Competition Takes Shape
The 2022 summer season marked an important step in the league’s growth.
1927 SC, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, captured the championship, while Wheeling Highlanders FC from West Virginia finished as runner-up.
More than a championship matchup, the season reflected the direction of the league: connecting ambitious clubs across state lines and creating a truly regional competition.
With 1927 SC representing Northeast Indiana and Wheeling Highlanders FC bringing West Virginia into the competition, the league was beginning to expand its footprint—and its vision.
Two clubs. Two states. One growing regional platform.2021
Expanding the Competition
The seasons that followed the inaugural kickoff began to show what the league could become.
The 2021/22 Fall/Spring season was won by Valhalla FC, marking the completion of our first extended fall-to-spring competition. With the championship decided, the league began looking ahead to a new phase of programming—moving toward a summer calendar that would give clubs another opportunity to compete.
That transition opened the door for new clubs and new markets.
In Summer 2022, 1927 SC, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, captured the championship, with Wheeling Highlanders FC from West Virginia finishing as runner-up. The matchup itself reflected an important step forward: the league was no longer simply a local collection of clubs. It was beginning to connect teams across state lines and create a broader regional competition.
From Valhalla's fall/spring championship to 1927 SC's summer title, these seasons helped establish a model that could offer clubs multiple ways to compete throughout the year.
The league was growing—not just in teams, but in geography, ambition, and possibility.2020
The Inaugural Kickoff
Every league has a first season. Ours was the beginning of something bigger.
The inaugural season marked the official kickoff of the competition and laid the foundation for what would become a growing platform for clubs across the region. It was built around a simple idea: create meaningful competition, bring ambitious clubs together, and give players and organizations a place to grow.
Among the founding members were **Cincinnati Dutch Lions, Lexington Landsharks, and Indy Saints FC**—clubs that helped establish the league from the ground up and took a chance on what we were building.
The early seasons were competitive, imperfect, and formative. They gave us the opportunity to learn what clubs needed, refine the structure, and build relationships that would shape the league moving forward.
By the summer of 2021, Evansville Legends FC had claimed the championship, with Ohio Premier finishing as runner-up. Before that, Ohio Galaxies FC captured the 2021 Spring title, while Kings Hammer SC won the 2020 Fall season. The 2020 Summer season was cancelled due to the pandemic, making the Fall season the league's first completed competition.
But the records only tell part of the story.
The inaugural kickoff was about creating a starting point—a competition that clubs could help shape and a foundation that future generations could build upon.
The first season gave us a beginning. The seasons that followed gave us momentum.
Historical Recaps · OVPL Milestones