Dear Members,

Thank you for being a part of adult soccer in North Carolina! We wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season!

2024 was a busy and successful year for NCASA. A few notable highlights include:

The relaunch of North Carolina Soccer League (NCSL), our statewide men's competitive league.
Two North Carolina teams advanced to the USASA National Amateur Cup.
The establishment of a life-saving AED subsidy program.
Growth and development of women's programs.
Equipment grants awarded to our member leagues.

While NCASA enjoyed success as an organization this year, in late September, Hurricane Helene delivered wide-spread devastation to western North Carolina. The unprecedented weather dealt a serious blow to Asheville Buncombe Adult Soccer Association (ABASA), one of our largest and most active leagues. ABASA soccer fields were destroyed, and the league faces many challenges ahead. NCASA is committed to supporting ABASA as it recovers and restores soccer to this vibrant and resilient soccer community.

As we wind down and approach the end of the year, we wish to express our gratitude to all of our member leagues and to the players who represent NCASA at the local, state, regional and national level. May your 2025 be happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous.

Happy New Year!

NCASA Board of Directors

Winger, FC (Charlotte, NC) USASA National Women’s Amateur Finalist!

Tobacco Road FC (Durham, NC) USASA National Men’s Amateur Semi-Finalist!

SURVIVING THE STORM

Hurricane Helene was a catastrophic storm that brought dangerous winds, and torrential rain to an already rain-soaked region. The storm took 96 souls, upended countless lives, forced school closures, and delivered massive structural and economic damage to the area. Fallen trees downed power lines, and low-lying neighborhoods flooded. Landslides around Asheville forced sections of I-26 and I-40 to close. The storm severely damaged ABASA soccer fields, and the league’s fall season came to an abrupt halt.

ABASA President, Felice Bell, recently shared the status of the league in Asheville. “Our primary complex, the John B. Lewis complex (JBL) was destroyed. It is not playable now and will probably not be playable for years, if it is decided that it can ever be returned to a sports complex. Our secondary complex, Buncombe County Sports Park has several fields functioning, but there are several fields that were damaged. Of the other parks in Asheville (public, city, county, church, private, school, etc.) many of them are still unplayable, but parks and rec is announcing new park access as time passes.”

ABASA was not able to host a fall season, so the league gave refunds to their players. “With the size of our league (1200+ players) and the lack of access to field space, we decided to focus our attention on getting refunds to our players who were in dire financial need directly after the storm. We were about three games into the fall season when Helene struck. ABASA hopes to be able to provide programming in spring, but it will be tremendously labor intensive and expensive.” Felice explained.

The league has established a Go Fund Me online fundraiser. Please donate to help the ABASA community get back to playing the game they love.

CELEBRATE THE TATAS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Event Surpasses Fundraising Goals!

NCASA’s annual all-women's 8v8 charity soccer tournament raises funds to provide access to mammograms for women in need. Players enjoy a weekend of fun and competitive soccer with the goal of raising money to provide a first line of defense against a disease that affects millions of women each year.

In its 11th year, Celebrate the Tatas Tournament of Champions raised an incredible $65,000 at its annual weekend tournament held at Richard Barry Memorial Park, Huntersville NC in early October. The funds will be divided between Levine Cancer Institute and Novant Health Foundation. Thanks to all of the players, volunteers, and to those that generously donated their time and money to this life-saving cause!

Visit the tournament website to see photos and results.

This year, we welcomed special guests, Cindy Parlow Cone (above) U.S. Soccer President, and Kim Crabbe (below) a pioneer in women’s soccer, becoming the first African American woman to play for the USWNT in 1986.

NCASA’s 2024 Carolinas Cup An All-Around Success!

A record-breaking eighty-two (82) adult soccer teams spent the second weekend in December vying for victory in the Carolinas Cup.

The event kicked off with a festive, well-attended celebration Friday night at Small Batch Brewery in Winston-Salem.

The games began early Saturday morning at Truist Sports Park in Bermuda Run, and ended with trophies on Sunday afternoon.

Check out the Carolinas Cup website to see professional photos of the tournament, and to catch up on scores and standings.

RULE FOLLOWERS

Check the official game rules anytime, anywhere!

International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules apply universally to every match in every federation, in every country, and in every town (apart from approved modifications).

Download the free app.

IFAB publishes changes to the Laws of the Game each year. Don't miss the new rules implemented in 2024!

FOR THE GOOD OF THE GAME!

New Goals for Swansboro & Pitt Greenville Adult Soccer Leagues

With equipment grants from NCASA, these two leagues purchased multiple sets of new 7' x 21' goals in 2024.

WWSL Winter Pre-Season Training for Women Players!

Get ready for spring soccer! WWSL will host an 8-week pre-season soccer clinic this winter.

The sessions are open to women 18+, and will be held on Sunday afternoons at Pleasant Park in Apex from January 5 to February 23.

ABASA Launches Women’s 6v6 Second Division

Before Hurricane Helene hit, ABASA launched a 6v6 women’s second division for beginner players and players who hadn't played in recent years. To promote the league, ABASA offered a free soccer clinic, and partnered with IDA Sports and Asheville City Soccer Club.

IDA Sports donated futsal shoes to players, and a pair of cleats to be raffled off. Asheville City Soccer Club gave ABASA free passes to attend their annual Title IX game, which were passed along to anyone who filled out an interest form for the second division. Lydia Vandenbergh Jackson, ABASA board member and former pro player for the Red Stars, among other teams; and Stacey Enos (USWNT 1985) hosted a free clinic for the new ABASA second division.

The new women’s division flourished! ABASA raised its female player rates to 22%, significantly higher than its spring 2023 average, which was 18%. Job well done, ABASA! We look forward to seeing this league back in action!

TASL Women's 8v8 League In fall, TASL offered its first 8v8 women's recreational division to compliment the league's 11v11 competitive women's open division.

Congratulations to Transylvania Adult Soccer Association on a Successful First Year! TASA joined NCASA in 2024, and by all indicators the new league is flying high! Check out this action-packed video of the league's Ecuesta Cup Finals from Summer 2024.

North Carolina Soccer League (State Wide Men's Travel League) Now Accepting Team Registrations for the Spring 2025 Season!

Our priority is to provide teams from communities across our state with high level competition and the opportunity to advance to regional and national spotlights, regardless of their size and location!

The NCSL puts its teams first. We understand the conditions needed to build a competitive league made up of teams of talented, grassroots players from cities and towns around the state. Our competitive teams represent long-standing soccer traditions, and deep ties to our diverse North Carolina communities.

Join us, and take your team to the next level!

TOURNAMENT PLAYER PASS

Your annual NCASA pass covers your player registration fee for ALL USASA sanctioned tournaments across the entire United States! Take your team's show on the road and participate in these popular tournaments in North Carolina and beyond! Here's a look at a few of the tournaments on deck for 2025!

Jan 16 - 20 MLK Weekend	Florida Classic 11v11, Auburndale, FL
March 1-2	Beer City Cup 8v8, Savannah GA
May 24-25 Memorial Day Weekend	Carolinas Cup 8v8, Charleston SC
June (1st Weekend)	Region III Championships (teams must be state qualified)
July 9-13	USASA Adult Soccer Fest 11v11, Traverse City, MI
Aug 2-3	Queen City Cup 11v11, Charlotte NC
Aug 30-31 Labor Day Weekend	Beer City Cup 8v8, Asheville NC
Early October	Celebrate the Tatas 8v8, Huntersville NC
Nov 8-9	Beer City Cup 8v8, Nashville TN
Dec 6-7	Carolinas Cup 11v11, Winston-Salem NC

Important Notice from NCASA Administration About Your 2025 Annual Tournament Pass

For NC Players: If you purchase your player pass before your league opens for spring registration, you will not be charged again for the pass when you register for your league.

If you will not be attending a tournament prior to your league opening, PLEASE don't purchase this now. The pass will be automatically included in your league registration.

Once you purchase the pass, you can download a PDF of your pass to upload during tournament player registration.

If you have any questions about your player pass, please reach out to Cindy, our NCASA Administrator.

NCASA Award Nominations

It’s the time of year to start making your NCASA award nominations.

The long-standing success of NCASA rests on the good work of incredibly dedicated and talented people.

Each year NCASA proudly honors outstanding individuals that make significant contributions to North Carolina Adult Soccer!

Submit your nominations online for 2025 and let us know about the good work of your nominee.

The 2025 awards will be presented at our Annual General Meeting luncheon on Sunday, January 26, 2025 in Greensboro.

Award Categories

Crampton-Harrison Award –

In Recognition of Notably Significant Contributions to the Growth and Development of Adult Soccer in North Carolina

Dave Williams Award –

In Recognition of Contributions to the Well-being of Soccer in North Carolina in Always Going Beyond the Call of Duty

John M Bouda Award – (Referee)

In Recognition of an Outstanding Referee who has contributed significantly to the betterment of adult soccer in North Carolina during the past year

Women’s Coach of the Year –

For Exemplary Leadership, Commitment and Service to the Game on Behalf of Her Team

Men’s Coach of the Year –

For Exemplary Leadership, Commitment and Service to the Game on Behalf of His Team

Across the Board

Get Involved! We are currently looking for dedicated folks excited to help grow adult soccer in N.C.

Elections will be held at the NCASA Annual General Meeting over the weekend of January 25-26. The following positions are up for election:

President
Secretary
VP Competition - Men
VP Women's Membership & Development
VP Marketing and Communications (currently vacant)
VP Membership and Development (currently vacant)

The nominating committee is accepting nominations for the positions until January 13, 2025. For more information, please contact Donna Langdon, NCASA Executive Vice President.

Keeping You Informed

NCASA monthly meeting minutes are posted promptly on our website for review.

League News

Have some news to share about your league? We'd love to hear from you, and promote the good work that our affiliated leagues are doing around the state! Drop us a line!

North Carolina Adult Soccer Association | ncasasoccer.org