semi-pro soccer?

When people hear the phrase “semi-professional soccer club,” it can mean a lot of different things. Some assume it means players are paid. Others think it’s about the level of competition or the size of the stadium. In truth, the definition isn’t as simple as it sounds, especially here in the United States.

In the U.S., leagues like the UPSL (United Premier Soccer League) market themselves as national-level competitions that provide a pathway for clubs to step up from recreational or amateur soccer. By competing in the UPSL Premier Division or even UPSL Division 1, a club often gets labeled as “semi-professional.” And in some ways, that’s fair. The structure, the competition, the organization of the league — all of it sets a higher bar than your typical weekend league.

But the reality is, being in the UPSL doesn’t automatically make a club semi-professional.

To truly call yourself semi-pro, there has to be more. Clubs need to provide resources for their players and coaches, whether that means paying them directly, covering travel, supplying proper kits and equipment, or operating like an actual business with staff and structure. Many UPSL teams — Berryville FC included — are building toward that, but the gap between the label and the reality is wide. Playing in UPSL may define the league level, but it doesn’t necessarily define the club’s professionalism.

Local Leagues and Where They Fit

Our journey started closer to home. Before we ever stepped into the UPSL, we competed in regional leagues like the APL (American Premier League), VSSL (Virginia State Soccer League), WPL (Washington Premier League), and FXA (Fairfax Adult Soccer). These leagues are competitive, organized, and full of strong local teams, but they are firmly amateur in nature. Players aren’t paid, games are usually on evenings or weekends, and the level of commitment varies widely depending on the team.

These leagues are vital, though. They provide structure and consistency, keep players sharp, and offer clubs like ours a way to recruit, experiment, and grow. They’re not semi-professional in the true sense, but they are the proving grounds — the places where clubs build their foundations before stepping into UPSL.

National Semi-Pro and Professional Tiers

Above leagues like the UPSL, you start to find other pathways that blur the line between amateur, semi-pro, and professional. The NPSL (National Premier Soccer League), for example, is another nationwide league often considered “semi-professional.” Clubs may pay players stipends, and the organization and competition level is generally higher than most regional leagues.

Beyond that sits NISA (National Independent Soccer Association), which is fully professional, though often considered a lower-division pro league compared to the bigger names. Then comes the USL (United Soccer League) structure, which includes USL League Two (developmental, amateur/semi-pro), USL League One (fully professional, Division III), and USL Championship (Division II, just below MLS). Finally, at the top of the pyramid is Major League Soccer (MLS), the recognized Division I professional league in the U.S.

This pyramid — from local amateur leagues like APL and WPL, to national amateur/semi-pro leagues like UPSL and NPSL, to professional leagues like NISA, USL, and MLS — is how the U.S. system organizes itself. The challenge is that, unlike in the U.K., there is no promotion and relegation linking these tiers. A club can play in UPSL forever without ever moving into NPSL or USL, unless they have the resources and backing to buy into those leagues.

A search on the internet provides the U.S. Soccer Pyramid: https://studbud.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/us-soccer-pyramid.jpg

U.S. vs U.K. Reality

For me coming from the UK, this is where the comparison gets interesting. In England, a club at the same level as UPSL would still be considered amateur. Even clubs that attract fans and play in well-run regional competitions are still grassroots compared to the professional leagues above them. The English pyramid stretches so deep, with promotion and relegation linking every tier, that the language around “semi-professional” is rarely used the same way it is here.

In the U.S., calling a team “semi-pro” often comes down to perception. If you’re in a league like UPSL, wearing proper kits, traveling to away games, and training a few times a week, many will see you as semi-professional. But in truth, semi-pro should mean more than a league affiliation. It should mean resources, structure, organization, and a long-term plan for growth.

Where Berryville FC Fits

For Berryville FC, the truth sits somewhere in the middle. We started in local amateur leagues like FXA, APL, VSSL, and WPL, where the goal was simply to play, compete, and build a team. We moved into UPSL, which gave us a platform to test ourselves at a different level.

Are we “semi-professional” yet? Not fully.

We don’t pay players, and we don’t have the infrastructure of USL or NISA clubs. But what we do have is commitment, structure, and vision.

Being a semi-professional club isn’t just about where you play — it’s about how you operate. It’s about showing up to practice three nights a week (yes thats right, we provide three practices a week). It’s about having systems in place. It’s about recruiting with purpose, building community support, and holding yourself to higher standards. That’s what Berryville FC is working toward.

In the end, labels like “amateur” or “semi-pro” matter less than the work behind them. Whether it’s in APL or UPSL, NPSL or USL, what defines a club is not the league badge, but the effort, commitment, and vision to grow.

Berryville FC may not yet have reached the level of true semi-professional status, but every day, every practice, and every game, we are building toward it. And that’s what makes this journey so meaningful.