2016 Great Lakes Premier League season
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| Founded | 2015 (as Great Lakes Premier League) |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2017 (became Midwest Division of UPSL) |
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Divisions | 2 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup |
| Last champions | Milwaukee Bavarians (2nd title) |
| Most championships | Milwaukee Bavarians (2 titles) |
| Website | plasoccerleague.com/ |
The Premier League of America (PLA) was an American soccer league consisting of teams in cities in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The league was a part of the United States Adult Soccer Association. It began its first season of play in 2015 as the Great Lakes Premier League, and at the end of the 2017 season its member clubs moved to become the Midwest Division of the United Premier Soccer League.
Grand Rapids FC and AFC Ann Arbor both applied to become members of the National Premier Soccer League for the start of the 2015 season and they were both denied admission to the league. Instead of waiting a year or finding another league, the teams decided to start a league of their own. AFC Ann Arbor owner Jamey Amrine and Grand Rapids FC president Matt Roberts began discussions with other teams to gauge interest in forming a new league. Their work led to the formation of the Great Lakes Premier League. The new league held its inaugural league meeting on January 17, 2015 in Grand Rapids, MI.
The two clubs were joined as charter members by Oakland United - later Oakland County FC - based in Rochester, Michigan, and two decades-old Croatian American clubs, Croatian Eagles SC of Milwaukee and RWB Adria of Chicago.
Before the inaugural season began, Milwaukee Bavarians was announced as the first expansion franchise, to begin play in 2016. A second expansion team, Toledo United FC, joined in July 2015.
In September 2015, AFC Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids FC left the GLPL for the NPSL. The following November, the Madison 56ers left the NPSL after eleven seasons to join the Great Lakes Premier League.
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