NFPL Rising Stars Tournament 2023

by Matt Aldrich

NFPL Rising Stars Tournament 

The National Futsal Premier League is excited to announce the teams, schedule, and format of the 2023 Rising Stars Division.

The tournament will be a round-robin format and will featured U-19 players from Grand Rapids OLé, Futsal Factory Academy, Columbus Futsal Club, and Futsal Indy. 

Grand Rapids OLé will be the gracious hosts, and every game will take place on February 19th at The Home School Building (HSB, Inc.) in Wyoming, MI. 

Players will have the opportunity to compete against other top youth prospects from NFPL teams in the region, as well as two educational opportunities presented by Grand Rapids OLé and NFPL star Cole Russell on the pathways for young players to play at a higher level collegiately or professionally. 

NFPL Commissioner Drew Ducker said "NFPL Rising Stars is an opportunity for high school players to get the full game experience that the Men's teams get. This first year we are also including short seminars on the college pathway and mental game training for players. We hope to expand the program next year to 3 dates, including a date where we invite college coaches and MLS Next scouts on a weekend where have both futsal and outdoor games, but this is a great first step for us to get this program up and running."

Grand Rapids OLé coach Fabian Rodriguez had an instrumental role in bringing this division together. Rodriguez said that "the Rising Stars event will be a great way to bridge the gap between our youth club and the NFPL. I'm excited about the possibilities and new pathway that we can create together. Bringing in a college soccer recruiting element next year will be a game changer for everyone involved in youth futsal."

The future is big and bright for young futsal players in the United States!

Around The League:

There is a great deal of excitement around the league regarding this monumental first step for the NFPL:

"We are are excited for this first year of the NFPL Rising Stars. It gives us an opportunity to showcase our younger talent on a bigger stage, especially those players that are not quite ready to compete on our 1st team. We look forward to seeing what the up-and-coming talent looks like at other clubs and how our players measure up. I think it will be a great first event!"
  -  Rana Hoffbauer, Owner, Futsal Indy

"I’m really looking forward to the Rising Stars division event. This is a great step forward for our development academies who train and play the same methodologies as the first team and now are getting their chance to compete in a high-level controlled environment that’s also coming with many other benefits. It’s important that club ownership and directors have the systems and pathways for young futsalers to age into the first team training and playing environments as the league grows and there is more need for quality players on the international stage. I think that’s a collective goal we all share; and that’s being aligned and aiding in the USFutsalMNT mission."
  -  Malissa Galiffo, Owner, Columbus Futsal Club

Details:

Schedule:

Don't Miss A Minute

Follow along and stay tuned here and on the National Futsal Premier League social platforms for coverage, previews, highlights, and more for the Rising Stars Division.