Central Florida Panthers SC Joins the NPSL
updated January 15, 2019
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Central Florida Panthers SC (Orlando, FL) has joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin competition in the South Region’s Sunshine Conference in 2019.
“The NPSL is thrilled to grow its presence in Florida,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera
said. “We expect Central Florida Panthers SC to do many great things on and off the field. They
bring so much to the league, including strong leadership and many talented players and coaches.”
Central Florida Panthers SC is led by an Executive Board of Directors that includes President Eddie Loyola, Vice President Giovanni Taliaferro, and Treasurer Alphonse Amato.
Loyola, who also serves as Vice President for the Florida State Soccer Association (FSSA), has
always had the goal of helping others get on the pitch. This is the start of a new chapter that,
through his leadership, will continue that goal while enhancing the experience for members of
the Central Florida Soccer League (CFSL).
Taliaferro has been working on an NPSL membership for several years and is elated to see the
goal now become a reality. He has developed a number of soccer brands over the years and this
is the culmination of over five years of work.
Amato is an esteemed member of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) Hall of
Fame and the Florida State Soccer Association (FSSA) Hall of Fame. He has been a leader in
the game for over 40 years.
“We expect to showcase the wealth of talent that participates in the Central Florida Soccer
League and our affiliate, the Florida Suncoast Soccer League,” Loyola added. “With an NPSL
membership, we will be able to provide a pyramid of opportunities for our league’s amateur
players and coaches.”
Central Florida Panthers SC is directly affiliated with the Central Florida Soccer League. The
CFSL was founded in 1964 and is the oldest and largest adult amateur league in Florida. The
CFSL is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit amateur soccer league located in the greater Orlando Florida
region. The CFSL is affiliated with the Florida State Soccer Association. The league boasts
2700+ registered men and women’s players with more than 70 teams playing in 12 divisions.
League matches are played at facilities throughout Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties. The Premier Division is a USASA Elite Sanctioned Premier Division. The
goal of the league is to help develop and build the community through the sport.
“While other clubs may be standalone organizations with some having a youth infrastructure, our
organization will be a vehicle to serve two main purposes,” Loyola continued. “First, we will
provide league players with exclusive opportunities to further their careers in the beautiful game
with increased exposure via an NPSL membership. Second, we will provide league coaches with
exclusive opportunities for hands-on experience coaching at a higher level.”
More information about the club can be found at www.cfscpanthers.com or by following the club
on Facebook (@centralflsc), Instagram (@cfscpanthers), and Twitter (@cfscpanthers).
“It is exciting that Central Florida Panthers SC has joined the NPSL,” NPSL Director of Membership
Development Dina Case concluded. “The club will be affiliated with the Central Florida Soccer
League, which boasts nearly 3,000 adult soccer players. The addition of an NPSL team to their
organizational structure makes sense and we welcome the experience that club officials have to
offer from a Florida State Soccer Association leadership perspective.”
More information about expansion opportunities in the NPSL can be found at
http://www.npsl.com/expansion-application.
