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Carolina Core FC

Piedmont Triad Football Club Rebrands to Carolina Core FC Youth Through New Partnership with CCFC

February 27, 2024 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Carolina Core FC News Release


HIGH POINT, N.C - Carolina Core FC and Piedmont Triad Football Club jointly announce their partnership, transitioning Piedmont Triad Football Club (PTFC) into Carolina Core FC Youth (CCFC Youth). Beginning in the fall of the 2024 season, all PTFC soccer players will compete as 'CCFC Youth' while wearing identical uniforms as the CCFC professional players.

Over 2,000 athletes participate in PTFC's programs for kids between the U4 and U19 age groups, including boys and girls at recreational and competitive levels. PTFC has a strong history that has grown out of partnerships between multiple communities in the Triad. Specifically in High Point, Piedmont Soccer Alliance, formerly High Point Stars, and in Kernersville with Kernersville Soccer Association who jointly founded PTFC in 2005. These organizations have worked together to provide youth in the Triad and surrounding areas with the opportunity to play soccer at all levels.

After many years of overseeing youth soccer programs in the Triad, David Upchurch will serve as the Executive Director of CCFC Youth. "I'm extremely excited for the opportunities this partnership presents for our current players and families. Aligning with Carolina Core FC creates a clear developmental pathway from our grassroots programs to our competitive youth programs, all the way to the professional level," noted David Upchurch.

"Carolina Core FC's vision and drive to enhance the player experience for boys and girls of all ages and performance levels are cutting-edge. At the forefront of this project, High Point native, U.S. Soccer Federation Hall of Famer, and CCFC Chief Sporting Officer, Eddie Pope, is a catalyst for this partnership taking place in his hometown. Having established his roots here, Eddie's experience and perspective have proven to be paramount for this project. It's an honor to blend philosophies and training methods to create an unrivaled soccer experience in the Core of North Carolina," said Upchurch.

The launch of CCFC Youth provides comprehensive benefits to all members of the new Carolina Core FC Youth community.

"I grew up playing for the High Point Stars, which is the current-day PTFC; and at that time, there was no professional player pathway," said Eddie Pope. "Through this partnership, CCFC Youth players will now have the opportunity to pursue a career in the professional ranks or have the opportunity to play at the college level while also acquiring an education," asserted Pope.

The most dynamic pathway would be for an elite boy's player to transition up from CCFC Youth into CCFC's MLS NEXT full scholarship teams and then into CCFC's MLS NEXT Pro squad. Entering CCFC's MLS NEXT academy is open to all players throughout the Core. In addition, CCFC Youth is working to expand elite level opportunities for girls' players in the future.

"From a youth player's perspective, making it to the professional level can feel like an unrealistic goal, just a dream, because it feels out of reach. Bringing MLS NEXT Pro to the Carolina Core helps make the dream a reality, and partnering with this amazing youth club gives young soccer players a real pathway to the pros because they touch, see, and feel it; it's no longer just a dream. They are CCFC!" said CCFC Principal Investor Megan Oglesby.

"This partnership is born from our organizations' shared cultural values and represents an important step in elevating youth soccer in the region, aligning with CCFC's development mission, and growing the game in the Carolina Core and beyond," remarked Oglesby.

CCFC Youth will continue to support youth soccer in the area through further expansion of community programs. For more information contact CCFC Youth Executive Director David Upchurch at david.upchurch@carolinacorefc.com

For more information about CCFC Programs:

CCFC Youth www.piedmonttriadfc.org

CCFC MLS NEXT www.carolinacorefc.com/academy

CCFC MLS NEXT Pro www.carolinacorefc.com

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