This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(December 2010) |
Full name | Northampton Laurels Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Laurels | ||
Founded | 2005 | ||
Ground | J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
Capacity | 15,000 | ||
Chairman | Andy Salandy | ||
Manager | Anthony Creece | ||
League | Women's Premier Soccer League | ||
2008 | 6th, East Mid-Atlantic Division | ||
The Northampton Laurels FC was an American professional soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, the team played in Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). The team folded after the 2008 season.
The Laurels' home was J. Birney Crum Stadium, located in the city of Allentown, where they had played since 2006. The team's colors were green and white.
The team featured several players with previous professional and international experience, along with local stand out talent. Playing for the Laurels provided elite Lehigh Valley-area players with an opportunity to progress through the U.S. soccer system.
In their 2006 expansion season, the Laurels were the WPSL's Eastern Conference - Southern Division runners up. In addition, the team was a semi-finalist in the 2006 WPSL Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Laurels were also the WPSL Eastern Conference Mid-Atlantic Division runners up in 2007, and an Eastern Conference Semi-Finalist.
Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | 2 | WPSL | 2nd, East South | |
2007 | 2 | WPSL | 2nd, East Mid-Atlantic | Conference Semi-Finals |
2008 | 2 | WPSL | 6th, East Mid-Atlantic | Did not qualify |
The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The WPSL is the longest-running active women's soccer league as it enters its 23rd season in 2021 – the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WPSL is also the largest women's soccer league in the United States, North America and the world with 135 active teams.
The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation typical in soccer elsewhere. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by the USSF not having an official designated level or division.
William Allen High School is one of two large, urban public high schools of the Allentown School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The school provides public education for grades 9 through 12. William Allen High School is located at 106 North 17th Street, Allentown. It serves students from the center city and west side sections of Allentown. The city's other public high school, Dieruff High School, serves students from Allentown's eastern and southern sections. Until Dieruff's opening in 1959, William Allen High School was known as Allentown High School.
The New Jersey Wildcats is an American women’s soccer team, founded by Vincent Baldino in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference against the D.C. United Women, New Jersey Rangers, Long Island Rough Riders, New York Magic and North Jersey Valkyries.
Louis E. Dieruff High School is a large, urban public high school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is located at 815 North Irving Street in Allentown. The school serves students in grades nine through 12 from the eastern and southern parts of the city and is part of the Allentown School District.
Allentown Central Catholic High School (ACCHS) is a private, parochial school located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, ACCHS predominantly serves students from the Lehigh Valley region of the state.
The Pennsylvania Stoners were an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007, the team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Eastern Keystone Division.
Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School is a secondary school located on 500 South Broad Street in the borough of Mechanicsburg, west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school is part of the Mechanicsburg Area School District.
Coca-Cola Park is an 8,278-seat baseball park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A level Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the second largest high school stadium in Pennsylvania with a capacity of 15,000 and serves as the home football field for each of Allentown's three high schools: William Allen High School, Louis E. Dieruff High School, and Allentown Central Catholic High School, each of which compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
F.C. Indiana, also known as F.C. Indiana Lionesses, is an American women's soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2003, the team is currently a member of the United Women's Soccer league. They play their home games at Newton Park in Lakeville, Indiana.
The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) since 2013.
Tiffany Marie Weimer is an American soccer forward who plays for FC Nordsjælland.
New England Mutiny is an American women's soccer club, which competes at the pro-am level of women's soccer in the US, in the United Women's Soccer league.
Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania has a rich tradition at all levels, including professional sports, the Olympics, and high school levels. While most Allentown residents support professional sports teams in New York City or Philadelphia, Allentown itself also is home to two major professional sports teams, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple A team of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, the primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Elizabeth Ely Bogus is an American soccer coach and retired player who played as a midfielder and forward. She played semi-professionally with Chicago Cobras, Arizona Heatwave, Ajax America Women, Mile High Edge, Pali Blues, and Boston Aztec; at the professional level, she appeared for Los Angeles Sol, Boston Breakers, PK-35 Vantaa, Seattle Reign, and FC Kansas City.
Reading United AC is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
Kennya Kinda Esther Cordner is a Tobagonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkey Kadinlar Super Lig club Fenerbahce and the Trinidad and Tobago women's national team.
The Houston Aces are an American women's soccer team that was founded in 2012. The Aces participate in the WPSL, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada, underneath the NWSL. The Aces play at Albion Campbell Road, and also field several academy and youth teams. They joined the United Women's Soccer league in 2016.
Real Central New Jersey is a soccer club from Trenton, New Jersey, United States, founded in 2020. The club's men's First Team competes in the Mid-Atlantic Division of USL League Two, and began playing in the 2021 season. The women's team participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League.