NCFC Youth is set to join the Women's Premier Soccer League in 2025, competing under the name North Carolina FC.

“We are excited to add a WPSL team to the NCFC Youth player development pathway. We’ve seen growth in the girl’s game, and especially an increased demand for more high-level playing opportunities during the summer that we are already providing,” Paul Forster, NCFC Youth Director of Soccer, said.

With the announcement, NCFC becomes the second second club in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market, forming what is sure to be a heated local rivalry with second-year WPSL club Carolina Football Club (formerly Trinity Fire).

The WPSL side will draw from the club’s deep pool of current youth team players, as well as from some of the top colleges in the region, including the 2024 NCAA Division I champions, University of North Carolina, and 2024 semifinalist, Duke University.

“Joining the WPSL is an exciting opportunity for our current NCFC Youth players as well as former players competing at the collegiate level to experience top-level competition to prepare themselves for the upcoming fall season and continue their individual player development pathway,” Pete Sadin, NCFC Youth Girls Director.

 Announced last week at the WPSL Annual General Meeting, NCFC will compete in the South Region’s Carolinas Division of the Atlantic Conference, facing teams from North and South Carolina in divisional play. The club’s official schedule will be released in mid March with the league’s unveiling. 

For more information about the WPSL, head here.