Mountain Premier League Expands West, Lowers Player Costs, and Adds a Summer Season

Mountain Premier League Expands West, Lowers Player Costs, and Adds a Summer Season

Mountain Premier League — September of 4, 2026
The Mountain Premier League (MPL) today announced a major league-wide alignment that expands the league’s footprint into Idaho, grows the Eastern Conference to eleven clubs, cuts player pass costs, adds a third competition season each year, and caps how long member clubs pay a league season fee.
The changes were driven by a vote of the league’s member clubs and reflect the MPL’s continued commitment to making high-level men’s pro-am soccer more accessible for players and more sustainable for clubs across the Rocky Mountain region.
Expansion West Through Gem State Elite League
The MPL’s Western Conference is now anchored by its affiliate partnership with the Gem State Elite League (GSEL) of Idaho, extending competitive league play deeper into the Mountain West. GSEL operates as the North Division of the MPL Western Conference, with its champion advancing to a Western Conference Final against MPL’s Southern Division champion.
The affiliation preserves GSEL’s identity, sanctioning, and season structure inside Idaho while giving its clubs a direct pathway into interstate championship play.
Eleven Clubs in the East
The Eastern Conference will field eleven clubs for the upcoming alignment, the largest East membership in league history. The growth reflects sustained demand from Colorado’s men’s pro-am community and gives East clubs a deeper competitive schedule and stronger regional rivalries heading into playoffs.
Player Passes Cut to $25 Per Season
Member clubs voted to reduce the player pass fee to $25 per player, per season, a significant reduction designed to lower the barrier for players and to help clubs build deeper rosters without passing registration costs down to athletes.
A Third Summer Season Added
The MPL will now operate three competition seasons per year with the addition of a new Summer season, joining the existing Spring and Fall calendars. The Summer season gives clubs a continuous year-round competition pathway, more matches for players, and additional inventory for partners, supporters, and host venues.
League Season Fee Now Capped at Five Years — Then Lifetime Membership
In one of the most significant governance changes in the league’s history, member clubs voted to cap league season fees at five years. Under the new structure, clubs that participate for five seasons in the paid schedule earn lifetime member status and no longer pay a league season fee.
The paid season-fee schedule otherwise remains unchanged:
•    Year 1: $500 per season
•    Year 2: $1,000 per season
•    Years 3–5: $1,500 per season
•    Year 6 and beyond: $0 — Lifetime Member status
The five-year cap rewards clubs that invest in the league early and commit to its growth. Lifetime members retain full voting rights and all competition benefits while permanently graduating from the season-fee schedule.
“Our member clubs built this league, and this vote reflects what they want it to be,” said Don Harmon, Mountain Premier League. “Lower player costs, more soccer in the summer, a real pathway west through Gem State Elite, and a defined finish line for season fees. Clubs that stand with us for five years are lifetime members — that’s how we recognize the ones building this league with us.”
Partners Retained Across the Alignment
The MPL is proud to continue its partnerships with the brands that have supported the league and its clubs. The following partners are retained under the new alignment:
•    Flite Sports
•    Salt Athletic
•    Nuun Hydration
•    Reathlete
•    Select Sports America
•    Quickplay
•    Dude Wipes
•    Supersub Custom
•    Sportstudioz
•    DT Sports
Each partner plays a role in outfitting, hydrating, equipping, or supporting MPL clubs, players, and matchdays across the Eastern and Western Conferences.
About the Mountain Premier League
The Mountain Premier League is a regional men’s Ipro-am soccer league serving the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Through its Eastern Conference clubs and its Western Conference affiliation with the Gem State Elite League, the MPL provides a competitive platform for established and emerging clubs, connecting players, coaches, and communities through high-level soccer across an expanding multi-season, multi-conference structure.
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Media Contact
Mountain Premier League
Media@mountainpremierleague.com