3-17-2023
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II. Division I Men’s Outdoor League:
a. Composition; Play
i. League must have a minimum of 12 teams to apply. By year three, the league must
have a minimum of 14 teams.
ii. U.S.-based teams must participate in all representative U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF
competitions for which they are eligible.
b. Markets; Stadia; and Fields
i. U.S.-based teams must be located in at least the Eastern, Central and Pacific time
zones in the continental United States. (These three time zones are required
because the majority of the large population centers are located in these time
zones.)
ii. At least 75 percent of the league’s teams must play in metropolitan markets of at
least 1,000,000 persons.
iii. League stadiums must meet the following parameters:
1. All stadiums/arenas must be enclosed.
2. All league stadiums must have a minimum seating capacity of 15,000.
iv. Not later than 180 days prior to the start of each season, each team shall have a
lease for at least one full season with its home stadium.
c. Financial Viability
i. League must demonstrate adequate financial viability to ensure continued
operation on a season-by-season basis either in the form of a performance bond or
similar instrument for each team in the amount of one million US dollars (US
$1,000,000), or readily-available league funds representing such amount. The
maximum amount of such funds for any league shall be twenty million US dollars
(US $20,000,000) and will be used to cover the costs of the teams’ operations
(including, without limitation, player and staff salaries and wages, stadium lease
commitments and third party vendor obligations in addition to commitments by
each team to the league) for a season, should that become necessary. Any team
whose performance bond is used during the season will be required to replenish it
at least 120 days prior to the next season.
ii. Each team ownership group must demonstrate the financial capacity to operate the
team for five years. As part of the process of demonstrating financial capacity, each
ownership group must provide detailed financial history (if applicable) and
projections (including a detailed budget) for the team to the Federation in a form
satisfactory to the Federation. In addition, each team must have and its governing
legal documents must designate one principal owner with a controlling interest who
owns at least 35% of the team and has authority to bind the team. Such principal
owner must have an individual net worth of at least forty million US dollars (US
$40,000,000) exclusive of the value of his/her ownership in the league or team and
his/her primary personal residence. The principal owner, together with all other
owners, must have a combined individual net worth of at least seventy million US
dollars (US $70,000,000) exclusive of the value of ownership interests in the league
or team and primary personal residences. Federation shall have the right to require
an independent audit to establish that the team meets these net worth