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The Dutch Lions Football Club, in association with the Dayton Dutch Lions FC, announced earlier today its promotion to the USL-Pro Championship Division (former USL-2) and its development of a USL Women's League team for the 2011 season.
In its successful first season in existence, the Dayton Dutch Lions PDL team is currently a top of the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference, which boasts many of the top clubs including the Chicago Fire Premier, Michigan Bucks and Forest City London.
At a live press conference in Dayton, the Dutch Lions FC front office lead
an exciting event in front of the Dayton-area press and local city leaders to
explain the role in which the Dutch Lions will continue to build for soccer
in not only Ohio, but across the U.S.
The promotion for the Dayton Dutch Lions into the Pro-Championship Division
(3rd tier) will be an exciting development for the club, as it will face several
of the top 3rd Division clubs across the U.S. including the Charleston Battery
and the Charlotte Eagles.
Also, the first and longest-standing womens league in North America, the W-League is USL highest level of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The 2010 USL W-League campaign features 29 teams in three regional conferences playing 10 or 12 regular season matches.
In addition to featuring international and professional stars, elite amateur players have the opportunity to compete on amateur teams in the league while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is recognized throughout the world for providing superior competition for female players, while offering affordable family entertainment for fans across North America.
The promotion of Dayton Dutch Lions to USL-2 and the addition of a W-League team is the logical next step for one of the more progressive soccer clubs in North America, USL President Tim Holt said. Building upon their 2010 season PDL success and the support of technical partner FC Twente, these teams instantly enhance the quality of USL-2 and the W-League for 2011 and beyond.
Representation by the United Soccer Leagues (Tampa, FL) was also present at the press conference on Thursday by USL-Pro Operations Director, Chris Economides .
The principals behind the Dayton Dutch Lions are Tammer Sportmanagement, owned by Erik Tammer, Business and Sports Performance, owned by Mike Mossel, and FinFac beheer B.V., owned by Peter van der Molen.
Tammer is a former professional player for premier league clubs such as AFC Ajax Amsterdam, SC Heerenveen en Sparta Rotterdam. Mossel played for First Division clubs RBC Roosendaal, KFC Turnhout (Belgium) and the Cincinnati Riverhawks (USL-1), and graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati.
The promotion to USL-2 and development of a W-League club was just a matter
of time, Mossel said. To be the best, we must begin to play among the upper-echelon
clubs. We want to set a standard, and I believe we have done that so far in
the PDL in our first season. But more importantly, our decision was made with
our Premier Academy in mind, explained the Dutch Lions co-owner.In addition
to the PDL team, the Dutch Lions also feature a premier youth academy with the
goal of developing players to reach the top European football clubs and to use
the USL-2 and W-League as a stepping-stone to produce stars.Owner Erick Tammer
said this is the most crucial ingredient for success. The Dutch Lions FC is
a gateway to professional soccer, Tammer said. For us to say this we must
provide the best environment and training possible here in the U.S., and thanks
to USL, players are inevitably going to see that vision become a reality.
The Academy is based on the Dutch youth development philosophy, and the quality
is guaranteed thanks to a close partnership with Dutch Premier League club,
FC Twente.