The Nebraska-based club will launch in the 2020 with the Great Plains conference.
New Orleans – February 18, 2019 – Today, the Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) announced that Bugeaters FC was the latest team to join the up-and-coming league. The Nebraska-based club was founded in 2018 and has developed a national following based on its unique business model. Bugeaters will join the Great Plains conference in the 2020 season and play a full exhibition season in 2019 to be announced by the end of the month.
“In our efforts to advance the club based model that we embody, we feel that clubs like Bugeaters FC are the example of how an amateur organization should be developed and managed,” said league Vice President Jonathan Rednour. “This club represents both the developmental side that we emphasize alongside the culture that we are building with the league. We see this addition as a next level of development to the league’s goal of building sustainable clubs in the communities we represent. Regional focused was a common goal that we both have.”
Bugeaters FC Chairman Jonathan Collura joined the GCPL board last month and has voiced his desire to find a suitable model that will best represent his hometown club.
“I had spoken with the GCPL and knew that they had developed a quality system focusing on its clubs,” Collura said. “What I found when I met with them was a budding league that is focusing on sound fundamentals and not expanding to collect a fee. Regional play is the next step in the development of the non-league in the United States. They also focus on a high level of competition with a mix of both local and collegiate athletes. This was a definite fit alongside the belief of sustainability.”
The Great Plains Premier League, which will act as a new conference to the GCPL, is set to launch in 2020.
“The Great Plains conference is intended to compliment the Gulf Coast conference. We had 4 clubs that we could have launched with in 2019 but Jonathan (Collura) and I decided that it would be best to take 12 months and launch it properly. It needs to be an extension of the GCPL and its values. We are confident that it will be highly competitive and successful,” Rednour continued.
Collura intends to help the League further focus on its clubs and business.
“We intend to help teams with the business side of the game as well. Success will be based on sustainability of the clubs and the level of development that they accomplish. If a club needs help they can contact us. Ultimately the league is about them,” Collura said.
The Great Plains Premier League will focus on clubs in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. It is expected to begin play in 2020. Interested clubs can contact the league at info@plainsleague.com
