Field of Nine Regions, 36 Clubs to be Most Competitive Yet

CHICAGO (May 2, 2022) – The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announces the return of the NISA Independent Cup (NIC), to be played among 36 clubs spread across nine regions this June and July. Each region features one NISA professional club, as well as NISA Nation and NISA affiliate clubs. Additionally, guest independent amateur clubs will participate.

“NISA is in its first, end-to-end full season, and NISA Nation is still in its infancy,” says NIC Tournament Director Matt Morse. “This new format allows the professional, NISA Nation, clubs from NISA affiliates, and a few guest clubs to get acclimated to a regional cup. Over the long term, the NIC will develop sustainably into a full, national tournament.”

The tournament is formatted as a round robin tournament between the three amateur clubs in each region using a 10-point system. The winner of that round-robin earns $3,000 and a spot playing the NISA professional club for the regional championship. The winner of each region earns $4,000.

The NIC was originally created to allow clubs to play during COVID, allowing professional and amateur clubs to return to the pitch safely and get meaningful matches played when most competitions had halted.

The tournament kickoff date is June 25 and will stream on Eleven Sports.

For information on past years' Independent Cup competitions, visit https://nisasoccer.com/indcup.