TAMPA, Fla. - The United Soccer League (USL) confirmed on Wednesday the founding members of the USL Academy League’s East-Central Division. The inaugural season of Academy League play is due to kick off in spring 2021, and will provide clubs in all three of the USL's senior divisions with an elite youth development and competition platform.

The structure of the USL Academy League provides USL clubs a progressive model to develop local players for their Senior Team, at a lessened cost of traditional pre-professional academies. Doing so will also enable far more clubs and communities to participate, allowing for the regional division format which limits travel demand to teams and families.

The six clubs set to compete in the East-Central Division of the inaugural USL Academy League are as follows:

• Cleveland Force SC: Cleveland, OH (future USL League Two)
• Liverpool FC International Academy: Michigan (affiliated with Flint City Bucks of USL League Two)
• Grand Rapids FC: Grand Rapids, MI (USL League Two)
• Indy Eleven: Indianapolis, IN (USL Championship)
• Louisville City FC: Louisville, KY (USL Championship)
• Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Pittsburgh, PA (USL Championship)

Regional alignment announcements conclude on Thursday with the unveiling of both South-Central Division and the Southwest Division. For more information on the USL Academy League, visit usl-academy.com/academy-league.