United Premier Soccer League Announces Sporting Hartford FC as Expansion Team

LOS ANGELES - Dec. 7, 2018 - PRLog -- The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is pleased to announce Sporting Hartford FC as a member starting with the 2019 Spring Season.

Based in Hartford (Conn.), Sporting Hartford FC will begin UPSL play in the Northeast Conference and play its UPSL home games this season at LP Wilson Community Center (599 Matianuck Ave., Windsor, CT 06095) in compliance with UPSL's Minimum Standards.

United Premier Soccer League East Coast Director Jim Antonakas said, "Sporting Hartford FC are newcomers to the Northeast Region and are coming off a tremendous 2018 Fall Season in the Connecticut Soccer League. We've been working with Diego the last few months and we think Sporting Hartford FC is an up-and-coming cub. We look forward them joining the UPSL Northeast Conference and expect good things from the start."

Diego Grange is President and Head Coach of Sporting Hartford FC. A native of Hartford (Conn.), Grange, 31, is a sole proprietor and sub-contractor in the Northeast and grew up loving the game as part of a sporting family.

His father, Everton Grange (1954-2006), was a referee, coach and administrator and was instrumental in forming the first Hartford-Jamaica Progressive League Soccer team in 1976 and was a foundation member of the Corner League Soccer Program in Hartford. His aunt, Olivia Grange, is the current Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture in Jamaica.

Sporting Hartford FC President and Head Coach Diego Grange said, "Connecticut has a really rich history of soccer, and being from a West Indies background I decided to create a club because there's a lot of history and definitely something always going on here. The players we have a working hard and they've really bought into the brand that we're creating so now we're just trying to look out for my community and give back."

Sporting Hartford FC played the 2018 Fall Season in the Connecticut Soccer League, and Grange intends to feature the club's development team in the CSL going forward.

"We have a bunch of guys who are trying to continue their careers in soccer so I've decided to invest in them and myself," Grange said. "We're going to keep the team in the Connecticut Soccer League as a grass roots developmental team where guys can join, play locally and if they work hard then they have the potential to move up to our UPSL team."

Alex Capossela is Vice President and General Manager of Sporting Hartford FC. Capossela, 21, is currently attending University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.

The club intends to host tryouts beginning in January, and will announce dates and its game schedule.

About Sporting Harford FC

Sporting Hartford FC is an American Soccer club currently based in Hartford, Md., and a new member of the United Premier Soccer League. Sporting Hartford FC will begin play in the UPSL Northeast Conference.

Founded in 2018, Sporting Hartford FC can participate in the qualifying rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation and membership with the UPSL, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

Contact:
Direct: 860-680-5061
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SportingHartfordFC
Instagram: @SportingHartfordFC
Twitter: @SportingHartfordFC

United Premier Soccer League

The UPSL was formed in 2011 and currently includes more than 300 teams in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. UPSL is the fastest growing Pro Development League in the USA, with 400-plus teams targeted for 2019 Fall Season. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining either UPSL Pro Premier Division or Championship Division minimum standards.

UPSL teams are all eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the leagues affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

More information about UPSL can be found at www.upslsoccer.com or by following the league on Facebook (www.facebook.com/upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).

Contact UPSL:
info@upslsoccer.com
Direct: 310-415-5691

Media Relations:
Dennis Pope
dennis@upslsoccer.com
upslcommunications@gmail.com
Direct: 951-675-3963
www.upslsoccer.com
www.facebook.com/unitedpremiersoccerleague
www.twitter.com/unitedpremiersoccerleague