USL Arkansas was formed by co-founders Chris Martinovic and Warren Smith to bring both Men’s and Women’s professional soccer to the Northwest Arkansas region. Our goal is to build community and be a force for good in our region, leveraging the “beautiful game” as our vessel to leave an enduring positive impact to ultimately make Northwest Arkansas an even greater place to live, work, and play.
The United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing professional soccer organization in North America, possessing more than a decade of experience in bringing the world’s game to communities across the United States and Canada. The USL is built on a proven and recognized model in international football and counts more than 200 professional and amateur clubs in its membership.
USL Arkansas is partnering with local authorities and community leaders to develop a 5,000+ seat stadium in the heart of the Pinnacle Hills entertainment district in Rogers, AR. There will be more information forthcoming about stadium development plans in the coming months as we plan to learn more from the community about what you, the fans, want out of a stadium and match-day experience.
USL Arkansas’s goal is to begin play in the USL Championship prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States and in the fall of that same year for the USL Super League.
The USL Championship is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million and fueling the growth of the game across North America. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a Division II professional league, The Championship includes 24 teams throughout the US playing in the 2023 season.
The USL Super League is a professional women’s soccer league set to kick off in August 2024. The USL Super League has committed to U.S. Soccer’s Division One standards, reflecting its collective vision to be a global leader in women’s soccer on and off the field while providing more opportunities for more women in more communities. The inaugural 2024 season will feature 10-12 teams with additional teams set to join in subsequent seasons.
We want to hear from you! There are so many things that make our region great, and we want to involve the community as we develop our club’s name, colors, and branding. Take the Fan Survey here.
A professional soccer club is NOTHING without supporters, and there are already so many eager fans in our region that can’t wait to get involved. While we don’t yet have an “official” Supporter’s Group – this will come from the fans – there is a great group of community members already rallied behind our club. You can find more about them here @USLArkansas: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Independent analysis shows a significant economic impact associated with the introduction of USL clubs and stadia ranging from $50M-$200M per year, depending on the market, with the potential to create hundreds of jobs.
Visit our official website, USLArkansas.com, follow our social media channels, @USLArkansas, sign up for our free newsletter here, or take our Fan Survey.