BELLEVUE, Wash. – The Evergreen Premier League will head to the Eastside to go North in 2022 with the introduction of FC Northstar Bellevue to the league for the upcoming season. The Bellevue based club will be the first EPLWA team to call the eastern shore of Lake Washington home, and with the Tri-Cities Alliance opting to sit out the 2022 season as they look to regroup after the pandemic, Northstar will round out the league as the 10th member for the eighth season of play.
FC Northstar Bellevue were founded by Gheorghe Tonu, a former Moldovan professional goalkeeper who will serve as their head coach, and is captained by Alexei Mardari, who has EPLWA experience with the Seattle Stars.
Northstar currently compete in Liga Del Pacifico in preparation for their first EPLWA season and will host tryouts on March 25th and 26th at Wilburton Hill Park at 8:15 PM. No home venue has been selected yet but the team is working with local school districts and will make an announcement about their home field soon.
You can follow FC Northstar Bellevue in their inaugural season by visiting their website at fcnorthstarbellevue.com or by following them on Instagram.
With the addition of FC Northstar Bellevue and the recent news that the Oly Town Artesians will continue in the EPLWA with their reserves side and the decision by Tacoma Narrows and Tri-Cities Alliance to not compete in 2022, the league now sits at an even 10 teams. More information about the 2022 season including conference alignments, playoff format, and the schedule will be released shortly.
About the Evergreen Premier League:
The Evergreen Premier League is an elite adult men’s amateur soccer league for college and post-college age players to feature their skills on hometown clubs throughout the state of Washington. The league’s mission is to cultivate “football club” culture while providing opportunities for coaches, owners, supporters, players and towns to enjoy the sport and all of the community building it can bring.
The Evergreen Premier League of Washington (EPLWA, pronounced E-P-L Wah) was founded in 2013 and began play in 2014. The league is a national “Elite League” under an association with United States Adult Soccer that also connects the league to US Soccer and FIFA. Elite Leagues are considered 4th division USA in the unofficial “pyramid.” The EPLWA begins its 8th season of play in April 2022.
The 10 clubs of the EPLWA are: Bellingham United, Everett Jets, FC Northstar Bellevue, Oly-Pen Force, Oly Town Artesians Reserves, Pacific Northwest Soccer Club, Spokane Shadow U23, Vancouver Victory, Washington Premier FC and Yakima United.
Evergreen Premier League 