WSA Soccer is excited to accept an invitation from Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) to begin participation in the Girls ECNL for the upcoming 2025-2026 seasonal soccer year.  WSA will compete in the renowned Texas Conference.

"We are excited for this opportunity and challenge to compete in the nation's true standard for elite competition.  ECNL has an historic record of setting the leading standards in the youth soccer space, and we are grateful to help carry this responsibility on behalf of our athletes in the Tulsa and Oklahoma community,” said Kerry Shubert, WSA Girls ECNL Director.

“The opportunity that our athletes, families, coaches, and leaders have earned is a privilege. We are excited to collectively bring our Mission, our Values, and our personality via our athletes and staff to conjoin to the mission and values of ECNL,” reports WSA Executive Director, Roger Bush.

“This effort, led by Kerry Shubert, is a representation of a body of work, a history of success, and a drive to build legacy,” Bush stated.

Founded in 1992, WSA Soccer’s girl’s program has grown over the years in programming, size, experience, and diversity.  John Rhein, WSA’s current Girls Director was a founding member of WSA and the club’s first Girl’s Director. 

Over 30 years later, the club’s accolades are historic, consistent, and notable.  The WSA female athletes have set standards on the field, and beyond.  The most important standard, is the Legacy of Friendship and Service the WSA girls program has collectively built.  And on the field, the WSA Girls program is currently thriving on foundations built by others, while continuing to build an exciting future, a significant new Legacy. 

Since 2022 WSA Soccer has had 20 girls teams participating yearly in ECNL-RL and/or pre-ECNL network of leagues, making WSA one of the largest ECNL member clubs nationally by participation.  WSA has had 3 teams in each age division within the ECNL-RL umbrella the past 3 years.

WSA is a top-performing ECNL-RL Club in Oklahoma, in only 3 short years of participation 3 WSA teams finished nationally in the top-5 (09 Girls – National Runners-Up, 05 & 07 Girls National Quarterfinalist and 5^th place).  In 2022 WSA had 3 girls teams qualify for, and compete at ECNL-RL Regional Championships with winning records.  In the first year, WSA’s 2005 Girls program qualified two WSA 2005 Girls teams to ECNL-RL Regional Quarterfinals.  In total, in only 3 years, 7 teams from WSA have qualified for the ECNL-RL postseason in what is recognized as one of ECNL’s premier and most competitive Conferences, the TX-Conference.  And 3 different WSA Girls teams have won ECNL-RL Regional Championships (09's, 07's, 05's).

The WSA ECNL-RL programs U15-U19 just returned from being invited to an ECNL National Showcase in Texas where the club showcased it’s competitive level against ECNL competition.  The club competed well, playing 12 matches, with 6 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, while scoring 25 goals.  

The WSA 07 Girls (4th), and WSA 09 (5th), led by Coach Rafael Rivera, both finished top-5 in the final standings of the ECNL National Showcase among 30 and 48 ECNL clubs respectively.    2007 Girls Standings  2009 Girls Standings.

Since 2018 WSA Girls (and WSA Boys) have posted an overall winning record against ECNL teams in the moments the club had opportunities to compete against ECNL teams.

Prior to WSA’s recent emergence in Girls ECNL-RL, the WSA Girls helped WSA win the overall National Premier League (NPL) Club Championship 3 years in a row amongst 40 clubs in a 5-state area (2017, 2018, 2019 NPL Red River Overall NPL Club Champion).  The platform did not return after the 2020 COVID shut-downs and subsequently WSA joined ECNL-RL in 2022.  In 2023 the WSA 2010G and 2007G each won USL-Y National Championships

HISTORIC SUCCESS that BRIDGES A BRIGHT FUTURE
 

The WSA 81 girls became the first girls team from the club in 1997 to advance to the Oklahoma State Cup Semifinals under the USYS Competition, and pioneered the way for USYS Regional qualifiers: WSA 89 Girls, WSA 90 Girls, WSA 92 Girls, WSA 93 Girls, WSA 94 Girls, WSA 95 Girls, WSA 97 Girls and WSA 98 Girls to all qualify under USYS for USYS Southern Regionals, representing Oklahoma Soccer as either a State Champion or State Finalist - WSA History/Trophy Room.  The 98 Girls would become a Regional Finalist and play in the National Quarterfinals, finishing 5^th.  The WSA 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06 girls all won State Championships and qualified for regionals under the newly constructed OPC and USCS platform. 

Bush points to the long-standing tradition of an excellent player pool as the foundation of the club’s success, “The people. The players. These are the cornerstones to our organization’s milestones along the journey and WSA's gift.  The committed and loyal players, historic coaches, supporting cast of families, the current leadership and Directors, current coaches, technical and administrative staff.  We are a team and a family effort in every sense.  We are excited to unite to the challenge, the experience, and ready to help advance our new and next platform for the game and moreover, the Player.”

Shubert’s leadership of the WSA Girls program, includes a historic body of work which has already earned him a spot in the Oklahoma Soccer Hall of Fame.  Leading teams at Hurricane and then TSC-Hurricane, during the early 2000’s, which were among the best in the nation, that still to this day are among Oklahoma’s top standards of achievement at a national level.   Shubert led an ECNL program for a a decade that was nationally relevant from Tulsa, Oklahoma, that included players who have been selected to national teams, earned significant college scholarship opportunities, and still currently play professionally at the highest levels in the U.S.

Coach Bradshaw and Coach Rhein who were with Coach Shubert on those staffs, add to the historic accretion of girls soccer triumphs and achievements that bring an abundance of experience and hope to the future for WSA Girls soccer programming.

“We are ready and excited for this next challenge,” relates Shubert.  “This is an opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young aspiring soccer players, and change outcomes and destinies, and ultimately lives, for the female soccer player in Tulsa.”
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT WSA GIRLS ECNL
 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Ryan Bush, WSA Executive Director

“I’m proud of WSA and the hard work that has been invested to get to this incredible achievement. This truly is a commemorative and defining moment in club history. Although we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we’re excited to develop top level talent and for the opportunity to compete in the highest platform in the country.”

John Rhein, WSA Girls Director of Coaching:
"This is a tremendous honor for West Side Alliance to be allowed the opportunity to participate in the highest level of competition in the country for female soccer players. It is not lost on us the responsibility we have moving forward to help provide the best experience for the top players in the Tulsa area.   We look forward to the  challenge of the ECNL and cannot wait to get started!"