NCAA Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 and NAIA – What’s the difference between the divisions? How do you win your conference?
Here, we explain how college soccer in the USA is structured and break down how the league system works — from the different divisions to what it takes to win a conference title. Read on to get a clearer picture of how college soccer actually works!
College Soccer in the USA: What’s the Difference Between the Divisions?
College soccer in the USA differs in many ways from how league systems operate in the rest of the world. In Sweden, teams move up or down between divisions based on performance, which means the leagues are constantly changing and kept as competitive as possible.
In college athletics, it works differently. Teams do not move up or down between divisions based on results; instead, the divisions are fixed. A school’s division is primarily determined by the size of the university, how many athletic scholarships it can offer within its soccer program, and the division in which its football and basketball teams compete.
This means that a school’s financial resources influence which division it competes in, but it does not necessarily mean that the schools with the biggest budgets always have the best teams. In the examples below, we explain how both women’s and men’s college soccer programs are structured.
There are over 1,200 women’s teams and more than 1,000 men’s teams across the USA spread out over the different divisions. In other words, there are many universities to choose from and great opportunities to get recruited.
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How are the College Soccer Divisions structured?
The U.S. loves playoffs and that’s especially evident in college sports. That’s why the season ends with a national playoff where a National Champion is crowned in each division. These are the divisions in place in the U.S.:
NCAA DIVISION 1
NCAA DIVISION 2
NCAA DIVISION 3
NAIA
NJCAA
Being part of a team that wins a National Championship is incredibly prestigious and something that very few players get to experience. The playoffs themselves are a big part of the appeal of playing soccer at the college level in the U.S.
Which teams do you face during the season?
Of course, you don’t play against every team in the entire division. That would be nearly impossible. In NCAA Division 1 for women, for example, there are over 30 so-called conferences, which function as regional leagues within the division.
Each conference usually consists of between 8 and 14 teams. During the season, you primarily play matches against teams within your own conference, and the results of these games determine the standings, which teams qualify for the conference playoffs, and ultimately, which teams advance to the national tournament.
What Does the Year Look Like for College Soccer in the USA?
Playing college soccer in the U.S. differs quite a bit from what we’re used to back home in Sweden. Here, academics and athletics are combined in an intense yet structured setup throughout the entire year.
Below, you can see what a typical year looks like for a college soccer player:
July-August: The preseason kicks off with fitness tests, intense training, and preparations for the regular season, which begins toward the end of August.
September – November: Regular season with weekly matches
December: Conclusion of the national championship and the season wraps up.
During the spring season, the schedule looks as follows:
January – March: Spring season is focused on fitness, tactics, and individual development
April - May: Friendly matches (spring season)
June: Vacation.
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