TAMPA, Fla. – Ahead of the launch of its 24th season, kicking off May 4 and running through the PDL Championship on Aug. 4, the Premier Development League is excited to announce a new media partnership with TopDrawerSoccer, the nation’s home for pre-professional soccer coverage.

Included in the exclusive content will be an expanded awards platform within the PDL’s Team of the Week series and annual MVP award. In addition to the ongoing PDL National Team of the Week, TopDrawerSoccer will generate four conference-specific Teams of the Week during the 2018 season utilizing data from the expanded PDL Scouting Network. TopDrawerSoccer will also select Conference MVPs at the conclusion of the PDL season, which will then serve as a list of finalists for the annual PDL MVP award, selected by the league.

“The Premier Development League’s new content partnership with TopDrawerSoccer heralds a new era in media relations for the league,” said Lizzie Seedhouse, the USL’s Senior Vice President of Digital and Content. “We have always enjoyed a strong working relationship with TopDrawerSoccer, and we’re thrilled to further develop that with a huge amount of new content, expanding the PDL’s nationwide coverage.”

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The extensive partnership further develops the strong working relationship between the PDL and TopDrawerSoccer. As part of the agreement, TopDrawerSoccer’s vast database will include references to players’ PDL clubs, and TopDrawerSoccer.com will feature a new page for PDL-exclusive content. Likewise, all PDL-specific content created by TopDrawerSoccer will be located on USLPDL.com on a brand-new ‘TDS’ page.

Additionally, team executives, coaches and players from around the PDL will feature regularly on The TopDrawerSoccer Show, a national podcast operated in partnership with Total Soccer Show. TopDrawerSoccer will also create regional previews heading into the PDL season, highlighting players to watch from across the nation, hailing from all 74 PDL clubs within 11 divisions competing in 2018.

“Our mission at TopDrawerSoccer is dedicated to coverage of pre-professional players nationwide, so we feel that a content relationship with the PDL is a logical partnership,” said Sheldon Shealer, an Editor at TopDrawerSoccer. “We will now be able to highlight the summer progress of PDL players, knowing many of them will go on to populate the top collegiate rosters across all divisions of the NCAA and the NAIA. In turn, our media presence will help spread information about PDL play and provide increased exposure and recognition for PDL players to a wider national audience.”

“The PDL’s primary goal has always been the development and exposure of elite pre-professional talent,” said Chris Madden, the PDL’s Co-Director. “From our Top Prospects lists, to our national awards and more, we are always looking to expand our promotion of our players, and our new partnership allows us to do exactly that. The TopDrawerSoccer Conference Teams of the Week and Conference MVPs will essentially quadruple the amount of players we can highlight during the season, creating even more opportunity for them to carry on to the professional level domestically and abroad.”

To learn more about TopDrawerSoccer, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or visit www.topdrawersoccer.com.