CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery announced on Tuesday the club had agreed to formal partnerships with three Premier Development League clubs for the 2017 season, creating a new path for the top players in the amateur ranks to the professional level.

The Battery have partnered with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny, Tri-Cities Otters, and South Georgia Tormenta FC, all of which compete in the PDL’s South Atlantic Division. The Battery had informal partnerships with PDL clubs in the past, but the club’s front office staff viewed the news of the USL’s provisional Division 2 sanctioning in the U.S. Soccer structure as an opportunity to expand on the agreements.

“We’re pleased to formally partner with the three PDL clubs,” said Battery Vice President Mike Kelleher. “The Battery and the USL have grown tremendously over the last couple of years and these agreements fit into the overall plan we have for the Club moving forward. The PDL partnerships allow us to continue to expand our scouting network and community reach beyond the Charleston area.”

The PDL has been a long-standing part of the United Soccer Leagues’ organizational structure, and is recognized as the top level of men’s amateur soccer in the United States. Tormenta FC, based in Statesboro, Ga., claimed the league’s New Franchise of the Year award in 2016, while the Otters, based in Johnson City, Tenn., and Mutiny have also seen success on and off the field.