Bellingham, WA – (August 6, 2013) Bellingham United Football Club and the Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA) officially announce today that the two-year-old club will join as a founding member of the Evergreen Premier League, set to kick off in May of 2014. BUFC was the first to apply to the new league and is the first to be officially accepted.

Bellingham United was founded in 2011 and began play in the all-Canadian Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) in 2012. The club was an instant success both on the pitch and in the stands. “The Hammers” made the PCSL post-season Challenge Cup two-years running and have averaged over 1,000 fans per match at Civic Stadium.

The Evergreen Premier League will allow Bellingham United to face new competition within the borders of their own state. The EPLWA is building a league that will give highly-skilled adult men a chance to suit up for their hometown teams.

Bellingham United FC founder and owner Jeff McIntyre talks about the decision to help found a new league for Washington and the Hammers’ willingness to help lead a new era in state soccer.

“We’ve made the decision to play in the EPLWA in 2014 because we want to be a part of building a great league in our home state,” McIntyre says. “We had two amazing seasons in the PCSL and really appreciate the opportunity we had to play in such a competitive league from the start.”

“We now look at the EPLWA as a league that has the potential to set new standards for statewide leagues around the country and we feel like we can help other communities and clubs with what we’ve learned in our first couple of years.”

McIntyre is already envisioning road trips and rivalries. “We are really looking forward to creating intrastate derbies with other like-minded clubs. Hammers fans would love to welcome the opposition’s supporters to Bellingham and show ’em how we do it in Bham.”

“This is going to be a fun experience watching the league and the clubs grow. It’s also going to be great for the players that are looking to continue to play at a high level and get added exposure.”

Evergreen Premier League Coordinator David Falk says the league is getting the exact right founding club at the best-possible time. “Bellingham United will be the flagship club for the Evergreen Premier League in every possible way. They have demonstrated the strengths of their organization in terms of soccer, supporters and business relationships. They are the model we will be working to pattern our future clubs around the state of Washington after. The level of interest in a competitive statewide league has opened plenty of eyes. Now is the time for it to happen, with the Hammers leading the way.”

The Evergreen Premier League is currently evaluating clubs who have applied to join for the initial season of 2014. The application deadline is October 1st, 2013. The league would like to begin with eight to ten clubs. Currently ten groups have officially applied while another eleven are in various levels of discussion with the league.

Fan-made video for Bellingham United FC 2013.

About Bellingham United Football Club

BUFC was independently founded in Bellingham Washington in 2011. Since then the club has proven to be prolific in many areas, including on the pitch, in the stands, in the community, and even in making working relationships with overseas clubs. Fans chose the nickname “Hammers” for the side in its debut season of 2012. The club wears distinctive black and white-paneled kits and features local talent and stars from Western Washington University and around Whatcom County.

Visit BUFC online at www.BellinghamUnited.com and www.Facebook.com/bellinghamunited

About the EPLWA

The Evergreen Premier League is an elite adult men’s 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.

www.EPLWA.com and www.EvergreenPremierLeague.com both currently redirect to the club’s Facebook page.

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