CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. – The 2016 USL Winter Summit concluded on Friday afternoon, and USL President Jake Edwards was delighted with the work that had been completed at the annual event. With every club in the USL and PDL represented over the course of the week in Clearwater Beach, Fla., the event also gave league executives a chance to highlight the achievements of the past year, and what lay ahead as both leagues move toward the 2017 season.

In particular for Edwards, bringing together the USL’s ownership groups – which included a number of new faces this year – into one venue showcased the current strength of the league.

“I think it’s so impressive to see this group of owners,” Edwards said. “A world-class group of owners with top-class executives running those clubs, and they’re all here for two days of learning and best-practice sharing, the opportunity to network with each other and socialize with each other, and the opportunity to keep collectively moving the league forward.”

Among those attending the Summit for the first time were Phoenix Rising FC’s Berke Bakay and Tim Riester, who presented a seminar on marketing on Friday morning, and Orange County Blues FC’s James Keston. As illustrated by Riester’s presentation during the summit, the new additions to the league are not only learning from established USL clubs, but bringing the benefits of their own business experience.

“A lot of these groups that are coming on board are learning a lot, and they’re learning a lot from the established teams, learning best practices, but they’re also bringing a tremendous amount of experience and new ideas and innovations, because these guys come from having run extremely successful businesses and in many cases successful sports organizations in other leagues,” said Edwards. “It’s thrilling to welcome the new ownership group from Phoenix, now rebranded to Phoenix Rising FC, who are such an enthusiastic and energetic and visionary group with big plans for the market.”