USL Pro

The vendor opportunity at USL Pro

USL Pro is a youth-services soccer franchise operating under United Soccer Leagues, LLC. With 24 franchised units spread across California, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Colorado, the system is small and entirely franchisee-operated. No company-owned units are disclosed in the 2023 FDD. For software vendors, the total addressable market is 24 locations, each run by a single-unit operator. There are no multi-unit franchisees in the system, meaning every sale is a one-off conversation with an individual owner — or a single top-down mandate from HQ.

Average unit volume (AUV), royalty rates, and initial term length are not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Year-over-year unit growth is also not reported. This lack of financial performance data means vendors must rely on direct discovery to gauge unit-level economics and budget capacity.

Who controls software purchasing

Purchasing authority sits at the headquarters level. The 2023 FDD lists four executives in Item 1: Robert Hoskins (Chairman of the Board), Alec Papadakis (Director and Chief Executive Officer), Justin Papadakis (Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Real Estate Officer), and Jake Edwards (President). In a system this small, the COO and President are the most likely buyers for operational software. Justin Papadakis’s dual role as Chief Real Estate Officer suggests facility-related technology — scheduling, field management, or safety compliance tools — may fall under his purview. Alec Papadakis, as CEO, likely holds final sign-off on any system-wide mandate.

Because all 24 units are franchised and no multi-unit operators exist, a vendor’s path to adoption is either a headquarters mandate that flows down to franchisees or a direct sales motion to individual owners. The operator footprint shows 29 mapped operators across approximately 29 located units, all in the 1-unit band. Top states are California (6 units), Texas (4), Florida (2), Oklahoma (2), and Colorado (1).

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2023 FDD does not identify any mandated or recommended technology systems. There is no Item 11 disclosure naming a POS provider, back-office platform, scheduling tool, or any other operational software. This absence means USL Pro likely does not currently enforce a standardized tech stack. For vendors, that is both an opportunity and a challenge: no incumbent to displace, but also no centralized procurement lever to pull.

Without a mandated stack, the technology landscape at the unit level is unknown. Franchisees may use a patchwork of consumer-grade tools or nothing at all. Discovery calls with operators in California and Texas — the two largest states — would be the fastest way to map what is actually in use.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the 2023 FDD contains no extract, so USL Pro’s procurement model is not publicly documented. It is not clear whether the franchisor designates suppliers, maintains an approved vendor list, or leaves purchasing entirely open. Vendors should assume an open model until told otherwise and prepare to sell value directly to both HQ and individual franchisees.

Franchise agreements run for 20 seasons. Renewal requires written notice before the first official game of the penultimate season, plus several conditions: no default or outstanding payments, execution of the then-current franchise agreement (which may have materially different terms), a general release in the franchisor’s favor, evidence of stadium rights for the renewal term, satisfaction of financial responsibility standards, renewal of a Letter of Credit, and payment of a renewal fee. These renewal windows create natural inflection points where franchisees may be more open to new software if HQ ties adoption to renewal conditions.

How to read the USL Pro FDD

The 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding USL Pro’s legal and operational structure. Item 1 identifies the executives who control purchasing. Item 8, though silent here, typically outlines procurement obligations. Item 17 details the 20-season term and renewal conditions. Because no financial performance representations are made, vendors should not expect to find AUV or revenue data in this FDD. The embedded PDF viewer below provides the full document for your own review.

For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on unit counts, tech mandates, and HQ buyer signals.