Jeff Carlisle
The USL has hired English Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes to head up the organization’s new Division One league, which will likely begin play in 2028, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Scholes will officially begin his new role in the summer of 2026 after finishing up his duties for the current EPL season. An official announcement is expected as early as Monday.
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The USL announced its intention to create a new top-tier league last March, which will sit atop the existing USL Championship, USL League One and USL League two, and will include the implementation of a system of promotion and relegation that will involve the Championship and League One.
Sources confirmed that Scholes will oversee the day-to-day operations of the new league, shape its structure as well as the particulars of the promotion and relegation system. A USL spokesperson declined to comment.
Scholes hiring was first reported by The Athletic.
Scholes has a long-standing relationship with USL CEO Paul McDonough that stretches back over a decade when McDonough was an agent with Wasserman Media Group and Scholes was in the midst of a 17-year stint as chief executive of English side Stoke City. Scholes will also be heavily involved in determining which teams will comprise the USL top flight, including which existing clubs will move up and which new teams will be part of the division as well.
Once that is completed, he’ll also be heavily involved with the division’s owners, discuss how the teams are performing in terms of profit and loss, as well as scheduling. Scholes will also work closely with USL Championship president Jeremy Alumbaugh and League One president Lee O’Neill.
In the meantime, the league is pushing forward with its plans for the new league and pro/rel system, and hopes to be able to present more of those details to team owners in December. The decision to implement such a system was made due to the fact that the USL was hitting a ceiling in terms of fan engagement, especially when compared to Major League Soccer.
The decision was also viewed as a way to leverage some of the momentum of the 2026 World Cup.
“I do believe it’s a game changer for USL and I’m just a massive, massive fan of the construct of promotional/relegation and games of consequence,” Rhode Island FC owner Brett Johnson told ESPN back in May. “And I think it’s something that’s sorely lacking in North America writ large, not just obviously MLS, but also in USL. This is a very clear alternative league and structure and format, one that looks a lot more consistent with global football.”
The USL recently announced the sale of a minority stake in the organization to BellTower Partners, with BellTower Founder and CEO Kewsong Lee being named vice-chair of the league.
The USL is also currently engaged in negotiations with the USL Players Association on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for players in the USL Championship. The current deal expires at the end of this year.
