Akron City FC and Lorain County Leviathan FC have bought the Northern Ohio Soccer League, taking over day-to-day operations of the 28-team amateur circuit immediately. The league just wrapped its 2026 season with 20 men’s teams and eight women’s teams competing across Northwest and Northeast Ohio and down into Central Ohio.
Two Local Clubs Take the Reins
The acquisition puts NOSL in the hands of an ownership group tied to both Akron City FC and Lorain County Leviathan FC, according to NOSL’s official announcement. As reported by cleveland.com, that ownership group is composed of Mario Gigante, Nick Turchan of Team8 Sports, Andrew McDonnell, Adam Stalnaker (CEO of Rockport Wealth Advisors), Michael Hitchcock and the Lake Erie Crushers ownership team. Turchan, a member of Akron City FC, framed the purchase as being about giving players somewhere to go once their youth soccer days end, saying the acquisition is focused on continuing competitive opportunities for players after youth soccer. McDonnell is a member of Lorain County Leviathan FC.
The deal itself is worth more than six figures and will be paid out over 24 months, per the same cleveland.com report. The Leviathan side of the ownership group has already made its presence felt on the roster, pulling in four players from NOSL this year, the outlet noted.
What NOSL Actually Looks Like
NOSL runs on a summer schedule from May through July, according to Protagonist Soccer. The men’s side is split into two divisions connected by promotion and relegation, meaning teams can move up or down between divisions based on how they perform, per the league’s own about page. There are no age restrictions on who can play — the league caters to high school, college and adult players alike, that page states. A new regional division called LigaSouth was also announced as part of NOSL’s structure.
The founding story behind the league starts in 2019. Cleveland.com reports that Braden Mast founded NOSL as an adult amateur league in 2019. Mast, who has led the league since 2019, said the new ownership group can continue the league’s growth — the same page notes the new owners plan to build on the foundation he and the existing teams established.
New Owners Talk Investment and Referees
The new ownership group plans to invest in the league while maintaining what has made NOSL successful, according to the Protagonist Soccer report. That includes creating openings not just for players and coaches but for aspiring sports-business professionals, with plans spanning team operations, analytics, marketing, social media, sponsorship, ticketing, broadcasting and event management, the outlet reported. The league also intends to work with the local referee association to help rebuild the ranks of quality match officials.
Akron City FC and Lorain County Leviathan FC say they want NOSL to be a professionally run landing spot for players graduating out of the youth soccer system, with a high-level playing environment that can accommodate clubs with different goals — whether that’s regional competitive teams chasing higher standards or smaller clubs just looking for a platform. The idea, per the seed reporting from The Morning Journal, is for the league to serve teams of all shapes and sizes rather than a single tier of competition.
The ownership group plans to invest in the league and create opportunities for aspiring sports-business professionals.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Planning for the 2027 season is already underway, according to Protagonist Soccer, and the league is now accepting inquiries from new men’s and women’s teams interested in joining. The new ownership group says it has the experience and resources to take NOSL further, building on a season that already produced one notable success story: former NOSL player Stefan Dobrijevic was selected by Austin FC in the second round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, per NOSL’s about page. Teams interested in learning more can find information through noslsoccer.com, the league’s official site.
