Two National Platforms.
Four Development Platforms.
The Home of American Cricket™ is organized through two national competition platforms and four development platforms, creating a clear competition structure for franchise, institutional, academy, and community play.
Built to scale the game across the country, this structure connects regional franchise competition with school, college, academy, and club participation in one unified system.
The Competition Structure
Two national platforms, four development platforms, and one connected competition system.
Two national platforms
The top of the competition structure is defined by National League and National Championship. Together, they form the professional and domestic engines of the system.
Four development platforms
Beneath the national layer sit College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League, expanding institutional access, player development, and broad participation across the ecosystem.
The Two National Competition Platforms
Professional and domestic national competition at the top of the structure.
National League
The flagship franchise competition of the system. National League is the premium professional property of American Cricket and is currently organized in the T20 format.
National Championship
The domestic regional competition platform of the system, organized across First-Class, One-Day, and T20 formats. It is the principal proving ground for elite regional performance.
The Four Development Platforms
Institutional, academy, and community competition beneath the national layer.
College Cup
The university competition property, giving colleges and higher education institutions a formal place inside the structure through T20 competition.
School Shield
The school competition property that introduces structured institutional cricket at an early level through T20 competition.
Academy League
The age-group development competition of the system, creating structured match play and progression across emerging player levels.
Community League
The broad participation competition of the system, giving clubs a formal T20 competition property within the wider ecosystem.
How the Structure Is Played
Eight visible competition formats across one connected system.
National League (T20)
The professional format of the system, designed for premium presentation, city identity, fan growth, and national visibility.
National Championship (First-Class)
The long-form domestic format built for red-ball performance, endurance, technique, and deeper competitive standards.
National Championship (One-Day)
The 50-over domestic format that tests tempo control, squad depth, and white-ball decision-making inside the national performance pathway.
National Championship (T20)
The fast-format domestic competition that adds urgency, tactical pressure, and a short-format benchmark to regional championship play.
College Cup (T20)
Organized in T20 to maximize campus adoption, scheduling efficiency, visibility, and accessibility.
School Shield (T20)
Structured in T20 to make school cricket more practical, scalable, and easier to stage across educational calendars.
Academy League (T20)
The development competition format of the system, structured across age groups to connect player progression, match exposure, and long-term development.
Community League (T20)
The broad participation competition of the system, open to clubs across the ecosystem and structured for either knockout or round-robin play based on total entries.
The Role of National Championship
Domestic regional competition and a multi-format performance pathway.
The domestic proving ground
National Championship is the domestic competition platform of the Home of American Cricket™. It is where regions compete in First-Class, One-Day, and T20 formats, giving the national game the depth and structure required for long-term legitimacy.
A stepping stone to the highest level
National Championship is designed as the core multi-format performance environment for serious player evaluation, strengthening the domestic game while serving as a credible stepping stone toward higher representative opportunity.
- Red-ball performance through First-Class cricket
- White-ball depth through One-Day cricket
- Fast-format execution through T20 cricket
- Broader regional player benchmarking across the national system
The Role of the Development Platforms
Institutional access, player growth, and broad participation.
Academy League
Academy League gives the development side of the structure a formal competitive environment. It is organized in T20 and structured across multiple age groups to support progression, readiness, and long-term player growth.
Community League
Community League widens access across the playing ecosystem by giving clubs a formal T20 competition property within the broader structure.
- Open to clubs within the ecosystem
- Knockout format when entries reach 32 or more
- Round-robin structure when entries are below 32
- Built for broad participation without weakening the top-tier platforms
The Competition Map
Two national platforms, four development platforms, and one connected competition structure.
Two national platforms. Four development platforms.
The competition structure is organized in two layers. National League and National Championship define the national layer. College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League define the development layer beneath it.
How the structure is organized
The structure is designed so that the national layer remains commercially and competitively distinct, while the development layer expands access, progression, and match opportunity beneath it.
- National League delivers the premium professional stage
- National Championship builds domestic multi-format depth
- College Cup formalizes the university stage
- School Shield introduces structured cricket early
- Academy League strengthens age-group development
- Community League widens club access and participation
32 Regions
Chicago
Oswego, Illinois
National Conference
North • South • East • West
American Conference
North • South • East • West
North Division
- Region 1
Chicago - Region 2
Franchise Opportunity - Region 3
Franchise Opportunity - Region 4
Franchise Opportunity
South Division
- Region 5
Franchise Opportunity - Region 6
Franchise Opportunity - Region 7
Franchise Opportunity - Region 8
Franchise Opportunity
East Division
- Region 9
Franchise Opportunity - Region 10
Franchise Opportunity - Region 11
Franchise Opportunity - Region 12
Franchise Opportunity
West Division
- Region 13
Franchise Opportunity - Region 14
Franchise Opportunity - Region 15
Franchise Opportunity - Region 16
Franchise Opportunity
North Division
- Region 17
Franchise Opportunity - Region 18
Franchise Opportunity - Region 19
Franchise Opportunity - Region 20
Franchise Opportunity
South Division
- Region 21
Franchise Opportunity - Region 22
Franchise Opportunity - Region 23
Franchise Opportunity - Region 24
Franchise Opportunity
East Division
- Region 25
Franchise Opportunity - Region 26
Franchise Opportunity - Region 27
Franchise Opportunity - Region 28
Franchise Opportunity
West Division
- Region 29
Franchise Opportunity - Region 30
Franchise Opportunity - Region 31
Franchise Opportunity - Region 32
Franchise Opportunity
Explore a Region. Build a Franchise.
Why This Structure Matters
Clarity, progression, and competitive integrity across the competition system.
It creates clarity
Two national competition platforms and four development platforms are easier to understand, govern, present, and commercialize than a crowded list of disconnected events.
It strengthens progression
Schools, colleges, academy levels, clubs, domestic regions, and the professional game all sit in a more coherent order, giving the public a visible sense of how the structure advances.
It protects the national layer
National League remains commercially clean and easy to follow, while National Championship carries the broader multi-format weight of the domestic system.
It widens the ecosystem
College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League ensure that institutional play, development, and participation have visible homes beneath the national layer.
League Structure FAQ
Quick answers about how the competition structure is organized.
How is the competition structure organized?
The structure is organized through two national competition platforms — National League and National Championship — and four development competition platforms — College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League.
Why are there eight visible competition formats?
Because the two national platforms and four development platforms together produce eight visible competition formats across the competition structure.
Is National League multi-format?
No. National League is currently presented as the flagship professional T20 competition.
Which platform is multi-format?
National Championship is the multi-format domestic platform, operating in First-Class, One-Day, and T20 cricket.
Why are College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League all T20?
T20 is the most accessible and scalable format for institutional, developmental, and broad participation competition, making adoption, scheduling, and visibility more practical.
What is the difference between National League and National Championship?
National League is the professional franchise-led competition platform. National Championship is the domestic regional multi-format platform.
Explore the Competition Structure
Begin with any level. The structure stays connected.
Begin with any level. The structure stays connected.
The Home of American Cricket™ is built so that each competition has a clear role within one connected structure. National League and National Championship define the national layer, while College Cup, School Shield, Academy League, and Community League complete the development layer beneath them.