Changes approved in 2017 for high school soccer in the state of Alaska take effect now; with soccer programs maneuvering through regular season schedules, accounting for practice and game field conditions, building to a “new look” conference and state configuration.
Alaska’s soccer landscape, for the first time since 1984, will feature two classifications dividing 31 teams into two divisions based on school enrollment.
Division I soccer includes teams from schools of 851+ in enrollment; divided into two conferences: Cook Inlet & Railbelt.
Division II soccer includes teams from school up to 850 in enrollment; divided into four conferences: Peninsula, Northern Lights, Mid Alaska and Southeast.
ASAA (Alaska School Activities Association) will coordinate two state championship tournaments hosted at Eagle River High School and Service High School, scheduled for May 24-26, 2018. Both tournaments (Division I and Division II) will allow six state qualifiers.
Division I will qualify four teams from the Cook Inlet Conference and two teams from the Railbelt: Division II will qualify two teams from both the Peninsula and Northern Lights and one team each from the Mid Alaska and Southeast.
Peninsula schools including Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, Homer, Seward and Voznesenka make-up the Peninsula Conference and will compete in a conference tournament at the end of the regular season to determine two state qualifiers. The Northern Lights Conference will use regular season records to determine two state qualifiers. Soldotna High School will host the inaugural Peninsula Conference Soccer Tournament on May 17-19.
Divison II Soccer Conferences (number of state berths)
Mid Alaska (1) Northern Lts (2) Peninsula (2) Southeast (1)
Eielson Grace Homer Juneau-Douglas
Hutchison Houston Kenai Ketchikan
Monroe Kodiak Nikiski Sitka
North Pole Palmer Seward Thunder Mt.
Redington Soldotna
Voznesenka
Divison I Soccer Conferences (number of state berths)
Cook Inlet (4) Railbelt (2)
Bartlett Colony
Chugiak Lathrop
Dimond Wasilla
Eagle River West Valley
East Anchorage
Service
South Anchorage
West Anchorage
