Let's talk ab the amateur game in the Carolinas a bit this morning. I was going to write an article about how the plan outlined in @AmateurSoccerUS could look with what is being built by FFL, but I am deciding to thread my thoughts instead. So buckle in...
1/

First lets start with what that pyramid looks like. In the book they list a regional league as tier 4 in the amateur game, but with the addition of @TheNISANation they firmly take the spot right below @NISALeague.
That puts any regional league in tier 5, feeding to Nisa Nation 2/

For a visual reference that covers the top 3 leagues in this chart. The regional league would cover both states. The travel gets a little far at this level, so I'd expect that the regional league would be split into at least two conferences
that meet in a playoff 3/

This proposed Carolinas league would be limited to 10-12 clubs. Winners would earn the chance to play in @TheNISANation and the bottom would be relegated back to the state leagues. 4/

Regional league is only slightly smaller than @TheNISANation's proposed regions, so it would continue to grow the distance a club would be travelling as they rise the pyramid. Estimated drive times by hr:
Local League ~1
State League ~3-4
Regional League ~5+
NISA Nation ~6+

5/

So that is the regional level, what would the state levels look like? The goal would be to break the state leagues down into conferences based on 1) regions of the state and 2) number of clubs in the division.
For FFL we planned to have 2 conferences..

6/

We ended up only recruiting 12 clubs for 2021 and the conference model didn't work out, however I believe splitting clubs into conferences and limiting cross state travel (Asheville to Jacksonville is a HIKE) during the regular season and in the playoffs.
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For NC FFL will be focusing on expanding our footprint west of the Triangle in 2022. We have done a fantastic job recruiting in the eastern portion of the state but the the Triad, CLT, and AVL regions are obviously lacking.
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For SC FFL would first and foremost look for like minded clubs to see if there is interest in mirroring what is being built in NC. We do not want to push into SC without first talking with clubs in the state first.
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An early list of current and former clubs in SC that we would be looking at talking to:
Sparta 20/20
Lobos FC
Soda City FC
Charleston United
Lowcountry United
Hilton Head Wanderers
Myrtle Beach Mutiny
Greenville FC

10/

With a entry level understanding to geography, it seems like SC could be split along the Columbia line creating East and West conferences. The city sits pretty center of the state so travel to Greenville or Charleston is manageable.

11/

As teams come and go within the state leagues the conferences would ebb and flow. Columbia based teams would like swap conferences every few years, same with the Triangle in NC.

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The final piece to this for me is the connection to both @NCAdultSoccer and SCASA and their local leagues. To create a true amateur pyramid we need to connect all levels to create a path for clubs who are interested.
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The difficulty here is that local leagues may see this as a threat to their sustainability as clubs will be moving up instead of staying, decreasing the number of teams year-to-year. What I propose is for all of the leagues to work together promoting each other with the pitch 14/

that we are selling the dream of pro/rel that starts with the local leagues. They are a critical component of developing new clubs at a low barrier of entry.

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So that is my proposal on how @FirstFlight_NC could use the tools that are presented to create a regional model in the Carolinas. Plenty of details would need to be hashed out and there is a lot of buy-in from clubs, leagues, and the state associations.