The Joplin Demize is proud to announce a rebranding initiative that will bring a new name, logo, and revamped Demosphere website to Missouri’s only NPSL team.

Chris Hanlon will continue to lead the organization as Director of Soccer Operations, while Kaleb Romero joins the front office as General Manager.

Hanlon, the founder of the Springfield Demize in 2004, has been the Director of Soccer Operations and Head Coach of the Joplin Demize since 2013. He also serves as the Director of Coaching at the Springfield Demize Academy and Director of Soccer Operations for the Demize Academy youth program.

“The Demize NPSL will be run as a non-profit soccer organization in an effort to continue the past 13 years of player development in the fourth division of soccer in the U.S. pyramid,” Hanlon commented. “The goal is to expand the club footprint by bringing those fourth division games to multiple markets in Southwest Missouri, while having the team’s base of operations for the 2017 season remain in Joplin.”

Romero is a former Demize youth player who finished as the all-time leader in goals and assists at Nixa High School. He played college soccer at Northeast Oklahoma A&M College and Southwest Baptist University, setting a number of records at the latter. Romero is now very involved in the coaching field, serving as an assistant coach at Evangel University and was the former GA at Southwest Baptist and the assistant coach at Parkview HS men’s and women’s teams. This is in addition to being one of the owners behind the Demize PASL program.

“I am very excited to be a part of the Demize NPSL program,” Romero added. “At the age of 16 the Demize allowed me to develop by competing at the highest level against top collegiate and former professional players in a developing soccer market. I firmly believe that the Demize have been a huge part of speeding up the development of all levels of soccer in Southwest Missouri. For me it was a chance to develop as a player and showcase the hard work I was putting with the Demize academy and be a role model for youth players. I’m living proof of the direct benefits of having the NPSL team in this area.”

Home matches will now be played in Branson, Springfield, and Joplin. Many of the matches will serve as fundraisers for local athletic programs partnering with Branson, Joplin and Parkview high school soccer boosters for the upcoming season.

“I am excited to see the next evolution of the Demize NPSL and the continued support of partners like Sport Shake, partners that allow us to continue to be the only soccer organization that truly develops all levels of soccer from youth to adult with our international club model,” Hanlon continued. “My hope is in 2018 we will be able to partner with other high school soccer programs to host a Demize NPSL game and continue to help fundraise and support their athletic sports programs, bringing the NPSL directly to their community.”

More information about the team can be found at their new website, which can be accessed at www.demizesoccer.com.