Your complete guide to the first-ever professional cheerleading league, covering teams, matches, schedules, and what it means for athletes and the sport.
Quick Overview
- The Pro Cheer League (PCL) is the first-ever paid professional competition league for cheerleaders (ages 18+).
- The first season kicks off January 2026 with five matches across major U.S. cities.
- It features four professional teams, each with 24 athletes, managed by top allstar coaches.
- Athletes receive training, part-time pay, prizes, and sponsorship opportunities.
- This guide is your one-stop reference – updated as new info becomes available.
Summary
The Pro Cheer League is a brand-new professional cheerleading league launched by Varsity Spirit. It offers athletes a chance to extend their careers beyond traditional allstar and college programs.
Matches are head-to-head events with quarters showcasing stunts, pyramids, tumbling, and full choreographed routines. The league currently features four teams based in major cities, with plans for expansion.
This league marks a historic shift for cheer, providing professional opportunities, visibility, and new fan engagement.
The Full Breakdown
In June 2025, the brand-new Pro Cheer League was officially announced, following teasers about a coming professional league. This marks the beginning of a new era for the sport in 2026, and it is going to be very interesting.
What Is the Pro Cheer League?
In short, the Pro Cheer League (PCL) is the first-ever paid, professional competition league for cheerleaders.
It is open to athletes aged 18 and older and provides a pathway for cheerleaders to extend their careers beyond traditional allstar and scholastic programs. The league allows athletes to perform professionally and get paid for their skills and experience.
Athletes will reportedly receive training, part-time compensation, travel and lodging, uniforms, bonuses, and prize incentives. (More on compensation below.) The league is owned and operated by Varsity Spirit and has its own governing body.
How Will Pro Cheer League Competitions Work?
Matches Overview
Pro League teams will not compete in the same way as traditional allstar teams. Instead, competitions will take place as “matches”, with each match consisting of different quarters.
Matches are a one-day event (no two-day format like typical allstar competitions).
Five matches are scheduled for this first season, with the start in January 2026. These five matches are standalone Pro League events, but held alongside major cheer events.
2026 Pro Cheer League Match Schedule:
- Weekend of January 16: Indianapolis, Indiana (JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals)
- Weekend of February 13: Atlanta, Georgia (CHEERSPORT National All Star Cheerleading Championship)
- Weekend of February 27: Houston, Texas (NCA All-Star Nationals)
- Weekend of March 13: Anaheim, California (USA All Star Super Nationals)
- Weekend of March 27: Nashville, Tennessee (One Up Grand Nationals)
Rounds Breakdown
Each match consists of four quarters, rather than a single full routine as in traditional allstar competitions.
- Quarters consist of teams competing head-to-head in brackets, showcasing stunts, baskets, pyramids, and tumbling as standalone skills (not full routines).
- Teams will also perform a full choreographed routine set to music, similar to a standard allstar routine. These routines are expected to be between 2–3 minutes long.
The First Four Pro Cheer Teams
The inaugural PCL season will feature four teams based in major cheerleading cities.
Each team includes 24 athletes, comparable to a Medium Senior team in allstar cheerleading. The team names are:
- 🤘 Miami Metal
- 🏎 Dallas Drive
- ✨ Golden State Grit
- 🪽 Atlanta Air
Team Managers, Coaches, and Practice Facilities
Each team will be led by notable team managers and coaches, familiar to many from the allstar cheerleading world.
Teams will practice at established allstar gyms, but have their own unique PCL branding, uniforms, colors, logos, and more. The Pro teams do not represent the allstar gym they practice out of.
Practice schedules and frequency will be confirmed later on.
Miami Metal
- Team managers: Kristen Rosario (Top Gun Allstars co-founder and co-owner) & Victor Rosario (Top Gun Allstars co-founder)
- Coaches: Jose Gonzalez & Greg Ghazal
- Practice facility: Top Gun All Stars Miami
Dallas Drive
- Team managers: Brad Habermel (Cheer Athletics Co-owner), Angels Rogers (Cheer Athletics Co-founder and Co-owner) & Jody Melton (Cheer Athletics Co-founder and Co-owner)
- Coaches: Tucker Hunter & Aiden Garcia
- Practice facility: Cheer Athletics Plano
Golden State Grit
- Team managers: Tannaz Kirichkow (California All Stars owner)
- Coaches: Didi Madsen & Brandon Madsen
- Practice facility: The California All Stars
Atlanta Air
- Team managers: Casey Jones (Stingray Allstars owner) & Roger Schonder (Stingray Allstars co-founder)
- Coaches: Haley Marr & Paige Colon
- Practice facility: The Stingray Allstars Marietta
Team Rosters: Meet the First-Ever Professional Cheerleaders
Tryouts for the inaugural season have been completed, and the official team rosters are now live:
Miami Metal
Gabi Butler, Javon Kendrick, Kollin Cockrell, Liam Potolsky, Taylor Shapiro… See full roster on Pro Cheer Fan Zone →
Dallas Drive
Maddy Brum, Kobe Williams, Tatiyahna Davis, Aaron Rodriguez… See full roster on Pro Cheer Fan Zone →
Golden State Grit
Tessa Grim, Alejandro Guerrero, Ashlie Modabber, Gia Gangitano… See full roster on Pro Cheer Fan Zone →
Atlanta Air
Angel Rice, Journey Norris, Aaron Goley, Devonte Joseph, Will Beausoleil… See full roster on Pro Cheer Fan Zone →
Additional potential details like team captains and other specific team roles to come.
Behind the Scenes of Tryouts
A four-part series is available to watch for free on the official league website, offering an inside look at the team introductions and tryout process.
Athlete Salary and Compensation
According to Varsity Spirit, athletes will be fairly compensated for their participation, talent, time and dedication. Official figures have not been released. Bonuses and prize incentives will also reportedly be available based on performance.
Because it is brand new, the Pro Cheer League isn’t guaranteed to provide a full-time income for athletes. The long-term vision is to build a more sustainable professional career path for cheer athletes.
Athletes are allowed to secure individual sponsorships, provided they are approved by the league and align with PCL guidelines. That means athletes can leverage their official Pro status to potentially earn more, through things like brand partnerships in addition to the league compensation.
In terms of the league pay, the Pro athletes will be considered part-time employees of Varsity Spirit.
Can Athletes Still Compete in Allstar or College Cheer?
Yes. Athletes can participate in the Pro Cheer League while also remaining on allstar or college teams, provided they fulfill all scheduling, practice, and event commitments.
Rules and Scoring System
The Pro Cheer League does not use the traditional allstar level system (see our level 1-7 guide here). Instead, all four teams compete against each other using the match and round structure as previously explained.
Skill legality and score sheet details have not yet been released. It remains to be seen whether skills that are not allowed in allstar divisions (such as triple fulls or double back tucks) will be allowed on Pro teams.
The specific PCL scoring system will be shared closer to the start of the season.
Will the Pro Cheer Matches Be Livestreamed?
Paramount has officially acquired global distribution rights to the Pro Cheer League. The deal, announced by Paramount Sports Entertainment and Varsity Spirit, will bring live PCL events and related content to major broadcasters and streaming platforms in the U.S. and internationally.
Future Plans
According to Varsity Spirit, plans for strategic expansion extend beyond the initial launch cities, with a goal of scaling the league nationally as quickly as interest allows, while prioritizing the strongest, most successful first season possible.
Fans have also suggested something like a Minor league to develop future pro athletes.
No official announcements have been made yet, but the league has expressed interest in evaluating all options for long-term growth.
📣 Stay Updated!
For the latest Pro Cheer news, match recaps, and updates, join our Pro Cheer League Fan Newsletter and check out our dedicated PCL Fan Zone site. Don’t miss a moment of the first-ever professional cheer season!