The Volunteer Shield was a trophy awarded to the primary supporter group of the Tennessean club in the National Premier Soccer League with the best head-to-head record. It was inaugurated in 2015, and awarded retroactively to Chattanooga FC for the best record during the 2014 season. The shield derives its name from the state's nickname, the "Volunteer State," and is made of Tulip Poplar, the official state tree of Tennessee.https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerShield
Teams Originally contested between three teams, at the shield's peak it was contested between four clubs within the NPSL's Southeastern Conference. Chattanooga FC had been the longest standing member of the competition before it left the league following the 2019 season.
As of 2020, only one team in the NPSL (Inter Nashville) is based in the state of Tennessee. +Volunteer Shield TeamsTeam NameFirst seasonNo. of Shield WinsLast NPSL seasonChattanooga FC20145 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)2019 (to NISA)Emerald Force SC20141 (2017)2018 (folded)Inter Nashville FC20170N/AMemphis City FC201602017 (to PDL)Nashville FC201402016 (folded)
Previous results
2014
+ 2014 results summary TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDChattanooga FC 10 4 3 0 1 12 1 +11Nashville FC 7 4 2 1 1 5 2 +2Knoxville Force 0 4 0 4 0 2 15 −13
2015
+ 2015 results summary TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDChattanooga FC 10 4 3 0 1 9 3 +6Nashville FC 6 4 2 2 0 10 7 +3Knoxville Force 1 4 0 3 1 6 15 −9
2016
+ 2016 results summary TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDChattanooga FC 16 6 5 0 1 15 3 +12Memphis City FC 10 6 3 2 1 13 9 +4Knoxville Force 6 6 2 4 0 8 19 −11Nashville FC 3 6 1 5 0 5 10 −5
2017
For 2017, the Southeast Conference was split in two with Knoxville Force competing in the East Division while Chattanooga FC, Memphis City FC, and new team Inter Nashville FC all competed in the West Division. To accommodate for this, the shield organizers divided the four teams into two groups:
Chattanooga vs Inter Nashville Memphis City vs Knoxville Force
The results from the two matches within each group would determine who wins that group. Once the two group winners emerge, the points earned in the two regular season matches the group winners played against one another would determine the overall winner. If those points were tied, or if the two group winners didn’t play in the regular season, the first tiebreaker would be the results of a playoff match between the group winners. If the group winners did not meet in the playoffs, then the overall results stand tied between the group winners and both would be listed a co-champions.
Chattanooga and Knoxville both won their groups on tie-breakers but since neither team played one-another in the regular season, the shield champion would be decided by tie-breaker whether that be a in a playoff match between the two sides or PointPerGame average vs other Tennessee teams. In the first playoff round, which Knoxville had a bye in due to winning the East Division, Chattanooga fell to Nashville, 2-1, meaning the Knoxville Force won the shield based on PPG (1.5 to 1.0).
Group A + 2017 Group A TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDSEC PSEC GDChattanooga FC 3 2 1 1 0 3 3 0 22 +21Inter Nashville FC 3 2 1 1 0 3 3 0 22 +10
Tiebreakers: 1) Goal Diff in the two group matches; 2) Goals Scored in the two group matches; 3) Points earned in Southeast Conference play; 4) Goal Differential in Southeast Conference matches; 5) Coin-flip
Group B + 2017 Group B TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDKnoxville Force 3 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1Memphis City FC 3 2 1 1 0 3 4 -1 Tiebreakers: 1) Goal Diff in the two group matches; 2) Goals Scored in the two group matches; 3) Points earned in Southeast Conference play; 4) Goal Differential in Southeast Conference matches; 5) Coin-flip
Other 2017 matches between Tennessee teams
2018
+ 2018 results summary TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDChattanooga FC 12 4 4 0 0 10 1 +9Inter Nashville FC 6 4 2 2 0 7 7 0Emerald Force SC 0 4 0 4 0 5 14 -9
2019
+ 2019 results summary TeamPtsPldWLDGFGAGDChattanooga FC 6 2 2 0 0 9 1 +8Inter Nashville FC 0 2 0 2 0 1 9 -8
See also Cascadia Cup a three-team rivalry for MLS teams in the Pacific Northwest Southern Derby a multi-team rivalry for soccer clubs in the South Atlantic states
References