I have had the same questions in the past. I have not heard it used in South Carolina much but in Georgia they often compare teams by "Select" rating. For example, the Arsenal may have a U-17 playing S-1 level (in their case it would be a "Blue" or "Gold" named team, and also might have a U-17 playing S-2 level soccer (named a "Green" or maybe even a "White" team). I really don't know how the Select "S" rating is used in South Carolina but in the Georgia leagues the girls would be playing Athena A if they were S-1 level teams and it was typically described as Premier level soccer. Georgia still had their R3PL teams but I don't know if that was 'above' S-1 or not. They tended to rotate in and out of the Athena A level on a year to year basis. Teams playing lower levels Athena B through D were not usually described as Premier. I was often confused when we played SC ball by the differences in Challenge vs Premier, vs Classic. South Carolina seemed to have broader categories than Georgia.
