apparently NYRB will now have some MLS company in this growing league... http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/d-c-united-u-23-academy-team-set-to-compete-in-the-npsl-in-2013/
doubt that this helps you much...but apparently they do have a facebook page and a website...schedule for their NPSL season to be released on 3/1 https://www.facebook.com/FederalCity http://www.federalcityfc.com/schedule
I don't get it all... the partnership regards only players correct? Where is DC U23 gonna play? RFK reserve fields? Soccerplex? Or in NOVA, on the field of this Fed City?
why not just call them DC United U-23, DC United B, or something similar? keep the branding.. expand image, yadda yadda.
That is what they're calling it, I think. Federal City is what the club was called before. Fromt he Facebook page:
ah, i didnt do any research at all or look at anything outside of this thread, but i was under the impression they were using the other name. good.
So it look like they're going to play in NoVa, then... Probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere if you don't drive... shame, I was hoping to go see a game or two...
we've gone to several DC u16 and u18 maches last year, it's just hard for people not on facebook to notice
I think it was kind of confusing, the club had just started up, was going to be called Federal City FC, then the opportunity with DC United came up, and they went that way instead.
AHAHAH, what a pain the ass you are... When the NSPL schedule comes out I'll use my wife Spybook account and see what happens...
Do we know where they play their games? If it really is out here in the Va suburbs I just might go to one (or more).
D.C. United @dcunited Federal City FC & #DCU Academy to host press event tomorrow at 5:00 PM at the George Mason Inn in Fairfax. http://ow.ly/i/1GWna
Hey guys. Yeah, I went to the D.C. United U23s press conference. Actually, before that, I had been pestering their President about all the stuff you guys have been curious about, and, in the process, I'm now in charge of putting together a supporter group for the club. Personally, I would have liked them to stick with Federal City FC, but they will be presenting themselves as D.C. United U23s and playing in United kits. They still haven't nailed down where they'll be playing (which is a bit late in the game if you look at how far along all the other new NPSL clubs like RVA FC and Zanesville Athletic), but it will most likely be a high school smack-dab in the middle of Fairfax. From meeting the guys and seeing their efforts, it would appear that they live, eat, and breath soccer development and competition but don't sweat much else related to the club. So, I'm assuming most of the responsibilities of filling the stadium with fans and excitement will fall on my shoulders. For me, it will be an exciting opportunity to gain exposure for the NPSL and maybe have a little rising tide on the rest of the pyramid. Although I'm a District Ultra and most who venture out to Fairfax will be United fans, I don't want to use the connection with the club as a crutch and hope to create something unique for what I will refer to as Federal City FC. For the supporter group, I think I'm going with the name "Illuminati Comitati", and, now that I have a more specific idea where the FO's heads are at, I'll be making announcements and setting up a (sigh) Facebook page in the coming week or two. At the very least, it can't be as big a debacle as what they're trying to put together in Ashburn. Anyway, it doesn't matter the league, if we show up loud and proud we can make something special. If you pay attention to the NPSL, there are some exciting things going on like the Rust Belt Derby and the expansion into the deeper South, and we could have some exciting rivalries with the two Richmond clubs (and you can't beat a fan road trip to Myrtle Beach)...
When you say they haven't 'nailed down' where they'll be playing, does that mean they've narrowed it down to a few locations? I mean, it's been so long since I've been to those fields, they used to be tore up grass, just awful, all of them, but I'm guessing there's turf now? Make it Marshall, please, I'll drag the grill over.
Um, well, I'm assuming finalizing the partnership with United delayed the venue considerations a bit, so, at the moment, "nailed down" only means "some high school somewhere in Fairfax". Obviously, where to show up is probably one of the more important bits of information for a supporter to have (no? really?!? ;-) ), so I'll keep on top of that and make sure the announcement gets out as fast as possible. I'm a Rockville-expat in Alexandria, so if you have more familiarity with the possible venues in Fairfax, feel free to give your suggestions to the U23 FO. And hopefully, there would be some adjacent field, parking lot, pub, etc. where we could tailgate and the lushes amongst us can have their fill come game time. I'm glad you mention the lack of quality of the fields. I would think that, when they do determine their venue, United will ensure that the grounds are ideal for their prospects. Otherwise, as a D4 supporter group, it would be our responsibility to provide resources the club lacks as we'll probably have a better fundraising mechanism... I'm gonna launch the Facebook page tonight or tomorrow (I'll give the link here). I've been communicating with a guy who does some kickass designs for the Northern Guard, and I'm hoping to very soon have a contest where people can select one out of a possible sample set of three or four logos. I'm also trying to arrange with FCFC the possibility of giving away a jersey autographed by Jaime Moreno to a randomly selected voter, so look out for that in a week or so. Once I have a gauge of the interest, I'll set up a meeting for people who want to be actively involved in the short or long run. As the NPSL season is a blip in the summer, my hope is that the group can be a broader soccer-cultural movement that sustains itself throughout the year with events that will provide the members with some good times and outlets for their talents (3v3 tournaments, concerts, art displays, etc.). We had a pub up in Rockville that had two indoor soccer fields and a massive screen TV. It would be cool if something like that existed in Fairfax as a "headquarter". One of y'all would probably know better than me. So, that's there we're at; "we" being used in the royal sense...
PDL and NPSL clubs are typically run on shoe-strings and new clubs have a ton of work and organization to get up and going....
Yup, that is definitely the reality, and that is where I hope the supporter group can play a role with its members and resources. Instead of sitting on our hands and wishing there were this ideal set-up or that quality set-up in our area, we hope to influence things so that we can have the set-up we want and deserve. And if it works in Fairfax, we hope to export the model to the rest of the division until we;ve created a special fan culture in the Mid-Atlantic. Fortunately, it will depend on effort and commitment as much as resources and financing. Personally, I'm putting everything else on hold to dedicate myself to making this work, but I feel some optimism from what has been achieved already in the more ambitious D4 communities...
Here's the link to the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/IlluminatiComitati/. Right now (I just put it up), there's only two measly members. Let's see how many we can get in the next few days. Be sure to invite all your friends who might want to be a part. I promise to move this thing quickly and not flounder about like whatever is doing in Loudon (I was gonna trash talk that they plateaued at 80 members, but it looks like they lost one). If you're a designer or artistic type, contact me because there's a lot of things we can put together in the immediate to start introducing ourselves to the public...