On the field they've been well run pretty much since day 1. Getting a legit financial backer and getting a stadium downtown where they wanted it is a good thing.
Wasn't expecting this: https://www.givemesport.com/usl-championships-memphis-to-transfer-rights-to-santa-barbara-sources/ Memphis 901 franchise rights transferred to Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Sky will begin play in the Championship in 2026 instead of League One in 2025.
Interesting. I know Memphis had been striking out on finding a place to build their own stadium, but they still seemed really well run.
I thought you posted just last year that SB was already supposed to get a League One team this year? Aug 29, 2023 Is it the same group?
This both not good and weird news. Losing a large city franchise like Memphis is not good for the league. Santa Barbara was to go USL-1, moved from a poor stadium (turf) to a good stadium (grass), but we have heard very little else about them. Now they want to jump to USL-C ? They now will need more than an average USL-1 attendance to at least an average USL-C to make this work. At least they have 4 other California rivals to keep some of the travel down- Oakland, Sacramento, Monterey Bay and Orange County and you could make the argument that Phoenix and Vegas not far either- 1+ hour or so by plane-- quite a bit more by bus. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
The pure USL is all about real estate development. Second paragraph on their about page: In 2016, more than $100 million were invested league-wide into stadium infrastructure to create venues that deliver an unforgettable fan and competitor experience. Meanwhile the 901 owners can focus on Dagenham and Redbridge.
Yep. Memphis ownership had a plan to demolish the old Mid-South Coliseum (closed in 2006) and build an 8k stadium on the site, that was going to open for the 2025 season, but that got blocked and they didn't gain traction anywhere else.
------------- Not sure who/what blocked that deal, but trading one stadium for another (Like LAFC did) should have been a no brainer. Memphis should be looking for anyway to get people to come their city. Seems like a blown chance and now doubtful anyone will be back putting a team in Memphis for a long time unless a stadium is done before hand. Sad.
I don't think there was ever a deal. As far as I can tell the club wanted a downtown stadium as part of a taxpayer funded redevelopment, the city said we already have a downtown stadium thank you, good luck in Santa Barbara.
Central Valley and Northern Colorado are out, and Lexington is moving up to the Championship. AV Alta (Lancaster, CA), FC Naples, Portland (ME), Texoma, and Westchester are coming in. That should give us a 14 team league with 3 more teams expected for the 2026 season (Boise, Corpus Christi, Eugene).
I would have hoped that a short term solution could be found for Hailstorm and Fuego, at least for a year, as the league needs more teams but they seem mighty strict. So those teams have the option of the dying NISA, the Peter Wilt Vaporware League, MLS NP or dropping to the amateurs.
Fuego was always a mess. Just delusional owners that thought the city was going to let them build a stadium on prime land at a significant discount. Not sure what happened with Northern Colorado's ownership other than filing for bankruptcy. They actually got their stadium built, put a good team on the field and saw an increase in attendance. It's surprising that nobody stepped in to buy the rights to that one.
If they filed for bankruptcy, that likely means vendors with unpaid bills and a lot of burned bridges, so it may be better to let the team die and then there is the opportunity for a new team to start without the baggage.
USL League One boots out Northern Colorado Hailstorm Apparently the club had sued the league yesterday for not paying the $100k prize for winning the inaugural league cup.
-------- Oh yes, more lower league turmoil. Along with issues in USL-C in Milwaukee, Des Moines, OKC , my concerns with USL are increasing. Maybe is why MLS also needs to sit on 30 for a bit. Just seems we been getting team announcements left and right. Thought the vetting process was suppose to be better and this should not be happening as much.
Do you remember the 90s? At all? USL-1 has the most turmoil (which makes sense, the third division is always a challenge). Memphis' deal was a stadium, pure and simple. You can't go on without a solution anymore. Has nothing to do with vetting the ownership group. If anything, it's allowing someone in without a stadium, but that's been going on forever. RTFL. Memphis' franchise rights in USL-C have been transferred to the organization that was to join USL-1 next year. Instead, they will join USL-C in 2026 instead. Yes, it's the same organization. Holy cow. You wouldn't put a USL-1 AND a USL-C team in Santa Barbara. Hardly the first time this has happened. The Charlotte Eagles sold their USL Pro rights in 2014 and then resurfaced in the amateur ranks, and the Tennessee Rhythm sold theirs to Virginia Beach in 2001 and then resurfaced in the PDL as the reborn Nashville Metros. It's just a way of getting a franchise that would otherwise have been folded.
Ok now I know a bit more. One of the developers of Future Legends Field filed for Chapter 11. The filing was signed by Jeff Katofsky, who is listed on the filing as a managing member of Future Legends 5 LLC and is a co-founder of the project. Money owed includes: $4 million lien by Pinnacle Electric of Windsor. That claim is being disputed. $3.6 million lien by Jaco General Contractor Inc. of Littleton. That claim is being disputed. $775,000 by Unique Funding Solutions Inc. of Hollywood, Calif. That claim is being disputed. $450,000 by Sports Court of the Rockies of Littleton. That claim is being disputed. $76,000 by town of Windsor for water and sewer services. $76,000 by Harmony Suites (Fort Collins) doing business as Cambria Suites $16,613.25 by High Plains Steel Services of Windsor My question is whether it's the club or one of the stadium developers that's gone into C11.
============= Been going to soccer since the 70's, so have seen it all in every alphabet soup league we have ever had. All I am saying is I thought the vetting process was suppose to be better now then back then when anyone with a pulse and a checkbook got a team. And yes, a stadium should be in the vetting process. Heck look at how long some MLS teams have been dealing with stadium issues, which now that NYCFC and MIA are on the way, its better.
Off the top of my head, I came up with these leagues…. ASL NASL MISL (indoor) USL (1984–85) WSA AISA (indoor) NPSL (indoor) SISL (indoor) SWISL (indoor) SOSL USISL USL D3 Pro PDL NPSL2 WSL ASL 2 LSSA (Lone Star Soccer Alliance) MSL (indoor) WSL APSL A League MLS CISL (indoor) MISL 2 (indoor) USSF Division 2 (2010) NASL 2 I'm sure there were others but from the 1970's-2010's , these are all I can think of....
My understanding is that they didn't get their stadium built. The main stadium at Windsor (TicketSocket Park) is a part built concrete shell that hasn't progressed in 9 months and is not close to being finished. The Hailstorm were playing on what was intended to be a practice field for both baseball and soccer with no permanent facilities at all apart from a small section of bleachers in one corner. The team had brought in limited additional temporary bleachers but there is no way the facility met the minimum standards for League One. While it is true that attendance was up, it was still short of 2,000 a game. There is no way that brings in anywhere near enough revenue to pay a professional soccer team and the lack of facilities meant little or no additional revenue on game day. The fact that owners construction company filed for bankruptcy means there is relatively little prospect of the stadium being completed. It would also appear they were unable to pay their players. USL might not be perfect, but it was probably the right call to kick the club out. Hard as that is for the supporters.
Interesting. League One pays so little that 2,000 a game seems like it is enough for a 2nd year franchise if the owner has the appropriate money put down for the team. The D3 standards are 1,000 seat stadium, $250k bond, and primary owner with a net worth of $10 million. That's not much to ask.