Nashville FC
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| Full name | Nashville Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Stadium |
Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| Capacity | 40,550 | ||
| President | Chris Jones | ||
| Coach | Kyle Roelke | ||
| League |
NPSL - South Region Southeast Conference | ||
| 2015 |
4th, Southeast Division Playoffs: Eliminated | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Nashville Football Club is a soccer organization based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2013, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division.
History
The team was founded by two separate groups, Nashville Atlas FC, an ownership group, and a supporters group that intended to form a team as a fan owned group. Club president Chris Jones cited existing fan-owned clubs as inspiration for NFC's foundation, in particular English club F.C. United of Manchester.[1] In February 2014, the two groups merged to form a single club for the 2014 NPSL season. The club has two teams currently participating in the Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance, Nashville’s largest competitive adult league, and has already partnered with the TN State Soccer Association (TSSA), an organization with over 20,000 registered players in the middle Tennessee area alone.[2]
On May 24, 2014, Nashville FC held its first ever home match at Vanderbilt Stadium, defeating the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves 3-1 in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans.[3]
After a maiden season in which fourth place in the Southeastern Conference garnered the club a playoff spot, Nashville was eliminated at the Conference Semifinal stage by Chattanooga FC, who finished top of the Conference and went on to lose in the Championship match. The club has ambitions of climbing the American Soccer Pyramid, with the reported target an entry into the third-tier United Soccer League by 2017,[4] and then ascension into the Division II North American Soccer League by 2020.[1]
Stadium
Nashville FC have played at Vanderbilt Stadium beginning in 2015 after quickly outgrowing the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex in their inaugural season.[5]
However, since the Triple-A baseball outfit Nashville Sounds announced plans for a move to a new ballpark, leaving the Herschel Greer Stadium complex vacant, NFC stated their aim to "reconfigure" the former ballpark facility for soccer use, following the previous example of the Portland Timbers' renovation of Providence Park.[6]
Current Roster
[7] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club identity
Supporters
Nashville's primary supporter groups are the NFC Roadies and the Yellow Hammer.
Rivalry
Nashville's main rivals are fellow Tennessee club Chattanooga FC, based 135 miles away.<ref name "MLS 2013">Edwards, Andy (September 24, 2013). "Nashville FC: 100 percent supporter-owned, now accepting founding memberships". mlssoccer.com (Major League Soccer). Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2015.</ref>
In addition, the four Tennessee clubs in the NPSL (Chattanooga FC, Knoxville Force, Memphis City FC, and Nashville FC) compete for a rivalry trophy called the "Volunteer Shield". The Volunteer Shield is presented at the end of the season to the supporters of the club that took the most points in games against one another, with a medallion added to the trophy commemorating the year.[8]
Colors and crest
The club's colors were chosen from the Flag of Nashville, Tennessee.[6] The yellow and white stripe being used on the home jersey as well.
The club's crest is a roundel. The overall shape and formation of the circular "N" along with the small center circle is to represent a spinning record, paying respect to the club's "Music City" heritage. The fleur-di-lis comes from the city seal and represents the original French settlers of Nashville. The divide represents the numerous Civil War battles that took place in the area.[9]
Record
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 | NPSL | 4th, Southeast | Conference Semifinalists | Did Not Enter |
| 2015 | 4 | NPSL | 4th, Southeast | Conference Semifinalists | Did Not Enter |
References
- 1 2 Barker, Matthew (February 25, 2015). "Fan-owned Nashville FC under threat from US franchise: Club ownership model a rarity among US sports teams". wsc.co.uk (When Saturday Comes). Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ↑ "NASHVILLE ATLAS FC JOINS THE NPSL". nationalpremiersoccerleague.com (National Premier Soccer League). Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Boyer, E.J. (May 27, 2014). "Nashville FC soccer club draws crowd in first home opener, eyes Greer Stadium". bizjournals.com (Nashville Business Journal). Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ Itel, Dan (July 29, 2015). "Supporter-owned FC Nashville looking to make jump up soccer pyramid". mlssoccer.com (Major League Soccer). Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Nashville FC to Play Home Games at Vanderbilt Football Stadium". April 9, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- 1 2 Freedman, Jonah (February 14, 2014). "How a group of fans created Nashville FC, a supporter-owned club in Music City". mlssoccer.com (Major League Soccer). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ http://nashvillefc.net/players/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20141218063633/http://theyellowhammer.org/. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://nashvillefc.net/know-your-club/
External links
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