Warriors' minority owner announces new pro SF soccer team, stadium intentions

Share

New details are emerging about SFFC 2019 as the professional soccer boom in the Bay Area continues. 

San Francisco FC, a prospective new Division II soccer team fronted by the founder of Zappos.com Nick Swinmurn, announced their intention to build a new 6,000 seat stadium just south of San Francisco International Airport. The report, out of the San Francisco Chronicle, says SFFC has applied to the United Soccer League and plans to start playing in the spring of 2019, if approved. 

Swinmurn already owns Burlingame Dragons FC -- a Division IV team that plays in the Premier Development League that recently completed its third season. 

SFFC annoucement comes at the heels of the San Francisco Deltas' first season. The Deltas, who finished second during the NASL's latest season, played their inaugural season at Kezar Stadium -- with a capacity for 10,000, the Deltas finished eighth (out of eight) in attendance with an average of 4,502 fans per game and a total of 288,132 attendees, this according to numbers accumulated by SoccerStadiumdigest.com

SFFC will face stiff competition in a crowded Bay Area soccer landscape. Along with the Deltas and Dragons, San Francisco FC will have to compete against San Francisco City FC, another PDL team, and or course, the San Jose Earthquakes, who are in the middle of their most successful season since building Avaya Stadium. 

According to the Chronicle, the new stadium would cost SFFC $3 million. The site is located in Burlingame, near its Bayside Park. Swinmurn, and team president Jordan Gardner, are also looking at other sites in San Francisco. 

“Our ambitions are big. But big doesn’t always mean going to the biggest league you can find," Swinmurn told the Chronicle. "It means creating the best soccer experience that appeals to all kinds of fans. You have to assume that bigger is not always better.”

Swinmurn is also a part of the Golden State Warriors minority ownership group and owns several businesses through his entrepreneurial hub, Lucha Ventures. 

The USL has 30 teams now with plans to expands to as many as 42 in the very near future. 

Contact Us