Fort Lauderdale United FC is an American professional women's soccer club based in Broward County, Florida, that competes in the USL Super League (USLS).[1] The team will play its home matches at a new soccer-specific stadium being constructed at Nova Southeastern University.
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| Founded | November 21, 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Beyond Bancard Field at NSU | |||
| CEO | Tommy Smith | |||
| Head Coach | Tyrone Mears | |||
| League | USL Super League | |||
| Website | https://www.ftlutd.com/ | |||
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The club is principally owned by Tommy Smith, who serves as chair and CEO.
History
editOn November 21, 2023, the USL Super League announced that it had awarded a franchise to Fort Lauderdale, making it the first professional women's soccer team in South Florida.[2]
On January 25, 2024, former Premier League superstar Tyrone Mears was announced as the team's first head coach.[3] On May 14, 2024, Felicia Knox was revealed as the team's first ever signing after being drafted by Angel City FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft.[4] One day later, the club welcomed defender Laveni Vaka who made history as Tonga's first female professional soccer player.[5] On June 26, 2024, the club announced its full coaching staff, with Alissa Rogers as Associate Head Coach and former Fort Lauderdale Strikers star Aly Hassan as Director of Recruitment.[6]
Stadium
editIn November 2024, the team's home stadium at Nova Southeastern University on the site of the former Miami Dolphins training facility was rebranded from NSU Soccer Field to Beyond Bancard Field.[7][8][9] The $7 million project, which seats nearly 7,000 fans, is the result of a multi-year exclusive naming-rights agreement between FTL UTD and Beyond Bancard, a provider of payment-processing solutions.[9][10] [11]
Included in the agreement are exclusive stadium-wide Beyond Bancard branding and a new stadium logo featured on all signage and LED boards. Beyond Bancard also acts as the team’s presenting sponsor for weekly kids’ soccer clinics and participates in giveaways, content series, and exclusive email offers for FTL UTD fans.[9]
Identity
editThe name and crest were unveiled on February 29, 2024.[7] The Fort Lauderdale United FC crest features the initials FTL prominently displayed, meant to intertwine like the canals of the city. The “glint” represents the vibrant sun bouncing off the waters the region is known for. The club’s colors represent Fort Lauderdale’s world-renowned beaches and shallow waters, with seafoam green contrasting the ocean blue.
Fort Lauderdale United FC is abbreviated to FTL UTD for short.
Players and staff
editCurrent roster
editAs of November 11, 2024* Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
editAs of October 24, 2024*
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Chairman & founder | Tommy Smith |
| CEO | Tommy Smith |
| Technical staff | |
| Head Coach | Tyrone Mears |
| Associate Head Coach | Ali Rogers |
| VP of Team Operations & Player Affairs | |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Kiara Giles |
| Equipment Manager | Keneil Gibbs |
| Performance Coach | Jeff Duarte |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Aaron Ingham |
Records
editYear-by-year
edit| Season | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Avg. attendance | Top Goalscorer | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Name(s) | Goals | ||||
| 2024–25 | USLS | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4th | — | — |  Addie McCain
|
5 |
Head coaching record
edit- As of September 13, 2024
Only competitive matches are counted.*
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrone Mears |  England
|
January 25, 2024 | present | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 62.50 |
References
edit- ^ "USL Super League adds team in Fort Lauderdale for inaugural 2024-25 season". equalizersoccer.com. The Equalizer. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "USL Super League awards franchise to Fort Lauderdale". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Super League Fort Lauderdale Appoints Tyrone Mears as Club's First Head Coach". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC announces first player, Felicia Knox". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC makes history signing Tonga's first female professional soccer player, Laveni Vaka". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC rounds out its coaching staff with dynamic Associate Head Coach and Head of Recruitment Appointments". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b "FORT LAUDERDALE UNITED FC, ANNOUNCES NAME AND CREST". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University to be Home to Super League Fort Lauderdale Women's Professional Soccer Team". news.nova.edu. Nova Southeastern University. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Fort Lauderdale United FC & Beyond Bancard Strike Multi-Year Seven Figure Naming Rights Deal". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University stadium to host new pro soccer team, undergo $7M renovation". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "About Beyond Bancard". Retrieved 9 November 2024.
External links
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