AFC Mobile
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = AFC Mobile
| image = AFC Mobile.png
| upright = 0.8
| fullname = Association Football Club Mobile
| nickname = Azaleas, Wanderers
| founded = {{Start date and age|2015|06|15}}
| ground = Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, Mobile, AL
| capacity = 5,000
| owner =
| chrtitle =
| chairman =
| mgrtitle = Head Coach
| manager = Steve Wieczorek
| league = National Premier Soccer League
| current =
| position =
| website = http://www.afcmobile.net
| American = true
}}
AFC Mobile is an American soccer club based in Mobile, Alabama, that formerly competed in the National Premier Soccer League. After a hiatus, the club has returned to the Gulf Coast Premier League for the 2024 season.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile to join Gulf Coast Premier League|url=http://blog.al.com/press-releases/2017/01/afc_mobile_to_join_the_gulf_co_1.html|website=AL.com}}
History
=Founding=
AFC Mobile was founded in 2015 by Mobile and Baldwin County, Alabama, soccer enthusiasts in order to establish a semi-professional soccer team in the City of Mobile.{{cite web|title=Soccer enthusiasts hope to bring new team to Mobile|url=http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/10/soccer_enthusiast_hope_to_brin.html|website=AL.com}} It was announced on January 3, 2017, that AFC Mobile would join the Gulf Coast Premier League for its inaugural Summer Season.{{cite web|title=Gulf Coast Premier League announces summer season; adds 3 new clubs|url=http://www.gcplsoccer.com/gulf-coast-premier-league-announces-summer-season-adds-3-new-clubs/|publisher=Gulf Coast Premier League}} On November 12, 2019, it was announced that AFC Mobile would join the National Premier Soccer League in a newly formed Gulf Coast Conference that featured Mobile, Port City FC, Tallahassee SC, Pensacola FC, and NPSL mainstays the New Orleans Jesters and Jacksonville Armada.{{cite web|title=New Gulf Coast Conference Announced by the NPSL|url=https://www.npsl.com/13524/|publisher=National Premier Soccer League}}
=Inaugural season=
Prior to their debut season, AFC Mobile announced that it would play its inaugural season's home games at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, located in the Bolton neighborhood of Mobile.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile announces Home Field for Inaugural Season|url=http://blog.al.com/press-releases/2017/03/afc_mobile_to_play_2017_home_g.html|website=AL.com}} For its first two years, the team was managed by Nate Nicholas, a former player for the University of Mobile, former back-to-back state championship-winning coach at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, and current varsity men's coach at McGill–Toolen Catholic High School.{{cite web|title=Mobile Finally Has A Soccer Team|url=http://995thejag.iheart.com/onair/mason-1123/mobile-finally-has-a-soccer-team-15678293/|publisher=99.5 The Jag|access-date=2017-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402213511/http://995thejag.iheart.com/onair/mason-1123/mobile-finally-has-a-soccer-team-15678293/|archive-date=2017-04-02|url-status=dead}}
=Changes to coaching staff=
After finishing the 2018 GCPL season, head coach Nate Nicholas stepped down.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile Coach Nate Nicholas Resigns |url=https://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-coach-nate-nicholas-resigns/1676821345 |publisher=WKRG-TV}}
Ultimately, Spring Hill College's men's soccer coach Steve Wieczorek was named as Nicholas's replacement on January 7, 2019.{{cite web
|title=AFC Mobile names Spring Hill College's Steve Wieczorek as new head coach
|url=https://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-names-spring-hill-college-s-steve-wieczorek-as-new-head-coach/1690595816
|publisher=WKRG-TV
}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Rivalries
The club's main rival is Port City FC (formerly Biloxi City FC), who play in Gulfport, Mississippi. The clubs compete for the fan-based Forgotten Coast Cup, which started in 2017 when they were both in the GCPL.
Attendance
For their debut game on May 14, 2017, AFC Mobile more than quadrupled the highest ever attendance for the Gulf Coast Premier League.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile game breaks attendance records|url=http://local15tv.com/news/local/afc-mobile-game-breaks-attendance-records|publisher=WPMI-TV|access-date=2017-05-15|archive-date=2017-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523065729/http://local15tv.com/news/local/afc-mobile-game-breaks-attendance-records|url-status=dead}} In their second home game on June 10, 2017 against Biloxi City FC, AFC Mobile drew 924 to Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium, which topped the league's previous record.{{cite web|title=Late Goal Sinks AFC Mobile In 2-1 Loss to Biloxi City FC|url=https://www.afcmobile.net/2017/06/11/1792/|website=AFC Mobile}} On June 8, 2017, AFC Mobile became the first team in the Gulf Coast Premier League to break 1,000 people in attendance against CD Motagua of New Orleans.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile wraps up home schedule in front of record crowd |publisher=WKRG-TV |url=http://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-wraps-up-home-schedule-in-front-of-record-crowd/867891249}}
During their second season, AFC Mobile would go on to draw over 1,400 fans twice against the Gulf Coast Rangers and Port City FC.{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile Breaks GCPL Attendance Record in 2-0 Loss to Gulf Coast Rangers FC|url=https://www.afcmobile.net/2018/06/11/afc-mobile-breaks-gcpl-attendance-record-in-2-0-loss-to-gulf-coast-rangers-fc/}}
Coaching staff
= Team management =
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;" scope="col" colspan="2"|Coaching Staff |
|---|
| {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Head coach |s= {{flagicon|USA}} Steve Wieczorek }} |
| {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s= {{flagicon|USA}} Brent Grube}} |
| {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s= {{flagicon|ZIM}} Edward Dakwa}} |
| {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s= {{flagicon|CMR}} Desmond Ibie}} |
Year-by-year
| class="wikitable"
!style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Year !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Conference !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|League !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Regular Season !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Playoffs !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Open Cup |
| 2017
|Eastern Conference |GCPL |6th, East |did not qualify |did not enter |
| 2018
|Eastern Conference |GCPL |4th, East |did not qualify |did not enter |
| 2019
|Eastern Conference |GCPL |2nd, East |Quarterfinals |did not enter |
| 2020
|Gulf Coast Conference |NPSL | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic{{cite web |last1=Prince-Wright |first1=Joe |title=2020 NPSL season cancelled |url=https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2020/03/26/2020-npsl-season-cancelled/ |website=ProSoccerTalk |publisher=NBC Sports |access-date=15 June 2020 |date=26 March 2020}} |did not enter |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.afcmobile.net/ Official website]
{{National Premier Soccer League}}
{{Alabama Sports}}
Category:Sports clubs and teams in Mobile, Alabama
Category:2015 establishments in Alabama