San Francisco City FC

{{Infobox football club

| nickname = Fierroyoro (The Iron & Gold)

| short name = SF City FC, SFCFC

| stadium = Kezar Stadium

| capacity = 10,000

| coordinates =

| clubname = San Francisco City Football Club

| image = San Francisco City FC Logo.png

| upright = 0.7

| caption =

| fullname = San Francisco City Football Club

| founded = {{start date and age|2001||}}

| dissolved =

| owntitle =

| owner = San Francisco City FC Members Organization
(nonprofit, supporter owned) (51%)

| chrtitle =

| chairman =

| coachtitle =

| coach = Berdi Merdanov

| pattern_la1 =

| pattern_b1 = _goldenvertical

| pattern_c1 =

| pattern_ra1 =

| pattern_sh1 = _yellowsides

| pattern_so1 = _2 gold stripes

| leftarm1 = 212121

| body1 = 212121

| rightarm1 = 212121

| shorts1 = 212121

| socks1 = 212121

| pattern_la2 = _whiteborder

| pattern_b2 = _whitecollar

| pattern_c2 =

| pattern_ra2 = _whiteborder

| pattern_sh2 =

| pattern_so2 =

| leftarm2 = 395270

| body2 = 395270

| rightarm2 = 395270

| shorts2 = C53527

| socks2 = 3D6183

| pattern_la3 = _black_border

| pattern_b3 =

| pattern_ra3 = _black_border

| pattern_sh3 =

| pattern_so3 =

| leftarm3 = DA6532

| body3 = DA6532

| rightarm3 = DA6532

| shorts3 = DA6532

| socks3 = DA6532

| league = USL League Two

| season = 2023

| position = 5th, NorCal Division
Playoffs: DNQ

| website = http://sfcityfc.com/

| American = y

}}

San Francisco City Football Club (SFCFC) is a supporter-owned soccer club in San Francisco, California, that competes in USL League Two.{{cite web|title=SF City FC joins Premier Development League|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/soccer/2016/01/12/sf-city-fc-joins-premier-development-league/|website=SFGate|access-date=January 12, 2016}}

Founded in 2001, SF City plays its home matches at Kezar Stadium.{{cite web|url=http://goalnation.com/sf-city-to-play-in-historic-kezar-stadium-announces-2015-spring-schedule/|title= SF CITY TO PLAY IN HISTORIC KEZAR STADIUM & ANNOUNCES 2015 SPRING SCHEDULE|publisher=Goal Nation|date=March 11, 2015|access-date=March 26, 2015}} The club has also hosted home matches at Boxer Stadium, Negoesco Stadium and Cox Stadium.{{cite web|url=http://goldengatexpress.org/2015/01/27/sf-football-club-us-open-cup/|title=U.S. Open Cup Qualifying comes to Cox Stadium|publisher=Golden Date Express|date=January 27, 2015|access-date=March 26, 2015}}

SF City has qualified in 2016{{cite web|title=San Francisco City, Harpo's FC get byes into 2016 US Open Cup as qualifying final round unveiled|url=http://thecup.us/2016/01/07/san-francisco-city-harpos-fc-get-byes-into-2016-us-open-cup-as-qualifying-final-round-unveiled/|website=TheCup.us|access-date=January 12, 2016}} and 2018 for the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States.

History

San Francisco City Football Club was founded in 2001 by Jonathan Wright. The club entered the San Francisco Soccer Football League beginning with the 2002 season. After a decade in the competition, the club won back-to-back promotions to reach the SFSFL Premier Division in 2012. On the heels of the club's SFSFL success, and with enthusiasm for soccer mounting in the buildup to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, former SF City player and current club president Jacques Pelham began discussions with members of the San Francisco Football Supporters Association and the San Francisco chapter of The American Outlaws about building a grassroots, supporter-owned professional soccer club in the city.{{cite web|title=New Club on the Block: SF City FC!|url=http://www.footysf.com/new-club-on-the-block-sf-city-fc/|website=FootySF|access-date=April 23, 2015}}

The club began offering membership in August 2014, but a bid to join the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the spring 2015 campaign was blocked by San Francisco Stompers FC, who claimed territorial exclusivity in the league. SF City filed a grievance with US Soccer contesting the Stompers' claim. An independent arbiter eventually sided with SF City, but by the time the decision was made the club had already agreed to join US Club Soccer's NorCal Premier Soccer League.{{cite web|last1=Rosano|first1=Nicholas|title=US Open Cup: San Francisco City FC bring supporter-owned soccer to the City by the Bay|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/04/24/us-open-cup-san-francisco-city-fc-bring-supporter-owned-soccer-city-bay|website=MLS Soccer|access-date=April 25, 2015}}

File:San Francisco City FC vs Cal FC Apr 25 2015.JPGIn early 2015, with administration staff in place and membership on the rise, SF City approached dominant NorCal Premier Soccer League side Ticket Arsenal FC about merging its on-pitch talent, which included many former NCAA Division 1 players and some former Major League Soccer prospects, with SF City's organizational and supporter infrastructure. The merger was executed on the eve of the semifinal of the regional US Open Cup qualifying tournament.{{cite web|last1=Ream|first1=Evan|title=Meet The Underdogs: Fan-owned San Francisco City brings US Open Cup, professional aspirations back to city|url=http://thecup.us/meet-the-underdogs-fan-owned-san-francisco-city-brings-us-open-cup-professional-aspirations-back-to-city/|website=The Cup.us|access-date=April 23, 2015}}

The new-look SF City went on to qualify for the opening round of the US Open Cup.{{cite web|url=http://www.centerlinesoccer.com/2015/1/31/7957827/sf-city-fc-usoc-2015-open-cup-qualifying-club-soccer-championship-gabriel-silviera-earthquakes-pdl#4658446|title= SF City FC tops Stanislaus United to earn berth in 2015 U.S. Open Cup|publisher=SB Nation|date=January 31, 2015|access-date=March 26, 2015}} They became the first team from San Francisco to qualify for the competition since the 2007 California Victory, and the first amateur San Francisco side to do so since the reintroduction of professional clubs to the tournament in 1995.{{cite web|last1=Barbeau|first1=Mark|title=Footy SF — Bay Area Soccer Round-up|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/soccer/2015/04/24/footy-sf-bay-area-soccer-round-up/|website=SFGate|access-date=April 24, 2015}} The April 25 play-in match between SF City and Cal FC set a US Open Cup preliminary round attendance record, with 1,519 spectators in the stands of the newly refurbished Kezar Stadium.{{cite web|title="Play In" Round Winners Advance to U.S. Open Cup First round|url=http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/04/25/22/43/150425-usoc-play-in-round-games-recap|website=US Soccer|access-date=April 26, 2015}}

At the start of the 2016 season, SF City made their debut in the USL's Premier Development League. The club won six and drew two of their fourteen matches in that inaugural season, finishing third in the five-team Central Pacific Division.

For 2017, the club realigned to the Southwest Division. Eight wins and one draw put SF City in third place out of nine teams, just missing qualification for the playoffs.

In 2018, the team entered their second US Open Cup following their strong showing the previous season. At Raimondi Park in Oakland, SF City defeated CD Aguiluchos 4–0 to advance to the second round, where they fell to the USL Championship's Sacramento Republic. The PDL season was uneven, as the team finished sixth in the tightly contested Southwest.

In 2019, the PDL was renamed USL League Two and the Southwest Division shrank to eight teams. SF City finished in sixth place for the second consecutive season.

SF City, in conjunction with the rest of the division, canceled their 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|title=SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE 2020 USL LEAGUE TWO SEASON|url=http://sfcityfc.com/blog/2020/4/17/special-announcment-about-the-2020-usl-league-two-season|access-date=2021-02-01|website=SAN FRANCISCO CITY FC|language=en-US}} The club instead supported charitable causes online. In 2021, the League Two campaign was again called off, leading the club to call greater attention to their team in the SFSFL. That team won ten of their eleven matches to finish atop the Majors Division and earn promotion to the Premier Division in 2022.

In 2023, the club announced a kit sponsorship with the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the city's public transit operator.{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Greg |date=October 16, 2023 |title=Iconic Muni logo is coming to this SF soccer jersey |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/muni-logo-comes-to-sf-city-fc-jersey-for-next-two-seasons/article_c9ef15aa-6c5c-11ee-bc84-7f4f8505876f.html |work=San Francisco Examiner |accessdate=October 18, 2023}}

Year-by-year

class="wikitable"

style="text-align:center;"

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Year

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| League

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Division

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Regular Season

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Playoffs

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| US Open Cup

style="text-align:center;"

| 2016

| rowspan="3" | USL PDL

| Central Pacific

| style="text-align:left;" | 3rd, 20pts

| style="text-align:left;" | DNQ

| style="text-align:left;" | Round 1

style="text-align:center;" | 2017

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | Southwest

| 3rd, 25pts

| DNQ

style="text-align:center;" | 2018

| 6th, 16pts

| DNQ

| Round 2

style="text-align:center;" | 2019

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | USL League Two

| 6th, 15pts

| DNQ

style="text-align:center;" | 2020

| rowspan="2" colspan="3" | Did not play due to COVID-19 pandemic

style="text-align:center;" | 2021

style="text-align:center;" | 2022

| 8th, 6pts

| DNQ

style="text-align:center;" | 2023

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Nor Cal

| 5th, 14pts

| DNQ

style="text-align:center;" | 2024

| 5th, 18pts

| DNQ

Ownership and operations

SF City is a 51% supporter-owned club, with members paying annual dues in return for home match season tickets, club merchandise (such as the yearly scarf), and voting rights in club matters,{{cite web|last1=Chang|first1=E.|title=Nascent SF Soccer Club Gains Some Respect, Will Face Off With USF This Weekend|url=http://sfist.com/2015/02/27/remember_last_summer_you_know.php|website=SFist|access-date=April 23, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302022928/http://sfist.com/2015/02/27/remember_last_summer_you_know.php|archive-date=March 2, 2015|df=mdy-all}} including the election of its Members Board of Directors.{{cite web|last1=Black|first1=Alan|title=San Francisco City Football Club|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/soccer/2015/02/16/san-francisco-city-football-club/|website=The Beautiful Blog|access-date=April 23, 2015}} Club president and CEO Jacques Pelham represents club operations on the Executive Board, Joachim Steinberg chairs the Members Board of Directors, and András Petery represents the club's investors.

In 2016, SF City announced a new round of minority investors:{{cite web|last1=Zimmerman|first1=Douglas|title=SF City FC announces new investor group

|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/soccer/2016/01/22/sf-city-fc-announces-new-investor-group/|website=SFGate|access-date=April 30, 2016}}

Alex Bard, CEO at Campaign Monitor, previously EVP at Salesforce
Mitch Lowe, angel investor and advisor, previously co-founder and COO at Redbox
Gary Benitt, General Partner at Social Leverage, previously co-founder and COO at Desk.com
Ethan Kurzweil, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
Scot Chisholm, CEO and co-founder at Classy
Andy Jones, a fifteen-year veteran in the financial services industry
Andrew Housser, co-founder and co-CEO of Freedom Financial Network
András Petery, a mobile tech media executive and investor who led mobile partnerships at Yahoo! and founded Enable Venture Partners{{cite web|title=ANDRÁS PETERY AND ANDREW HOUSSER JOIN FOUNDING INVESTOR GROUP!

|url=http://sfcityfc.com/news/andras-petery-and-andrew-housser-join-founding-investor-group/|website=SF City FC|access-date=April 30, 2016}}

Supporters

The supporters of SF City are known collectively as "El Lado Norte" or "The Northsiders," as they gather in the north stand at Kezar Stadium during matches. In addition to standing, singing, chanting, waving flags, and displaying tifos during matches, Northsiders frequently gather to socialize, attend or watch away matches, and perform community service. The Northsiders took Supporters Group of the Year honors at USL League Two's Golden Scarf Awards in 2019,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=December 11, 2019|title=@USLLeagueTwo|url=https://twitter.com/USLLeagueTwo/status/1204885212108378114|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Twitter}} and propelled SF City to the title in the league's Fan-Voted Season in 2020.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=August 27, 2020|title=@USLLeagueTwo|url=https://twitter.com/USLLeagueTwo/status/1299014048743411712|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Twitter}}

Kit sponsors

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"\| Years ! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"\| Kit Manufacturer ! colspan="2" style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"\| Kit Sponsors ! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;" \| Pride Kit Charity
style="text-align:center;" \| 2016 \| rowspan="3" \| Nike \| rowspan="2" \| Classy \| FreedomPlus \| —
style="text-align:center;" \| 2017 \| FreedomPlus, Hostelling International USA \| rowspan="2" \| AIDS Legal Referral Panel
style="text-align:center;" \| 2018 \| style="text-align:center;" \| Moviepass \| style="text-align:center;" \| FreedomPlus, Hostelling International USA, Standard Deviant Brewing
style="text-align:center;" \| 2019 \| Nike, Icarus (Pride kit) \| FreedomPlus \| Hostelling International USA, Standard Deviant Brewing \| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| AGUILAS
style="text-align:center;" \| 2020 \| rowspan="2" colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" \| Did not play due to COVID-19 pandemic
style="text-align:center;" \| 2021 \| style="text-align:center;" \| —
style="text-align:center;" \| 2022 \| Erreà \| FreedomPlus \| Standard Deviant Brewing \| style="text-align:center;" \| The Transgender District
style="text-align:center;" \| 2023 \| Inaria, Olive & York (Pride Kit) \| style="text-align:center;" \| — \| style="text-align:center;" \| — \| style="text-align:center;" \| Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
style="text-align:center;" \| 2024 \| Inaria, Icarus (Keeper/Pride) \| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| San Francisco Muni \| style="text-align:center;" \| Humanitix, Hostelling International USA \| style="text-align:center;" \| SF LGBT Center
style="text-align:center;" \| 2025 \| Meyba \| style="text-align:center;" \| -- \| style="text-align:center;" \| Queer LifeSpace

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Years

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Kit Manufacturer

! colspan="2" style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;"| Kit Sponsors

! style="background:#212121; color:#FCC200; border:2px solid #FCC200;" | Pride Kit Charity

style="text-align:center;" | 2016

| rowspan="3" | Nike

| rowspan="2" | Classy

| FreedomPlus

| —

style="text-align:center;" | 2017

| FreedomPlus, Hostelling International USA