Cary, NC (January 31, 2017) – The North Carolina Football Club announced today it has submitted its application to Major League Soccer as part of the league’s process to determine its next round of expansion.
“We have made incredible strides in just over a month since we received the MLS application information,” said NCFC Owner Steve Malik. “We will continue to pursue our aggressive campaign by rallying the community behind our initiatives as we continue on our parallel paths of securing a new purpose-built stadium and expanding our corporate and individual membership.”
On December 6, 2016, North Carolina Football Club announced its plan to pursue an MLS franchise as one of several key initiatives unveiled.
MLS released their criteria and timeline for expansion on December 15, 2016, acknowledging 10 markets (including the Raleigh/Durham area) that had expressed public interest in securing one of four next-round expansion teams.
The league set a deadline of January 31 to submit documentation that focused on three areas: ownership, stadium, and corporate and soccer support.
In its application, the club highlighted the strong historical growth in the area, as the Triangle has been one of the fastest growing regions in the country for over a decade, giving it the highest growth rate among MLS-contender markets.
Additionally, the Triangle ranks in the top five among all current MLS markets based on population-per-professional franchise and ranks sixth in adjusted household income.
It is a top-25 U.S. television market, and the club touted its long-standing local relationship with Capitol Broadcasting Company (NBC and FOX affiliate), as well as its strong regional relationship with Time Warner Cable in North and South Carolina, reaching over two million households.
The area has quickly become one of the top four high-tech centers in the U.S. and is home to Red Hat, Lenovo, SAS, IBM and Cisco among others. Recently, Forbes Magazine ranked the Triangle second in America’s Hottest Spots for Tech Jobs (2016). The area is also home to leading pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Novozymes.
The Triangle is centrally located between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, effectively connecting the Northeast to the Southeast to create immediate natural rivalries.
The application also contained information about the rich soccer tradition in the area, ranging from youth programs to collegiate powerhouses.
UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State consistently produce professional talent. Notable players who went on to ply their trade in Major League Soccer include current Colorado Rapids Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni (NC State), New England Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps (Duke) and Columbus Crew Head Coach Gregg Berhalter (UNC-Chapel Hill). These three individuals have greatly contributed to the growth of the game as both players and coaches, especially at the MLS level.
The club also touted some of the strides it has made since Malik purchased the team in late 2015, emphasizing the substantial growth in revenue across all of its lines of business, as well as its successful exhibition matches against Liga MX’s Toluca FC and the English Premier League’s West Ham United.
North Carolina Football Club will reveal more information about its stadium plans in the coming weeks.
Fans and supporters can support these initiatives by becoming individual or corporate members of the club. For more information about how to become a member, click here.
About North Carolina Football Club
North Carolina Football Club is the state’s largest professional soccer organization and is the parent organization of North Carolina FC (NASL, Men’s Second Division) and North Carolina Courage (NWSL, Women’s First Division). The organization is owned by local entrepreneur, Steve Malik, and managed by North Carolina native and longtime soccer executive Curt Johnson. North Carolina Football Club was established in 2016 to bring the highest levels of men’s and women’s professional soccer to the state. For more information, please visit www.www.northcarolinafc.com.
Cary, NC (January 31, 2017) – The North Carolina Football Club announced today it has submitted its application to Major League Soccer as part of the league’s process to determine its next round of expansion.
“We have made incredible strides in just over a month since we received the MLS application information,” said NCFC Owner Steve Malik. “We will continue to pursue our aggressive campaign by rallying the community behind our initiatives as we continue on our parallel paths of securing a new purpose-built stadium and expanding our corporate and individual membership.”
On December 6, 2016, North Carolina Football Club announced its plan to pursue an MLS franchise as one of several key initiatives unveiled.
MLS released their criteria and timeline for expansion on December 15, 2016, acknowledging 10 markets (including the Raleigh/Durham area) that had expressed public interest in securing one of four next-round expansion teams.
The league set a deadline of January 31 to submit documentation that focused on three areas: ownership, stadium, and corporate and soccer support.
In its application, the club highlighted the strong historical growth in the area, as the Triangle has been one of the fastest growing regions in the country for over a decade, giving it the highest growth rate among MLS-contender markets.
Additionally, the Triangle ranks in the top five among all current MLS markets based on population-per-professional franchise and ranks sixth in adjusted household income.
It is a top-25 U.S. television market, and the club touted its long-standing local relationship with Capitol Broadcasting Company (NBC and FOX affiliate), as well as its strong regional relationship with Time Warner Cable in North and South Carolina, reaching over two million households.
The area has quickly become one of the top four high-tech centers in the U.S. and is home to Red Hat, Lenovo, SAS, IBM and Cisco among others. Recently, Forbes Magazine ranked the Triangle second in America’s Hottest Spots for Tech Jobs (2016). The area is also home to leading pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Novozymes.
The Triangle is centrally located between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, effectively connecting the Northeast to the Southeast to create immediate natural rivalries.
The application also contained information about the rich soccer tradition in the area, ranging from youth programs to collegiate powerhouses.
UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State consistently produce professional talent. Notable players who went on to ply their trade in Major League Soccer include current Colorado Rapids Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni (NC State), New England Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps (Duke) and Columbus Crew Head Coach Gregg Berhalter (UNC-Chapel Hill). These three individuals have greatly contributed to the growth of the game as both players and coaches, especially at the MLS level.
The club also touted some of the strides it has made since Malik purchased the team in late 2015, emphasizing the substantial growth in revenue across all of its lines of business, as well as its successful exhibition matches against Liga MX’s Toluca FC and the English Premier League’s West Ham United.
North Carolina Football Club will reveal more information about its stadium plans in the coming weeks.
Fans and supporters can support these initiatives by becoming individual or corporate members of the club. For more information about how to become a member, click here.
About North Carolina Football Club
North Carolina Football Club is the state’s largest professional soccer organization and is the parent organization of North Carolina FC (NASL, Men’s Second Division) and North Carolina Courage (NWSL, Women’s First Division). The organization is owned by local entrepreneur, Steve Malik, and managed by North Carolina native and longtime soccer executive Curt Johnson. North Carolina Football Club was established in 2016 to bring the highest levels of men’s and women’s professional soccer to the state. For more information, please visit www.www.northcarolinafc.com.
