The story of Nashville FC epitomizes what the American dream is all about. Everyone one of us has had that late night conversation with a pal. “What if we started our own XYZ Company?” That is precisely what Chris Jones did. When the Nashville Metros folded in 2012, the market was left without a professional soccer team for the first time in 20 years. Citing a void in the cities soccer community, Chris concocted the hair-brain idea to start a supporter-owned and operated club. He sent out a simple tweet to gauge public interest and within a few weeks the wheels for such a team were in motion. One obstacle however, was that the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) ended up awarding a franchise to another ownership group in the market. That group had financial backing and a name, Nashville Atlas FC. Eventually, the two entities merged to form one club, adopting the Nashville FC moniker.
The first of its kind in America, Nashville FC is a non-profit, 100% supporter-owned soccer club, which began competing in the NPSL, the fourth division of American soccer, during the 2014 season. The community fueled club is financially backed by membership fees and partnerships with local companies. Being a supporter based club provides fans a unique experience to personally participate in directing the franchise. Instead of a majority owner, the organization relies on a supporter-elected board to navigate the team’s future.
With the lifeblood of the team being its members, Nashville FC has three membership options available:
A truly unique and appealing aspect of membership is that each member, be it out of town or local, is allotted a vote on each “major club decision” which includes electing team board members, jersey design, and even to vote whether or not Chris should remain in his current role as Team President. Members’ having direct input of the clubs direction was a focal point for Chris.”Soccer is not like the NFL, it’s not like Major League Baseball.” Jones stated, “Soccer is a very civic sport. Your fans in soccer take as much pride in the fact that it’s called Nashville FC then they do the team on the field and the result.”
With aspirations to eventually ascend higher within the American soccer pyramid, be it to the United Soccer League (USL) or maybe even one day to Major League Soccer (MLS), Chris fully grasps that it will be an uphill battle. Making the jump to the USL or MLS, is another hair-brain idea that just might work out. Naturally, the city of Nashville is the epicenter of support for the club but memberships span across the country with 27 different states represented. In other words, soccer enthusiasts nationwide have taken notice.
The Harrisburg City Islanders, a long-standing franchise in the USL, have also taken notice, so much so that rumors of the club relocating to Nashville have run rampant. It is often stated that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” well in this case, imitation is the sincerest form of robbery. Such a relocation would occupy the Nashville market, hindering Nashville FC from making a move to the USL. It is shameful that the Islanders ownership group is attempting to leverage their current market to land a new stadium deal, and should the threat of relocation come to fruition, capitalizing on the efforts of Nashville FC is wrong. I reached out to representatives from Harrisburg City but have yet to receive a response.
As soccer enthusiasts, many of us have dreamt of owning a soccer team. Here is your chance, become a member of Nashville FC to make your dream come true. Simply, go to NashvilleFC.net and decide which membership is best for you. Be part of a truly inspiring grassroots soccer campaign.
Check out Episode 9 of the Crosky On Soccer Podcast to hear the entire conversation between Chris and I. We discuss the clubs past, where it stands heading into the 2015 season opener, and what the future may have in store for the club. Nashville FC kicks off their 2015 campaign this Saturday at Vanderbilt University Football Stadium versus the Birmingham Hammers.
