AV Alta FC

Last updated
AV Alta FC
AV Alta FC logo.png
Full nameAV Alta Football Club
FoundedOctober 4, 2023;7 months ago (2023-10-04)
Stadium Lancaster Municipal Stadium
Capacity6,000
OwnerJohn Smelzer; J. David Harden; Bob Roback
PresidentJohn Smelzer
Head coachBrian Kleiban
League USL League One
2025Inaugural season
Website Club website

AV Alta Football Club, commonly referred to as AV Alta FC or Alta, is a planned American professional soccer team based in Lancaster, California. First announced in 2023, the team plans to play in USL League One beginning in 2025. Their home field is Lancaster Municipal Stadium, also known as "The Hangar".

Contents

History

On October 4, 2023, the United Soccer League announced that the city of Lancaster, California, had been awarded a USL League One expansion team which would start play in the 2025 season. John Smelzer, an entrepreneur who worked with the United States Soccer Federation for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, was announced as founder and president. [1]

On May 16, 2024, Brian Kleiban was announced as the team's inaugural head coach. Kleiban had held coaching roles with FC Barcelona, Los Angeles FC and Chivas USA. [2]

The club's name — AV Alta FC — and logo were unveiled on May 17, 2024. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster, California</span> City in California, United States

Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United States and the 30th largest in California. Lancaster is a twin city with its southern neighbor Palmdale; together, they are the principal cities within the Antelope Valley region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresno FC U-23</span> Soccer club

Fresno Football Club U-23, formerly Fresno Fuego FC, was an American soccer team based in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 2003, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club drew an average home attendance of 3,951 in 2016, including league matches, divisional playoffs and exhibitions against professional clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hangar (Lancaster, California)</span> Stadium in Lancaster, California

The Hangar, also known as Lancaster Municipal Stadium and formerly known as Clear Channel Stadium, is a baseball stadium in Lancaster, California, United States. From its opening in 1996 to 2020, the stadium was the home field of the Lancaster JetHawks, a now-defunct minor league team of the Advanced A California League. In 2005, Clear Channel Communications entered into a 10-year, $770,000 naming rights deal with the JetHawks and the City of Lancaster, who divided the revenue between them. The deal was planned to run through the 2014 season, but Clear Channel Stadium signage was removed in 2012. The stadium was then renamed The Hangar, its nickname since the stadium opened in 1996, as well as Lancaster Municipal Stadium. The Hangar is located near State Route 14 west of downtown Lancaster. The Lancaster Sound Breakers of the Pecos League played their 2023 season at the Hangar. The Hangar is planned to be reconfigured into a soccer-specific stadium for USL League One's AV Alta FC from 2025 onward.

Martín Vásquez Gómez is an American former professional soccer player. The first of five players to have played for both the United States and Mexico, he has served as a coach since retiring. He is currently an assistant coach for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina FC</span> Soccer team based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina

North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks.

FC Santa Clarita (FCSC) is an American soccer team based in Santa Clarita, California, United States. FC Santa Clarita also known as the Santa Clarita Storm make just north of Los Angeles home, as they compete in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). Santa Clarita FC announced they joined the UPSL’s Western Conference November 5, 2014. The team is owned by American businessman Gary Brunner, President and CEO of United Sports International Inc. The team is Santa Clarita’s only sports franchise calling the area home with the encouragement and support of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL Championship</span> Professional soccer league in the United States

The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County SC</span> American soccer team

Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Women's Soccer League expansion</span> Expansion of the National Womens Soccer League

The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.

The University of Antelope Valley (UAV) was a private, for-profit university in Lancaster, California. It offered master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees as well as certificate programs and continuing education courses. The university was accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, but it was placed on accreditation probation in 2023 for failing to meet several of the accreditor's standards following the university's 2022 purchase by Genius Group Limited, a Singaporean technology company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL League One</span> American professional soccer league

USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championship and other leagues. As of 2024, the league has 12 teams who play 22 regular season games, followed by playoffs. All teams also participate in the USL Cup, adding an additional eight games, followed by knockout rounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Roots SC</span> American professional soccer team

Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, the club joined the second division USL Championship.

Milan Iloski is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward or winger for Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Bay FC</span> American professional soccer team

Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Monterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021, and is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system. It began playing during the 2022 USL Championship season as a member of the league's Western Conference.

Daniel "Danny" Trejo is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for Polish club Korona Kielce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL W League</span> Womens professional soccer league in the United States

The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It follows the USL W-League, a similar league that existed from 1995 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Valley Fuego FC</span> Association football team

Central Valley Fuego FC, also known as CV Fuego FC or simply Fuego FC, is an American professional soccer team based in Fresno, California. The team was founded in 2020, and played its inaugural season in 2022. The team competes in USL League One, the third tier of the US soccer league system and plays its home matches at Fresno State Soccer Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL Super League</span> Professional womens soccer league in the United States

The USL Super League (USLS) is a future Division I professional women's soccer league in the United States. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League. Originally planned to launch in August 2023, it is now slated to begin play in August 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington SC</span> American USL soccer club

Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional soccer team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an expansion side in USL League One, the team currently plays its home matches at Toyota Stadium at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, while its permanent stadium is being constructed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Barbara Sky FC</span> Soccer club

Santa Barbara Sky FC is a planned American professional soccer team based in Santa Barbara, California. First announced in 2022, the team plans to play in USL League One beginning in 2025.

References

  1. "USL Antelope Valley announces plans to bring professional soccer to Lancaster, Calif". USL League One. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  2. "USL Antelope Valley Announces Brian Kleiban as the Club's First Head Coach". AV Alta FC. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  3. Caiuch, Eduard (2024-05-18). "AV Alta FC, equipo de tercera división en USL, busca llenar un vacío en Antelope Valley". Los Angeles Times en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-20.