Bay FC

Last updated

Bay FC
Bay FC logo.svg
Full nameBay Football Club
FoundedApril 4, 2023 (2023-04-04)
Stadium PayPal Park
San Jose, California, U.S.
Capacity18,000
Majority owner Sixth Street Partners
Co-Chairs Alan Waxman
Aly Wagner
General manager Lucy Rushton
Coach Albertin Montoya
League National Women's Soccer League
2024 Regular season: 7th of 14
Playoffs: Quarter-finals
Website https://bayfc.com/
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

Bay Football Club is an American professional women's soccer team based in the San Francisco Bay Area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The team began play in the NWSL as an expansion team in the 2024 season. Their home stadium is PayPal Park in San Jose, California, a soccer-specific stadium with 18,000 seats that is also home to the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Contents

The ownership group, which is led by investment firm Sixth Street Partners and four former United States women's national team players, was awarded an expansion franchise on April 4, 2023. It is the first women's professional soccer team based in the Bay Area since the San Jose CyberRays and FC Gold Pride, who both played in previous leagues. Sixth Street CEO Alan Waxman and former national team player Aly Wagner were named the club's co-chairpersons. [1] [2] The team's name, Bay FC, and logo were announced on June 1, 2023. [3]

History

The San Francisco Bay Area was previously home to two professional women's soccer teams: the San Jose CyberRays of the Women's United Soccer Association and FC Gold Pride of Women's Professional Soccer. [4]

On June 21, 2022, former USWNT and professional club players Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner announced the founding of a group called "NWSL to the Bay" that would lobby the NWSL for an expansion team in the San Francisco Bay Area. [5] [6] Their efforts to bring NWSL to the Bay started in 2020 just after Angel City in Los Angeles was founded by some of their former teammates on the USWNT. They joined forces with Jen Vescio, a sports, media, and technology executive. Together the five women put together a board that included Tim Connors, Ward Bullard, and CJ Napolitano and raised initial capital from a small group of investors. In May 2021 they brought on David Aufhauser, another sports, media, and technology executive, to lead the effort. Together they prepared the bid for an NWSL expansion team. The bid would compete with interest from groups in other cities, including Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Toronto, Ontario; St. Louis, Missouri; and Nashville, Tennessee. [7]

On December 16, 2022, reports suggested that the NWSL had narrowed the second of its two 2024 expansion selections to the Bay Area bid, another bid in the former Boston Breakers market of Boston, Massachusetts, and a third bid in Tampa, Florida. These reports also revealed the involvement of San Francisco-based investment firm Sixth Street Partners as an investor in the club. [8] The reports provided no details about the club's planned venue, but noted that Slaton was leading the group's search for facilities. [9] By January 2023, further reports suggested that Tampa had been eliminated and that the Bay Area and Boston would both be awarded expansion teams, with expansion fees estimated at $50 million each. [10] The league declined to confirm any reports prior to an official announcement. [11]

On April 4, 2023, the league formally awarded one of its two planned 2024 expansion teams to the Bay Area group at a reported $53 million expansion fee, with the other expansion slot awarded to the revival of Utah Royals FC at a fee of $5 million or less, negotiated when the club's previous iteration was sold and relocated to Kansas City. [2] [10]

On September 27, 2023, Albertin Montoya was announced as the team's first head coach. [12] On November 15, defender Alex Loera was revealed as the club's first ever signing, joining from KC Current for $175,000 in allocation money and protection from Bay FC in the 2024 Expansion Draft. [13] Six days later, the club welcomed the 2021 Defender of the Year Caprice Dydasco as their second signing, the right back joining from Houston Dash. [14] On December 13, 2023, the club announced their full coaching staff, with Angela Salem and Jason Goodson brought in as assistant coaches, and Diego Restrepo as head of goalkeeping. Head coach Montoya had worked with Salem during his interim head coaching stint with Washington Spirit in the 2022 NWSL season, and Restrepo had been head of goalkeeping at D.C. United while Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton served as GM of the club. [15]

On February 13, 2024, Bay FC signed Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF for $860,000, setting a new record for most expensive transfer in women's soccer history. The deal lasts until 2027, with an option to extend for another year. [16] [17]

Stadium

PayPal Park in 2015 Avaya Stadium, 1-7-15.jpg
PayPal Park in 2015

Bay FC was initially announced without a permanent stadium and drew interest from several cities in the Bay Area looking to host the team. A separate stadium for Bay FC has been proposed by the San Francisco government at several sites, including Pier 70 and the Westfield San Francisco Centre shopping mall. [18]

On July 21, 2023, the team announced that they had signed a five-year agreement to play at PayPal Park in San Jose, the home of MLS's San Jose Earthquakes, while planning construction of their own stadium. A new, 3,600-square-foot (330 m2) facility at the stadium would house the team's locker room and office spaces. [19] Bay FC CEO Brady Stewart also suggested some of the team's matches might be played in other stadiums to make the team more accessible outside of the South Bay. [20]

Ownership and investment group

The expansion announcement confirmed the involvement of Sixth Street Partners as the Bay Area group's lead investor. [1] [2] Chastain, Osborne, Slaton, and Wagner were named as founding board members alongside Sixth Street CEO Alan Waxman, former San Francisco Giants executive Staci Slaughter, former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, and Golden State Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts. Wagner and Waxman were announced as the club's co-chairpersons. Sandberg's husband Tom Bernthal was also listed as a club investor. [2] At a launch event on June 3, Waxman announced that Andre Iguodala was also a minority owner. [21]

The expansion fee was the league's largest to date, and 10 times the fee charged in the league's previous round of expansion in 2021. [22] After the announcement, the Bay Area group also announced an additional $72 million in planned startup investment in the club, and Waxman said Sixth Street was committed to owning the franchise for at least 10 years. [22]

The club would be the first professional sports team in the United States to have an institutional investor as a majority owner, in contrast to rules established by other United States sports leagues that restricted or prohibited such ownership. [22] NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman noted that the investment did not have a target hold period, and was funded from Sixth Street Tao Partners, a balance sheet fund [23] with no requirement to be liquidated, which the league intended to treat like an individual owner with a large net worth. The Tao fund also covered Sixth Street's purchase of a 20-percent stake in the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. [24]

To mitigate the risks of a premature exit of Sixth Street, the league required as part of the expansion deal that Waxman provide assurances that he can allocate money to the club and also required him to represent the club on the NWSL board of governors. [24] The club also named co-chair Wagner as an alternate representative to the league board. [2]

Prior to Sixth Street, the original ownership group raised the initial capital adding Motley Fool and Anne Hoge to the board of directors. They joined Jen Vescio, Tim Connors, Ward Bullard, CJ Napolitano and David Aufhauser alongside the four former USWNT players to lead the early efforts to bring NWSL to the Bay.

Front office

On June 14, 2023, Bay FC announced the hiring of Brady Stewart, who had led direct-to-consumer business for Levi Strauss & Co., as the team's chief executive officer and first front-office hire. [25] On June 15, the club announced the hiring of Lucy Rushton as the club's first general manager. Rushton had most recently been fired as general manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in October 2022. [26] [27] On July 18, the club announced the hiring of Golden State Warriors chief marketing officer Jen Millet as its chief operating officer. [28]

Colors and crest

The club revealed its colors and crest on June 1, 2023. The crest is a circle with a blackletter monographic B integrating a support of the Golden Gate Bridge. [29] The club's primary colors are blue and warm red, described as Bay and Poppy, respectively. Its secondary colors are two shades of gray, described as Fog Gray and Steel. [29] [30]

Advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners consulted on the club's identity and logo design. [3] On the unveiling of the club's branding, Wagner noted that the club intentionally avoided nicknames and mascots in favor of a conceptual timelessness and simplicity. [31]

Players

Current squad

As of December 14, 2024. [32]
No.Pos.PlayerNation
0 GK Katelyn Rowland Flag of the United States.svg  United States
1 GK Melissa Lowder Flag of the United States.svg  United States
2 DF Savannah King Flag of the United States.svg  United States
3 DF Caprice Dydasco Flag of the United States.svg  United States
4 DF Emily Menges Flag of the United States.svg  United States
5 DF Jen Beattie Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
7 FW Princess Marfo Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana
8 FW Asisat Oshoala Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
9 FW Racheal Kundananji Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
10 MF Deyna Castellanos Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  Venezuela
12 FW Tess Boade Flag of the United States.svg  United States
13 DF Abby Dahlkemper Flag of the United States.svg  United States
14 MF Jamie Shepherd Flag of the United States.svg  United States
15 MF Caroline Conti Flag of the United States.svg  United States
16 DF Jordan Brewster Flag of the United States.svg  United States
18 MF Joelle Anderson Flag of the United States.svg  United States
19 MF Dorian Bailey Flag of the United States.svg  United States
20 DF Alyssa Malonson Flag of the United States.svg  United States
21 FW Rachel Hill Flag of the United States.svg  United States
22 MF Alex Loera Flag of the United States.svg  United States
23 DF Kiki Pickett Flag of the United States.svg  United States
24 DF Maddie Moreau Flag of the United States.svg  United States
29 GK Jordan Silkowitz Flag of the United States.svg  United States
32 GK Emmie Allen Flag of the United States.svg  United States
55 FW Penelope Hocking Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Player records

Goals scored

This table lists Bay FC players with at least five regular season goals.

(Regular season only; as of November 10, 2024) [33]
#NameCareerGoals
1 Flag of Nigeria.svg Asisat Oshoala 2024–present7
2 Flag of Zambia.svg Racheal Kundananji 2024–present5

Assists

This table lists Bay FC players with at least three assists during the regular season. [33]

Pos.NameAssistsMP
1 Flag of Zambia.svg Racheal Kundananji421

Team records

Year-by-year

SeasonLeagueRegular seasonPlayoffs Challenge Cup Average attendanceTotal attendance
PWDLGFGAGDPtsPos
2024 NWSL 26111143141-10347thQuarter-finalDNQ13,617 [34] 177,027 [34]

See also

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ingemi, Marisa (April 4, 2023). "Bay Area lands NWSL 2024 expansion team with largest investment in women's soccer". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
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  10. 1 2 Toonkel, Jessica; Bachman, Rachel (January 27, 2023). "NWSL Set to Expand With Record-Setting $50 Million Franchise Fees". Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
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  17. ↑ Solms, Leonard (February 13, 2024). "Bay FC smash women's record fee to sign forward Kundananji". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
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  19. ↑ Simon, Alex (July 21, 2023). "Bay FC signs 5-year deal to make Earthquakes' PayPal Park its home stadium". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
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  27. ↑ Carlisle, Jeff (June 14, 2023). "NWSL's Bay FC hire ex-D.C. United general manager Lucy Rushton - sources". ESPN . Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  28. ↑ Simon, Alex (July 18, 2023). "Bay FC taps former Warriors marketing head to be COO" . The Mercury News . Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  29. 1 2 "Media Kit". Bay FC. June 1, 2023. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Bay FC Is Born: National Women's Soccer League Club Representing the Bay Area Unveils Name and Identity to Unite Northern California". BayFC.com (Press release). June 1, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
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  32. ↑ "Bay FC Club info". Bay FC. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  33. 1 2 "Bay FC Stats, All Competitions". FBref.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  34. 1 2 "Scores & Fixtures". FBref.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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