Golden City FC

Last updated

Golden City FC
Golden City FC (placeholder logo).svg
Interim logo
Founded2025
Ground
Owner
  • Geoff Oltmans
  • Marc Rohrer
League MLS Next Pro (planned)
Website goldencityfootballclub.org

Golden City Football Club (GCFC) is an American professional soccer club based in San Francisco, California. Owned by a group led by co-founders Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, the club plans to commence play in MLS Next Pro, men's Division 3 league in the United States league system, in the 2026 or 2027 season. The team will play its home games at a renovated Kezar Stadium, and will be one of five professional soccer clubs based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Contents

Following its foundation by Oltmans and Rohrer in 2025, Golden City's debut was promoted by the mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, who also assisted in procuring Kezar as a home ground for the club. Oltmans had previously donated to a nonprofit organization founded by Lurie. Despite opposition from San Francisco City FC, who would be displaced from Kezar, Golden City was granted a fifteen-year permit to play at the stadium by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, contingent on the club investing $10 million into upgrades of its facilities.

History

Daniel Lurie, the mayor of San Francisco, helped promote the club's debut, and assisted in securing a permit to play at Kezar Stadium. Daniel Lurie Headshot.jpg
Daniel Lurie, the mayor of San Francisco, helped promote the club's debut, and assisted in securing a permit to play at Kezar Stadium.

Financial executives Geoff Oltmans of Silver Lake Partners and Marc Rohrer of Wells Fargo co-founded Golden City FC in 2025, and struck a public–private partnership with the Government of San Francisco to upgrade Kezar Stadium for use as its home ground. [1] [2] [3] Oltmans and Rohrer previously played college soccer for the Dartmouth Big Green and Fresno State Bulldogs, respectively. [1] In May 2025, the club's establishment was announced by the mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, through social media posts by the mayor's office, and interviews with local news media. [4] [5] Oltmans and Silver Lake Partners previously donated at least $152,000 and $275,500, respectively, to a nonprofit organization founded by Lurie. [6] Following the announcement, legislation co-sponsored by Lurie and supervisor Bilal Mahmood was introduced to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that grants the club a fifteen-year permit to play at Kezar, with options for up to three five-year extensions. [3] [5] [7]

San Francisco City FC, the primary tenant at Kezar Stadium, was given two days' notice of the plans, and was offered "at least one game at Kezar [per season]—possibly more" by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which manages the stadium. [8] [9] San Francisco City FC and its supporters protested the proposed move to Boxer Stadium, describing the facility as subpar [10] [11] [12] and criticizing the plan as "rushed through with limited public input and favor[ing] private interests at the expense of longstanding local organizations". [13] El Farolito SC and the San Francisco Nighthawks, who also play at Kezar, expressed similar concerns, though they hoped the plan could grow soccer in San Francisco and spur desired upgrades to other venues in the city. [12] [14] Despite this opposition, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the permit without discussion in June. [9] [15] Golden City plans to commence play in MLS Next Pro, a men's Division 3 league in the United States soccer league system, in the 2026 or 2027 season. [7] [16]

Organization

Golden City's ownership group includes its co-founders, Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer. [2] [17] Neither the club's full board of owners nor its funding sources have been publicly revealed, though Oltmans has stated it aims to have as many as twelve San Francisco Bay Area-based investors in the club's ownership group. [18]

Stadium

The club plans to renovate Kezar Stadium (pictured) for its home games. '49ers (28791895142) (cropped2).jpg
The club plans to renovate Kezar Stadium (pictured) for its home games.

Golden City plans to play its home games at the municipally-owned Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park, adjacent to the Haight-Ashbury district. [19] [20] The stadium is the home of supporter-owned amateur club San Francisco City FC, and was the home of two now-defunct professional clubs: the California Victory and San Francisco Deltas. [15] [21] [22] The club's permit agreement with the city requires GCFC to invest $10 million in capital improvements, [4] [17] including a new natural grass field with irrigation sprinklers, accessibility infrastructure compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and upgraded concession stands, press box, public address system, seating, and LED scoreboard. [16] [21] [23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Whiting, Sam (May 9, 2025). "Men's Pro Soccer Is Coming Back to San Francisco" . San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025. Oltmans ... runs the capital markets team at Silver Lake Partners in Menlo Park. Rohrer lives in the Lower Haight and is a financial adviser at Wells Fargo. They both played college soccer—Oltmans at Dartmouth and Rohrer at Fresno State.
  2. 1 2 Campbell, Simon (June 25, 2025). "San Francisco Welcomes New Pro Soccer Team as Golden City FC Secures Kezar Stadium Deal" . San Francisco Business Times . Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025. Golden City was co-founded by Marc Rohrer, a Wells Fargo financial adviser and former professional soccer player, and Geoff Otlmanns, a managing director at Silver Lake Technology Management.
  3. 1 2 Pawlowska, Kasia (May 9, 2025). "$10 Million Partnership Will Reshape Historic San Francisco Stadium". SFGate . Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Baker, Jordan (May 9, 2025). "SF Mayor Announces New Men's Professional Sports Team". KRON4 News . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Corry, Melanie (May 9, 2025). "Professional Soccer Could Be Coming to Kezar Stadium in San Francisco". CBS News Bay Area . Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ Greschler, Gabe (May 16, 2025). "Lurie Wants a Soccer Team in SF. Its Co-owner Gave Big to Mayor's Nonprofit". The San Francisco Standard . Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Castañeda, Carlos E. (June 26, 2025). "Deal Finalized to Bring Golden City FC Pro Soccer to San Francisco's Historic Kezar Stadium". CBS News Bay Area . Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  8. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (May 13, 2025). "Kezar Stadium Is at the Center of a Brewing Soccer Battle in San Francisco" . San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025. ... the club received just two days' notice before the public announcement. Tamara Barak Aparton, spokesperson for the Recreation and Park Department, said San Francisco City FC will still have access to city fields, including at least one game at Kezar—possibly more ...
  9. 1 2 Coale, Kristi (June 19, 2025). "Valkyries, Warriors, and Giants, Oh My: How a Sports Boom Helps Local Business Rebound". The Frisc. Archived from the original on June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ Campbell 2025: "'We'd normally welcome a new club ... but not when it comes at the cost of losing our home ground,' SF City FC Creative Director Ian Blackley told the Business Times."
  11. ↑ Vaziri 2025: "Blackley countered that with the new plan, the team will be relegated mostly to Boxer Stadium, which he described as a subpar facility. Supporters of San Francisco City FC spoke at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting."
  12. 1 2 Nakano, Andrea (June 26, 2025). "Businesses near San Francisco's Kezar Stadium Hope Golden City FC Pro Soccer Kicks Off Revival". CBS News Bay Area . Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (June 18, 2025b). "San Francisco Approves $10 Million Deal to Bring Pro Soccer to Kezar Stadium Despite Pushback" . San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ Salazar, James (May 15, 2025). "Soccer Clubs See Mixed Bag in Proposed Pro Team at Kezar Stadium". San Francisco Examiner . Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Baker, Alex (June 25, 2025). "Lurie Signs Legislation to Bring Pro Soccer Back to Kezar, Despite Pushback". KRON4 News . Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Saab, Ginger Conejero (June 25, 2025). "SF Mayor Officially Designates Kezar Stadium Home to New Pro Soccer Club". NBC Bay Area . Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  17. 1 2 Whiting 2025: "The $10 million investment will be paid by the team's ownership group, led by co-founders Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, Bay Area finance executives ..."
  18. ↑ Whiting 2025: "Oltmans declined to discuss details of the team's financing but said the group is still adding investors to a partnership that may end up with more than a dozen, all Bay Area-based."
  19. ↑ Curry, Ryan (May 2, 2025). "San Francisco's Kezar Stadium Turns 100 Years Old". KCRA 3 News . Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  20. ↑ Russo, Charles (January 20, 2024). "Historical Photos from When the 49ers Played in the Heart of San Francisco". SFGate . Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Kukura, Joe (May 9, 2025). "SF Is Getting a New Pro Soccer Team, and They'll Play at Kezar Stadium". SFist . Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  22. ↑ Ream, Evan (October 23, 2015). "After Debut Last Year, Fan-owned San Francisco City Begins New US Open Cup Quest". TheCup.us. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  23. ↑ "MLS Next Pro Independent Soccer League Expanding to San Francisco" . The Mercury News . Bay Area News Group. May 9, 2025. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025. Planned improvements to Kezar Stadium include a new natural grass field with modern irrigation, new seats, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a high-definition LED scoreboard.
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