Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
Santa Barbara sports enthusiasts now have another reason to cheer, a professional soccer club is coming to town!
Atop the MOXI Children’s Museum in downtown Santa Barbara Tuesday evening, the United Soccer League (USL) announced the arrival of the Santa Barbara Sky Football Club (Sky FC).
The new professional club will include men’s and women’s teams to begin playing in 2024.
Sky FC’s home games will be at Santa Barbara City College’s La Playa Stadium and are set to broadcast live on ESPN+.
The team’s founding investor is Peter Moore, former CEO of Liverpool FC in England’s Premier League and Montecito resident.
“Soccer unites communities. With that as our mission, I am proud and honored to announce that we are bringing men’s and women’s USL soccer to Santa Barbara,” said Moore, founder of Sky FC and Santa Barbara Professional Soccer Foundation. “We are a true American soccer town. We are a diverse but united community; we need and deserve a local professional soccer club that can compete on a national level.”
Sky FC crest (courtesy image)
The team’s crest and colors were also unveiled at the event. Terracotta and navy were selected to represent the Spanish-style rooftops and warm dusk sky. Saint Barbara was selected as the center of the design to “represent strength, confidence, style, and beauty.” The name Sky represents the town’s vast blue sky and mesmerizing sunsets.
“I am pleased to hear of Santa Barbara Sky FC’s inclusion in the USL,” said City of Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse. “Having a professional soccer team in our city will be a great way to get our local young people excited about one of the most popular sports in the world and getting support from La Fundacion del Cielo foundation will be a great benefit to the community.”
Sky FC will compete in USL’s League One division for the men’s team with more details on the women’s team to be announced soon.
More information can be found at https://www.santabarbaraskyfc.com/.
(courtesy photo)
Rich people with too much money on their hands! Really, there can be no realistic profit to be made from this venture. The community is too small to support a professional team and its associated costs. But have fun.
470–I don’t know a thing about the Forresters, other than that they play baseball, so I suppose you can answer your own question.
Beyond that, there is a world of difference between Club and USL level play and, yes, as SacJon says, a lot more soccer fans in this town. It will be good for the many kids in this area who play and love soccer to have the opportunity to see professional level soccer at home, rather than having to spend a boat load of money to go to a game in LA.
I don’t see it making money either, but I guess if you have the means and enthusiasm go for it. Looks like a rich man’s hobby but sometimes that’s what it takes in professional sports. And it’s a good use of the CC stadium. Interesting logo.
Thank you Randy for bringing in this professional team…a lot of h-a-r-d work to make it happen, but worth it!!!
Hotels = happy
Restaurants = happy
Soccer fans = extra happy
Stadium vendors = happy
Parking attendants = happy
Cabbies = happy
All businesses in the harbor area = happy
Not big enough of a fan base? Get-the-front-door-outta-here….someone does not know our demographics in our ares. Plus, any fans from other cities who will be spending money here 24/7 while they are here. Thank goodness Green Bay, Wisconsin did what they done did….think to our future people!
Sacjon – wait – I thought Randy could control the homeless situation and clean up our parks – and visit the southern border to oppose legal and illegal immegration. Didn’t the righties in here believe that Cathy could control weather patterns with magic crystals like a Sleestak?
GT – bingo lol! To quote Mr. Knowitallbutrefusestoproveit, “Rules for thee, not for me.”
LUVADUCK – they’re playing at an existing and functioning field. What costs do you think the tax payers will have to bear?
video looks like a religeous promo
https://www.santabarbaraskyfc.com/our-crest/
SACJON, the field you praise was funded by SBCC bonds as was the press conference and space to glorify irrelevant SBCC events. This waste of money from that bond issue led to defeat of the next bond issue. The taxpayers want SBCC to be a college for locals, not a frat house cheering room for old people trying to relive glory days (such as they were or were not).
RHS – “irrelevant SBCC events” “cheering room” …… says a lot really. Good thing this type of thinking is the vast minority.
“GOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!”
LOL–as if you know what can be made on this venture, but please share your relevant experience.
Alexblue Sacjon. Sacjon–so how many people pay to see the SB Foresters? There are club soccer events every weekend in SB for those interested in watching a game involving true local interest. Oh well, a fool and his/her money are soon parted.
9:51 – The Foresters aren’t a pro team and it’s baseball. Way more soccer fans here. Don’t worry so much about this, it won’t affect you at all.
I think you could be mistaken. most soccer is played outside of this area. having something local will be really good for the community
Christian myths are unimportant.
Now maybe Randy can work on the homeless issue like he promised rather than parading around ribbon cutting ceremonies.
GT – well, hold on a second…. the mayor can’t do anything about homelessness, remember? That is, unless the mayor Cathy.
GeneralTree: Randy certainly is working on the homeless problem, that’s for sure (a BIG for sure!). A good analogy of what he is dealing with is when a homeowner spent a couple years in an attempt to remodel their home…electrical, plumbing, flooring, etc. He did not have any formal or practical experience, and relied on YouTube and Google “how to” information. Anyway, the owner passed away and his partner had to call in a building contractor to complete all off the unfinished work, which was just about everything. The contractor had to not only undo most of the work, but also fix new/introduced problems. So, that’s where we’re at with Randy….he is fixing just about everything the last three mayors bungled/fungled and turned a “blind-ey” toward. General, count your blessing that our new mayor is about one thing: all of the people and businesses of Santa Barbara. He also does not have any desire to punish those who disagree with him.
It is no different then putting the image of Jesus with a halo around his head…they made it religious …. and misogynistic…
SUN – what are you upset about? There will be both a woman’s and men’s division. As for pay, where does it say they won’t be paid the same?
Sun – sorry, I meant a “women’s and men’s team,” not division.
The drop in enrollment is probably associated with the cooling of the international (and national) recruitment of student tourists to SBCC. SBCC sent recruitment literature across the country. This was pushed by SBCC officials and they even went so far as to advocate for the building of dorms on and near the campus (which seems like an oxymoron for a community college). They claimed SBCC was among the “best” such schools though that is an impossible assertion to verify and pretty irrelevant to the job at hand. When that Dean departed saner heads prevailed and we are starting to see stabilizing population so that the school is actually the right size for the area. One hopes this will continue with staff adequate to the mission and facilities for both that purpose and community extension courses that locals will enjoy.