Memphis 901 FC heavy-hearted adieu to Memphis

Article posted by Coliseum, November 29^th, 2024

Image: USL

The now-dissolved American professional soccer team Memphis 901 FC is set to leave the Bluff City in Tennessee, US, after transferring their rights to the Santa Barbara SKY FC in California.

‘localmemphis.com’ stated that a statement released by the team recently thanked the fans for their support.

The Memphis 901 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the United Soccer League (USL – an organizer of soccer leagues in the United States) Championship in 2019. On November 13^th, 2024, it was announced that the team would be folding after they were unable to secure funding for a new soccer-specific stadium at the fairgrounds site. The USL Championship (a professional men’s soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011) franchise rights were transferred to the Santa Barbara SKY FC based in Santa Barbara, California (US). The 10,000-capacity AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee, served as their home field.

The Santa Barbara SKY FC is a planned American professional soccer team based in Santa Barbara, California (US). First announced in 2022, the team plans to play in the USL Championship beginning in March 2026.

The Harder Stadium is a 17,000-seat, outdoor soccer-specific stadium on the West Coast of the United States on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California (US). It will serve as the home pitch of the Santa Barbara SKY FC.

‘localmemphis.com’ further stated that the statement sent out by the team read, “We collectively share the disappointment of our supporters and the Memphis community as the Memphis 901 FC’s franchise rights transition to Santa Barbara, California. So many people have poured their hearts and souls into building this club, including the soccer legend Tim Howard (American former soccer player), and to everyone who built this organization we will be forever grateful.”

The United Soccer League (USL) officials also put out a statement saying that the league approved the franchise rights transfer to Santa Barbara effective immediately. The Memphis 901 FC will now be called the Santa Barbara SKY FC.

The USL statement read, “Due to the challenges in securing a dedicated soccer venue in Memphis – including a setback with the Liberty Park – where the Municipal funds were allocated to other initiatives – the club, after six years in the USL Championship, was ultimately unable to put a viable, long-term stadium solution in place. As a result, the franchise rights have been transferred to Santa Barbara’s SKY FC which will begin play in the USL Championship in the 2026 season.”

The statement from the team noted that the organization was directed by the City to help lobby the Tennessee legislature in 2023 for $350 million cash grant to fund the sports facilities which would have included the Liberty Park soccer stadium. Those funds ultimately did not go to the soccer stadium and went to fund other renovations including the 50,000-capacity Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and the 19,000-capacity FedEx Forum in Memphis.

The statement further read, “While the State of Tennessee fulfilled this grant to Memphis, funding for the Liberty Park soccer stadium and the AutoZone Park was unceremoniously left out. In the past year, we have explored additional options, but unfortunately time was not on our side. We maintain that we have much to be proud of, from soldout crowds in 2019 and navigating the challenges of 2020, to building the teams that made the playoffs the past four consecutive seasons and celebrating with the best supporters in USL soccer, including the Bluff City Mafia (supporters of Memphis 901 FC). It has been a tremendous honor to represent this incredible community. Thank you, Memphis!”

The league’s statement said that the team will begin in Santa Barbara in the 2026 season.

Justin Papadakis, USL Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Real Estate Officer, sent out a statement which read, “After evaluating multiple potential stadium options, unfortunately, the path to finding a permanent home for the Memphis 901 FC did not materialize. A stadium is the cornerstone of a club’s long-term stability and growth. In the USL Championship, clubs like the Louisville City FC and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC have shown how investing in the soccer-specific venues creates lifelong fan connections and contributes meaningfully to the local economy. These stadiums are essential to our vision for professional soccer, creating spaces where the clubs integrate deeply with their communities, fostering local pride and positively impacting the region.”

The Memphis Mayor Paul Young said that he was disappointed with the departure of 901FC but would remain committed to supporting the rest of the major sports teams in the Memphis area including the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team Memphis Redbirds, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Memphis Grizzlies and the college sports teams at the University of Memphis – the LeMoyne-Owens and the Christian Brothers University.

Opined Young, “Having events in downtown certainly supports our small businesses that thrive based on those events taking place coming to occupy downtown. So, we’ll continue to identify the opportunities to activate spaces in downtown to make up for the loss and to continue to support the teams that we do have.”

Young remained optimistic that the Bluff City could once again have a soccer team. At the moment, there are no plans for a new soccer stadium, but Young said that the City would explore similar options to what was happening at the AutoZone Park where the soccer team and the Redbirds were sharing the same facility.

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