THE CLUB
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
SF City FC was founded on the principle that a local sports team should be an organization ingrained in and reflective of the San Francisco community, rather than a business used for the profit of a select few. This means allowing fans to have control over how the club is operated and using sports as a vehicle to improve our city. The SF City FC Members Organization pledges to do this through charity events, volunteer hours, free youth soccer programs, fundraising, and democratically representing our members’ interests. Eventually, we want to be a club that has both men’s and women’s professional teams, as well as free youth teams at every age level. If our mission resonates with you, please consider getting involved with the club!
OUR HISTORY
San Francisco City Football Club was born in September of 2001. The club joined the San Francisco Soccer Football League, one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States. Over the next decade, the club continued to grow, climbing the ranks of the league and gaining support from local fans. In late 2012, members of the club met with soccer fans from other local organizations, including the San Francisco Football Supporters Association and the American Outlaws San Francisco chapter, to discuss their shared dream: a supporter-owned club that would represent San Francisco on the national stage.
The goal was to build a club that was owned and managed by its fans, with the hopes of someday going professional. While San Francisco has one of the deepest soccer histories in the United States, it also has a sad legacy of failed professional clubs that have come and gone. SF City FC embraced a supporter-owned model so that the club would always belong to the San Francisco soccer community.
While maintaining a team in the SFSFL, in 2015 SF City FC made the jump to US Club Soccer’s NorCal Premier League and won the title in their first season. That same year, SF City FC became the first team to represent San Francisco in the US Open Cup in twenty years. In 2016 the club joined USL League Two, the fourth tier of US Soccer, where our top team still plays today.
Along the way, we’ve made a lot of great friends. Anyone who has attended one of our matches knows our supporters, the Northsiders. Unlike some supporter groups in American soccer, they are completely independent from the club and receive no financial support from the club in any way. They maintain the principles of our city’s motto “Gold in Peace, Iron in War” by both giving their time to charity efforts in the community and giving unwavering, raucous, support to the team, making Kezar Stadium an intimidating place for visiting clubs.
OUR Structure
Inspired by the “50+1” supporter ownership model mandated in Germany, 51% of our club is owned by a non-profit members organization and 49% is owned by private investors.
Anyone can become a member of SF City FC’s Members Organization, and all members receive season tickets to home matches and voting rights in the club. The Members Organization ensures that major changes to the club's operations, including membership benefits, ticket prices, league, sponsors, club crest, and home stadium, cannot be made without majority approval of our membership-elected Board of Directors. The Board of Directors are elected by members in good standing during the club’s Annual General Meeting.
The Members Organization’s Board of Directors selects one board member to act as the Chair to the three-person Executive Board, alongside the Chair of Club Operations and the Chair of the Investors Board. Any major proposed changes to the club must be unanimously approved by the three-person Executive Board, giving the
SF City FC is organized to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice. We believe this model ensures the sustainability of the club and a powerful connection to the local community.
