NPSL Welcomes Asheville City SC as Latest Expansion Club
The NPSL is one of the fastest growing competitive soccer leagues in America — the league where many MLS players get their start. Now, the NPSL welcomes Asheville City SC out of North Carolina as the league’s latest expansion side for the upcoming season. Asheville City will play its home games in Downtown Asheville at Memorial Stadium. Soccer in America is definitely growing stronger and more popular.
NPSL Soccer News: The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) welcomes Asheville City Soccer Club (Asheville, NC) as its latest expansion team for the upcoming 2017 season. The new club will play in the South Region.
“We welcome Asheville City Soccer Club with great excitement,” NPSL Chairman Joe Barone commented. “The NPSL is proud to provide a platform for Asheville City Soccer Club to grow and support the game within their city and Western North Carolina.”
The ownership of Asheville City is comprised of six owners: Chairman/CFO Jimmy Wheeler, President Ryan Kelley, General Manager Allen Bradley, Director of Revenue Management Jordan Vance, Director of Community Outreach Josh Yoakum, and Director of Communications Andrew Hunter. All members of the ownership group are natives of Western North Carolina.
ACSC has already announced Gary Hamel as its first head coach. Hamel currently serves as the head coach of the Mars Hill University men’s soccer team. During his coaching career at MHU, he has coached five All-Region players and a Daktronics All-American. He was named the SAC Coach of the Year during the 2012 campaign that saw the Lions claim the SAC regular season title and earn a NCAA tournament appearance. Hamel has also spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Oregon State men’s soccer program.
“We want to bring the city of Asheville together under one set of colors to support the game at the next level,” Wheeler added. “We expect to build a strong roster consisting of the region’s top talent and elite players from across the country and around the world with the intention of competing at a high level right away.”
ACSC will play its home games at Memorial Stadium in Downtown Asheville. The 3,000-seat stadium was built in 1925 as a memorial to war veterans and to serve as the region’s premier sports venue.
“The club is committed to downtown Asheville and making Memorial Stadium our home,” Wheeler continued. “We are investing in a restoration of the playing surface for the 2017 season and look forward to the full renovation of the stadium as approved in the bond referendum.”
More information about the Asheville City can be found here.
Photo Credit: National Premier Soccer League
