Stumptown AC

Stumptown AC
Founded2018
Dissolved2022
StadiumSportsplex at Matthews
Capacity5,000
LeagueNational Independent Soccer Association
Fall 20218th Place
Websitehttps://www.stumptownac.com/

Stumptown AC, formerly Stumptown Athletic, was an American professional soccer team that played in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club was based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte.

History

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Founding

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Following an initial bid in late 2017, the team was first announced by the National Independent Soccer Association on October 23, 2018 with plans to begin play in the inaugural 2019–20 season.[1][2] Originally referred to in league press releases simply as "Charlotte", the name Stumptown Athletic was officially unveiled in June 2019.[3] The name came from an early nickname for Matthews derived from the fact that farmers cut down so many trees to clear land that the town was left full of tree stumps.[4]

The team was originally owned by Christopher Clarke of Atlanta, a lawyer specializing in wealth management, and Casey Carr, a former college soccer player with the DePaul Blue Demons and an entrepreneur based out of Mecklenburg County.[5] Carr also served as the club's president and GM in its first season.

On July 21, 2019 the club appointed Mark Steffens as head coach. Steffens previously coached the Charlotte Eagles and served as an assistant for the Charlotte Lady Eagles.[6] In August, Stumptown announced former Jamaica national football team player Michael Binns and Jared Odenbeck as their first signings.[7]

During the Fall 2019 showcase, Stumptown competed within the East Coast Conference and finished second in their group. In the championship game the team fell to Miami FC, 3–0.[8] After two matches in the Spring 2020 season, NISA announced a suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Eventually, the entire Spring Season was cancelled outright.[10]

NISA takeover and folding

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Following a hiatus during the Fall 2020 season, Clarke tried to sell the club. Unable to find a new buyer, the league itself took over ownership and operations of the team under a new logo and the revised name Stumptown AC on March 3, 2021.[11][12] Soccer executive Fred Matthes and former Portland Timbers assistant coach Rod Underwood were announced as the new team president and head coach, respectively.

The Spring 2021 season was a difficult one for Stumptown. With league ownership requiring a shoestring budget, bills went unpaid during the season. The broadcast company went unpaid and nearly refused to air the team's final game. Player paychecks were frequently late, and on at least one occasion players were paid by the opposing team before a game.[13]

The league searched for a new owner throughout the 2021 season, and put the team on hiatus after the season ended.[14] Underwood left the club and on December 3, 2021 was named head coach of regional rival Chattanooga FC.[15] Following the league's failure to secure new ownership, the hiatus became permanent and Stumptown AC folded.[16]

Supporters

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The club's supporters' group was the QC Royals.[17] Founded in 2015 to support other minor league soccer clubs, the Royals moved on to support Charlotte FC after Stumptown folded.[16]

Stadium

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The team used both CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex in Pineville and the Sportsplex at Matthews as home venues in 2019-20, and played all of its home games in the Sportsplex at Matthews during the Spring 2021 season.[11]

Crest history

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  • Stumptown Athletic (2019–2020)
    Stumptown Athletic
    (2019–2020)
  • Stumptown AC (2021–2022)
    Stumptown AC
    (2021–2022)

Year-by-year

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Season League Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA Pts. Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top goalscorer Manager
Name League
2019–20 NISA Fall – East Coast[a] 2nd 6 4 0 2 13 7 12 Runner-up Cancelled Jamaica Michael Binns
Central African Republic Donald Benamna
United States Jalen Brown 		2 United States Mark Steffens
Spring[b] 1st 2 0 2 0 3 3 2 Cancelled
2020–21 Fall On hiatus Cancelled United States Alex McGrath 3 Nigeria Rod Underwood
Spring 3rd 8 4 3 1 8 4 15 Did not qualify
  1. ^ The Fall 2019 NISA season had eight teams split into two separate conferences, East Coast and West Coast
  2. ^ Spring season cancelled before completion[18]

References

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  1. ^ Showell, Alex (August 31, 2017). "Eight cities bid to join 3rd division National Independent Soccer Association". Stars and Stripes FC. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "New Professional Soccer Club to Call Charlotte Home". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Boraks, David (June 30, 2019). "New Pro Soccer Team Stumptown Athletic Debuts This Fall". WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "Our History – Matthews NC". www.matthewsnc.gov.
  5. ^ Boraks, David (June 30, 2019). "New Pro Soccer Team Stumptown Athletic Debuts This Fall". www.wfae.org.
  6. ^ "Steffens to lead Stumptown Athletic". South Charlotte Weekly. July 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Mahoney, Ashley. "Stumptown Athletic announces first players and philanthropic goals". www.thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Carmenate, Achillies (November 10, 2019). "Miami FC Wins NISA Eastern Conference Championship, 9th Trophy in Four Years". Lemon City Live. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Nisa Announces Suspension of Season For 30 Days". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "NISA announces Spring season cancelled; aims for Summer tournament, Fall campaign". WTVC. April 27, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Pro Soccer Returns to Stumptown for NISA Spring Season". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Stumptown Returns Under NISA Management". Protagonist Soccer. March 3, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "Trouble in Stumptown". Protagonist Soccer. December 17, 2021. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  14. ^ @KnightsWhoNISA (January 20, 2022). "We can confirm, from multiple sources, that @StumptownAC will not playing in @NISALeague in 2022. The plans are to return in 2023, we've been told" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Rod Underwood Named Sporting Director & Men's Head Coach for Chattanooga Football Club". ChattanoogaFC.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Burns-Heffner, Kaila (March 3, 2022). "Charlotte is ready for MLS: How the Panthers' 'Other Football Project' became a real club". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Charlotte Soccer". QC Royals. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Kennedy, Paul (April 28, 2020). "NISA cancels spring season, sets sights on August start to fall championship". www.socceramerica.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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