Ballard FC is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, competing in the Northwest Division of

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. They began play in the 2022 season and won their first league championship in 2023. The team plays their home matches at Interbay Stadium alongside their women's affiliate, Salmon Bay FC. Their temporary home venue for the 2024 season was Memorial Stadium at the

Seattle Center The Seattle Center is an entertainment, education, tourism and performing arts center located in the Lower Queen Anne, Seattle, Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Constructed for the Century 21 Exposition, 1962 W ...

History

The club was founded in 2021 and is owned by former

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

player Lamar Neagle, Chris Kaimmer, and Sam Zisette. It is based in the Ballard neighborhood and would play home matches at the Interbay Stadium. The club's largest supporters' group is The Bridge Keepers. Ballard FC made their league debut on May 21, 2022, defeating Lane United FC 6–1 in front of 1,200 spectators. The team finished second in the USL2 Northwest Division behind Oregon's Capital FC and qualified for the league playoffs. They advanced to the Western Conference Final in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, where Ballard FC lost 2–1 to the eventual league champions

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

. Captain and defender Lesia Thetsane was a finalist for the USL2 Player of the Year Award and was one of 14 players to return for the club's second season in 2023. Head coach Jason Farrell left the club in July 2023 after they had clinched a playoff berth and was replaced by Ethan O'Neill on an interim basis. Ballard FC secured their first Northwest Division title and hosted several playoff matches at Interbay Stadium. The club advanced to the USL League Two Championship, which they would host at Starfire Sports Stadium in

Tukwila, Washington Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census. A large commercial center draws workers and consumers to the city daily; ind ...

, against Lionsbridge FC on August 5, 2023. Ballard FC won their first championship 2–1 with a goal in

stoppage time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the ga ...

scored by Cameron Martin in front of a sellout crowd of 3,416. The club are the second from Washington to win the league's championship, after Kitsap Pumas in 2011, and earned qualification to the

2024 U.S. Open Cup The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. Houston Dynamo FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 32 by Detroit City FC. L ...

. On March 20, 2024, Ballard FC played their first U.S. Open Cup match at Memorial Stadium, their temporary home during year-long renovations to Interbay Soccer Field. The team lost 1–0 to Spokane Velocity FC, a new

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

team based in the state. The two teams met again in the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup and played to a scoreless draw in regulation time at Interbay Stadium in front of a record 1,508 spectators. Spokane won 1–0 in extra time.

Stadium

Ballard FC plays their home matches at Interbay Stadium, a 900-seat stadium in the Interbay neighborhood south of Ballard. The stadium was built in 1997 for the Seattle Pacific Falcons collegiate soccer teams and is also used by the sister team Salmon Bay FC. It has a grass pitch and a maximum capacity of 1,200 spectators when including standing areas. In 2023, Ballard FC signed a sponsorship agreement with Pagliacci Pizza, a local chain, to rename the pitch to the Pagliacci Pitch. The team temporarily moved to Memorial Stadium at the

for the 2024 regular season while renovations at Interbay Stadium are made to comply with accessibility requirements. Ballard FC returned to Interbay Stadium for the 2024 playoffs.

Club identity

The club crest, designed by a Ballard-based agency, was released alongside the founding announcement in December 2022. The crest depicts the

Ballard Bridge The Ballard Bridge, also known as the 15th Avenue Bridge, is a double-leaf bascule bridge in Seattle, Washington. It carries 15th Avenue NW over Seattle's Salmon Bay between Ballard to the north and Interbay to the south. The Ballard Bridge ...

over a sunset. Ballard FC's primary jersey is cream-colored with red accents; the inaugural 2022–23 home jersey included a sublimated wave pattern derived the Flag of Seattle. The club collaborates with local artists for third jerseys each year, such as Seattle-based muralists Ryan Henry "henry" Ward, dozfy, and Stevie Shao.

Players and staff

Technical staff

Roster

Year-by-year

Honors

League

Playoffs **Champions (1):

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*USL League Two Western Conference **Champions (1): 2023 *USL League Two Northwest Division **Champions (1): 2023, 2024

Player

References

{{Authority control 2021 establishments in Washington (state) Association football clubs established in 2021 Ballard, Seattle Soccer clubs in Seattle USL League Two teams