Shreveport Rafters FC was a soccer team based in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. Founded in 2016, the team most recently played in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

(NPSL), a national semi-professional league at the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur association football, soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are no ...

. The team plays its home games at

Independence Stadium Independence Stadium may also refer to: * Independence Stadium (Bakau) in Gambia * Independence Stadium (Namibia) in Windhoek * Independence Stadium (South Africa) in Mthatha, a List of football stadiums in South Africa, football stadium in South A ...

. The team's colors are blue, white, and yellow, based on the city's flag.

History

In 2015, Shreveport-based brothers announced they would be bringing the first professional soccer team in the history of the city. The team is named for the infamous

Great Raft The Great Raft was an enormous log jam or series of "rafts" that clogged the Red and Atchafalaya rivers in North America from perhaps the 12th century until its removal in the 1830s. It was unique in North America in terms of its scale. Origin ...

log jam which clogged the

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

and Atchafalaya Rivers from the 1100s to early 1900s. Rafters FC played their inaugural season in 2016, garnering an 8–7–3 record. Rafters FC debuted a customized jersey that became a viral sensation in soccer media as it featured a printed seersucker jacket and pink bowtie.

Stadium

Rafters FC currently play their home matches at

. They previously played at Graf Orthodontics Field at Messmer Stadium, a local stadium used primarily for high school sporting events and community events. Max capacity of the stadium is estimated at 3,500 with the Rafters averaging 2,000–3,000 in attendance each match for the 2016 season.

Year-by-year

Coaches

''As of October 23, 2016.'' * Head coach Phil Bohn (2018–present) * Head coach Greg Palmer (2016–2018) ** Assistant Head coach Emmett Rutkowski (2016–present) ** Assistant Coach, Opposition Analysis Robert Stults (2016–present) ** Assistant Coach, Goalkeeping Colt Reichl (2016–present) ** Assistant Coach, Sports Science Ian Coyer (2016–present) ** Assistant Coach, Sports Science Scott LeBlanc (2016–present) ** Assistant Coach, Sports Science Todd Zachary (2016–present)

Associated Clubs

Lady Rafters FC

In July 2016, the Rafters announced they would be fielding a

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States. History The WPSL is the longest-running active women's soccer league as it enters its 25th season in 2023. The WPSL is also the largest women ...

team, the Shreveport Lady Rafters FC, starting in 2017. The team will be coached by Northern Ireland native Ryan McConville.

Rafters Reserves

In September 2016, the Rafters announced a reserves team, the Shreveport Rafters FC B team, would play in the

Gulf Coast Premier League The Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) is a United States Adult Soccer Association affiliated Amateur Elite League that includes teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The regular season of the GCPL runs May through Jul ...

.{{cite web, url=https://raftersfc.com/rafters-reserves-announce-coach-schedule-and-tryouts, accessdate=October 30, 2016, title=Rafters Reserves Announce Coach, Schedule and Tryouts

References

External links

(Official website) Sports clubs and teams in Shreveport, Louisiana, Rafters Association football clubs established in 2016 2016 establishments in Louisiana Soccer clubs in Louisiana