Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional 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 ...

team based in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the

Premier Development League 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 ...

, 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 ...

in 2017.

History

The Hammerheads had one championship in 2003, and were a finalist in 2002 and 2012, losing to the Long Island Rough Riders 2–1 in 2002 and losing 0–1 to the Charleston Battery in 2012. Wilmington found great success in the US Open Cup in their later years, regularly drawing

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

teams in the late rounds. Their most famous result occurred in 2003 when they drew the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, an MLS team, in the middle of a particularly bad year. They shocked the soccer world by defeating the Burn 4–1 at Legion Sports Complex before bowing out to D.C. United 1–0 in the quarterfinal round. The Hammerheads regularly drew well over 2,000 fans per game, and had drawn nearly 5,000 for playoff games. On June 30, 2009, the Hammerheads upset the Chicago Fire in the third round of the 2009 US Open Cup 1–0 at home. The team went on hiatus in 2010 and returned for the 2011

USL PRO The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

regular season, due to local businessman Bill Rudisill and a minority ownership group combining their efforts and financial support to the Port City. Following the 2011 USL PRO regular season, the Hammerheads competed in the division semifinals. In 2012, the Hammerheads finished their regular season with an overall record of 10–7–7 After qualifying for playoffs, they defeated both the Richmond Kickers and Orlando City Lions to obtain their spot in the finals versus the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

whom took the 2012 USL PRO Championship title at

Blackbaud Stadium MUSC Health Stadium was a soccer-specific stadium located in the Daniel Island area of Charleston, South Carolina that served as the home of the Charleston Battery of the USL Championship. Originally named "Blackbaud Stadium", the stadium was op ...

after defeating the Hammerheads 1–0. The Hammerheads fell short of qualifying for a playoff position following their 2013 regular season. In 2013, Daniel Steres led the team in goals with seven. He received the team's Most Valuable Player award, and was named to the 2013

All-League Second Team. In September 2013, the Wilmington Hammerheads announced that after three years of ownership, Bill Rudisill had sold a majority share to George Altirs, CEO of Capelli New York. Rudisill retained a minority share of the club. In January 2014, the Wilmington Hammerheads entered a developmental partnership deal with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

side

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

that would see a minimum of four Toronto players come to Wilmington with the goal of gaining first team experience. In August 2014, the Hammerheads' longtime head coach, Englishman

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a British court ...

, stepped down from his position following fifteen seasons with the club.

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

announced a one-year affiliation with the Hammerheads in January 2015, in which NYCFC would send players to train and play in Wilmington for further development. The clubs renewed their affiliation agreement for the 2016 season. On August 1, 2016, it was reported that the Hammerheads were planning another hiatus from the USL, beginning with the 2017 season. This would allow the club to restructure "in order to keep pace with the growth in stature of the USL." Six weeks later, the ''Washington Post'' reported that the Hammerheads were a possible contender to move to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

for the 2018 season, noting that Wilmington is the smallest of the league's twenty-nine markets. The team self-relegated to the

on September 29, 2016. After the 2017 season, the PDL team was disbanded. The organization continues as a youth soccer academy under the name Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC.

Stadium

* Legion Stadium:

(2003–2009, 2011–2016) * UNCW Soccer Stadium: Wilmington, North Carolina (2017)

Notable former players

Glenn Murray Paul Nicholson

Head coaches

(1998–2014) * Carson Porter (2014–2015) * Mark Briggs (2015–2016)

Achievements

*USL PRO Championship Finalist 2012 *USL Second Division Regular Season Champions 2009 *USL Pro Select League Champions 2003 *USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2002 *USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2001

Record

Year-by-year

Supporters

The primary supporters group was the Port City Firm. The group was founded in 1997 and stuck together during the team's hiatus year in 2010.

References

External links

{{USSoccer Association football clubs established in 1996 Association football clubs disestablished in 2017 Defunct soccer clubs in North Carolina Sports in Wilmington, North Carolina Former USL Championship teams USL Second Division teams 1996 establishments in North Carolina USL League Two teams 2017 disestablishments in North Carolina