August 2 – The fast-franchising USL has added Professional soccer is coming to Chattanooga as USL Division III today announced its sixth team for the league’s inaugural season.
At its Atlanta meeting this week, the USL had 11 ownership groups present. More D3 franchises are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Chattanooga, in Tennessee, has a strong football base with 50,000 registered youth players and 5,000 adult amateurs across the state.
The franchise ownership group is headed by local businessman Bob Martino.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and watershed moment for soccer fans in Chattanooga,” said Martino. “This market has proven that it has the right ingredients to launch and sustain a professional franchise, and we are excited to take this next step into USL Division III for fans and the community.”
Chattanooga Pro Soccer joins Toronto FC II (Toronto, Ontario), South Georgia Tormenta FC (Statesboro, Georgia), FC Tucson (Tucson, Arizona), Greenville Pro Soccer (Greenville, South Carolina) and Madison Pro Soccer (Madison, Wisconsin) as announced franchises for 2019.
The USL says that it is “positioning teams for long-term success by creating regional rivalries that deliver on-field excitement and leveraging a national media platform to drive awareness for each market.” Final league structure is still to be announced.
Also to be announced is Chattanooga’s official team name (any bets on choo choo?), schedule, playing location, and franchise partnerships.
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