Sacramento, Calif., May 15, 2017 – Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg today joined with Kevin Nagle and Warren Smith to announce the formal acquisition of United Soccer League’s (USL) Sacramento Republic FC (Republic FC) by Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, LLC (Sac Soccer). As Sac Soccer’s first step in leading Republic FC, Nagle announced the launch of the new #BringItHome initiative to guide the next phase in the club’s push for elevation to Major League Soccer (MLS).
“Sacramento is unified behind Republic FC, and our bid for MLS has no equal,” said Mayor Steinberg. “No community has worked longer or advanced further than Sacramento to demonstrate our readiness to be a Major League Soccer city. Our record-breaking fan base, shovel-ready stadium plan and committed ownership group are unrivaled. With a final decision on the next round of MLS expansion expected by December, it’s time for Sacramento to #BringItHome.”
While terms of the acquisition remain confidential, the deal achieves the fundamental goal of ensuring that Republic FC will be the official identity of Sacramento’s prospective MLS club.
“Today we stand as one club and one community,” said Sac Soccer Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle. “I thank the Mayor and Warren for helping formalize what all of us wanted from day one: for Republic FC to represent Sacramento at the MLS level, as it has done so successfully in the USL. But as proud as I am of what we’ve accomplished, I know now is not the time to be complacent. #BringItHome is about taking an already strong bid and making it even stronger by refocusing our efforts on what got us into the MLS conversation in the first place: the incredible people of Sacramento.”
“It’s a proud day for our Republic FC family, including the staff, fans and supporters that have been instrumental during this journey since we first joined the USL and brought professional soccer to Sacramento,” said Republic FC Co-Founder and President Warren Smith. “I’m grateful to the Mayor, Kevin and our fans for their belief in the purpose, mission and values of what we created through Republic FC. For me, this was and will always be about Sacramento and making it a better place to live, work and play, and as we enter this final phase of our pursuit to be an MLS club through #BringItHome, it only makes sense that we put our fans and community front and center. After all, we are a Republic and Sacramento is our home.”
In his remarks, Nagle outlined a series of initiatives that Sac Soccer will roll out as part of #BringItHome, including:
1. 20,000 Voices.
By December, Republic FC will connect directly with 20,000 SRFC fans and Sacramentans – the same number as there are seats in the new MLS stadium – through town halls, surveys, forums, focus groups and one-on-one conversations to ensure that our fans and community guide the future of the club.
2. Keep It Local.
Republic FC will ensure strong participation by local workers and local businesses in the construction and operation of the new stadium to deliver jobs and opportunities to our region.
3. Farm to Field.
Republic FC will harness the renowned agricultural base of our region and build stadium concessions partnerships with a broad and diverse group of local farms, restaurants and breweries.
4. Citizen Architects.
Republic FC will challenge fans to submit design proposals for a portion of the plaza surrounding the stadium to be developed by and for the public.
5. Seat at the Table.
Republic FC will ensure that fans have a direct and consistent audience with the Board via representatives selected by the fans.
Sacramento is currently one of 12 cities vying for four MLS expansion slots. MLS has indicated that it will announce at least two of the four expansion cities in 2017.
Sacramento, Calif., May 15, 2017 – Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg today joined with Kevin Nagle and Warren Smith to announce the formal acquisition of United Soccer League’s (USL) Sacramento Republic FC (Republic FC) by Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, LLC (Sac Soccer). As Sac Soccer’s first step in leading Republic FC, Nagle announced the launch of the new #BringItHome initiative to guide the next phase in the club’s push for elevation to Major League Soccer (MLS).
“Sacramento is unified behind Republic FC, and our bid for MLS has no equal,” said Mayor Steinberg. “No community has worked longer or advanced further than Sacramento to demonstrate our readiness to be a Major League Soccer city. Our record-breaking fan base, shovel-ready stadium plan and committed ownership group are unrivaled. With a final decision on the next round of MLS expansion expected by December, it’s time for Sacramento to #BringItHome.”
While terms of the acquisition remain confidential, the deal achieves the fundamental goal of ensuring that Republic FC will be the official identity of Sacramento’s prospective MLS club.
“Today we stand as one club and one community,” said Sac Soccer Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle. “I thank the Mayor and Warren for helping formalize what all of us wanted from day one: for Republic FC to represent Sacramento at the MLS level, as it has done so successfully in the USL. But as proud as I am of what we’ve accomplished, I know now is not the time to be complacent. #BringItHome is about taking an already strong bid and making it even stronger by refocusing our efforts on what got us into the MLS conversation in the first place: the incredible people of Sacramento.”
“It’s a proud day for our Republic FC family, including the staff, fans and supporters that have been instrumental during this journey since we first joined the USL and brought professional soccer to Sacramento,” said Republic FC Co-Founder and President Warren Smith. “I’m grateful to the Mayor, Kevin and our fans for their belief in the purpose, mission and values of what we created through Republic FC. For me, this was and will always be about Sacramento and making it a better place to live, work and play, and as we enter this final phase of our pursuit to be an MLS club through #BringItHome, it only makes sense that we put our fans and community front and center. After all, we are a Republic and Sacramento is our home.”
In his remarks, Nagle outlined a series of initiatives that Sac Soccer will roll out as part of #BringItHome, including:
1. 20,000 Voices.
By December, Republic FC will connect directly with 20,000 SRFC fans and Sacramentans – the same number as there are seats in the new MLS stadium – through town halls, surveys, forums, focus groups and one-on-one conversations to ensure that our fans and community guide the future of the club.
2. Keep It Local.
Republic FC will ensure strong participation by local workers and local businesses in the construction and operation of the new stadium to deliver jobs and opportunities to our region.
3. Farm to Field.
Republic FC will harness the renowned agricultural base of our region and build stadium concessions partnerships with a broad and diverse group of local farms, restaurants and breweries.
4. Citizen Architects.
Republic FC will challenge fans to submit design proposals for a portion of the plaza surrounding the stadium to be developed by and for the public.
5. Seat at the Table.
Republic FC will ensure that fans have a direct and consistent audience with the Board via representatives selected by the fans.
Sacramento is currently one of 12 cities vying for four MLS expansion slots. MLS has indicated that it will announce at least two of the four expansion cities in 2017.