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News
Napa Valley gets its own football team
The Napa Valley now has its very own football team – named Napa Valley 1839 in honour of the year in which vines were first planted in the northern Californian wine region.
L-R: Napa Valley 1839 FC’s first three signings Bryan Marin, Andrew Carlile and Saiaz Saenz with coach Jesus Medina (Photo: Facebook)
The newly founded semi-professional club Napa Valley 1839 FC will join the fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League’s (NPSL) Golden Gate Conference. The team boasts an abundance of local and international footballing experience.
“1839 is a very historic year for the Napa Valley,” Arik Housley, team co-owner and board member of the local Napa United Youth Soccer Club, told the Napa Valley Register.
“That is the year George C Yount planted the first wine grapes in the Napa Valley. Our soccer club understands the impact our wine industry has on our community and we wouldn’t be here without it. We embrace our history and pay respect to the wine industry throughout the entire Napa Valley.”
The Napa Valley 1839 team will play in the West Region of NPSL, joining CD Aguiluchos USA, East Bay FC Stompers, Sacramento Gold and Sonoma County Sol in the Golden Gate Conference.
“We’re extremely excited that we’ve gotten to this point,” said Housley. “We’ve been waiting to launch the name for a while. It’s pretty exciting for us to finally launch the name and show everybody how excited we are as well.
“There’s a lot of players that are here in Napa that just don’t get the opportunity to go to the next level,” Housley added. “We’re hoping that this is an opportunity to showcase them. There’s a lot of talent here.
“The level of play is going to be a lot of fun. We’re looking to provide a fun soccer atmosphere for people that really appreciate the game.”
Among the club owners is Michael Hitchcock, the current owner of NPSL Fort Worth Vaqueros and former NPSL commissioner. Hitchcock worked for DC United, Colorado Rapids and the LA Galaxy in the Major Soccer League (MLS), the US’s top level for football, before becoming the general manager of FC Dallas from 2005-2009. His company, Playbook Management International, currently owns Alfreton Town FC in the English National League North – the sixth tier of English football.
The club will aim to draw on strong local ties to the wine industry, for example through its club badge, which features a bottle of wine on top of a football, with vine leaves replacing the more common hexagonal stitching pattern.
Napa Valley 1839 will play their home games at the 6,000-seater Memorial Stadium in Napa city centre.
The team will play its first ever league match against CD Aguiluchos USA on 25 March.