Brooklyn Football Club (BKFC) will be competing in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship starting in 2025, the team announced on Thursday.
The USL Championship is the second division of soccer in the United States — one tier beneath Major League Soccer. Upon the club’s unveiling and identity last year, it was initially forecasted that they would compete in USL League One, which is the third team within America’s soccer pyramid.
“The move into USL Championship… showcases our commitment to bringing a fresh, new vision for professional soccer to the borough of Brooklyn,” Mack Mansfield, CEO of Brooklyn Football Club, said. “We are excited to compete at the highest level in the USL system and believe the sporting staff, players, and personnel we are recruiting will be a testament to our professionalism and will make our supporters extremely proud.”
Brooklyn FC is controlled by New York-based family office North Sixth Group and their leading chairman, Matt Rizzetta. The 40-year-old is also a minority shareholder of Italian Serie B side, Ascoli, and the majority owner of Campobasso 1919 of Serie D, which features famous investors in Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.
The team will restore a local presence in the USL Championship after FC New York lasted just a single season in 2011. They are one of five teams on the cusp of joining the league, which also includes franchises in Milwaukee, Iowa, Oklahoma City, and Jacksonville.
BKFC will play its home matches at Maimonides Park at Coney Island, home of the New York Mets’ Single-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones.
