Futbol in the Triangle

It’s an exciting time for soccer in the triangle! Several years back visionary entrepreneur Steve Malik purchased the Carolina Railhawks.  The Railhawks were a team within the NASL which is essentially a minor league soccer level a few tiers below Major League Soccer (MLS). Since taking control of this organization Mr. Malik and his team have done a complete overhaul.  The rebranded Railhawks have become North Carolina FC (NCFC) and have since moved up a tier to the USL. With the MLS in the process of expansion, Raleigh has made a huge push to bring an MLS team to the triangle #919toMLS.

Currently a 20,000 seat stadium is in the planning stages to be built just south of downtown Raleigh Convention Center and Red Hat Amphitheatre. This means very exciting things are in the works for soccer in the triangle. 

As a part of the NCFC rebranding, Malik acquired the Western New York Flash of which have been renamed the NC Courage.  The NC Courage plays within the NWSL, the highest level of women’s professional soccer in the United States. Since arriving in North Carolina the Courage have experienced tremendous success.  In their inaugural year they played in the league championship game and each of the past two seasons have been the League Champions. For young girls in the triangle, having the ability to see their soccer role models play up close is outstanding.  Several women that compete on the world stage on the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) as back-to-back Women’s World Cup champions play for the NC Courage. 

As an additional feature of the NCFC rebrand, Malik acquired both the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) and Triangle FC (TFC) which were the two largest youth soccer programs in the triangle area.  These two programs have been rebranded as NCFC Youth and in the process have become the largest youth-to-pro soccer pipeline in the United States. As a parent of two middle school aged very competitive soccer daughters, access to top notched programs and instruction is outstanding. 

For those families looking to start their child in soccer, there are many fantastic opportunities to get involved. From recreation soccer, to challenge soccer, to classic soccer and beyond the opportunities seem to be endless.  There also exists a number of great soccer programs available outside of NCFC as well. Programs that put the focus on the technical and tactical development of the player. Next Level Academy located at the Factory in Wake Forest, and at NetSports in Cary as well as Soccer Genome located in North Raleigh, and XL Soccer World in Cary are just a few of the opportunities for your young athlete to improve their skills.

If your family prefers to not participate within the NCFC programs Wake FC based out of Holly Springs is a phenomenal option with teams and programs that produce top level soccer athletes each year. 

Regardless of the age and level families can find options for their child who has expressed interest in the “beautiful game”.  As a family experiencing #ThisFutbolLife, our love for this game continues to grow with each passing year. The benefit of sport (any sport) for children allows for an opportunity for growth on many different levels.  If it’s soccer that your child wishes to play, be their #1 cheerleader and continue to encourage them to have a blast out on the Pitch.