Soccer club
 | |||
| Full name | Austin Bold Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | August 9, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-08-09) | ||
| Stadium | Bold Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Chairman | Bobby Epstein | ||
| Head coach | Ryan Thompson | ||
| League | USL Championship | ||
| 2021 | 6th, Mountain Division 9th, Western Conference Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | https://www.austinboldfc.com/ | ||
| |||
Austin Bold FC (ABFC) was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circuit of the Americas at the end of the season but may have to wait until 2023, depending on the construction of their stadium. As of August 2024, the team remains inactive.
Stadium
The club played at Bold Stadium on the grounds of the Circuit of the Americas race track, located between the amphitheater and the grand plaza. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Kleber Giacomazzi in a 1–0 win against San Antonio FC on March 30, 2019.
Ownership
Bobby Epstein, chairman of the Circuit of the Americas, has led the ownership group after becoming majority owner in 2017. He became involved in a public relations battle with Anthony Precourt, the primary owner of Austin FC, who had been sanctioned by Major League Soccer to create a franchise in Austin after selling his stake in the Columbus Crew amid controversy. Epstein was criticized for his tactics, including hiring petition campaigners who are accused of lying to the public.
In December 2021, a new ownership group was approved by the USL. The new ownership group consists of Donnie Nelson, Neil Leibman, and Epstein. The team did not participate in the 2022 USL Championship as it sought relocation to another city in Texas.
Sponsorship
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | BLK | Ascension Seton |
| 2021 | Puma |
Players and staff
Roster
- As of September 15, 2021
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|
Staff
- As of September 4, 2021
- Rick Abbott – acting general manager
- Brandon Brock - Director, Ticket Sales
- Catherine Ryland – team administrator
- Marcelo Serrano - sporting director
- Ryan Thompson – head coach
- Vacant – assistant coach
- Michael Alcaraz – goalkeeper coach
- Ally Furey – head athletic trainer
- Sarah Khalifa – assistant athletic trainer / assistant performance coach
Team records
Year-by-year
- As of December 20, 2022
| Season | USL Championship | Play-offs | U.S. Open Cup | Top scorer | Head coach | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||||
| 2019 | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 53 | 52 | 48 | 8th, Western | Conference quarterfinals | 4th Round |  André Lima
|
14 | Marcelo Serrano
|
| 2020 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 3rd, Western Group D |
Did not qualify | Cancelled |  Billy Forbes
|
7 | Marcelo Serrano
|
| 2021 | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 32 | 42 | 42 | 6th, Mountain | Did not qualify | Cancelled |  Xavier Báez
|
6 |  Ryan Thompson
|
1. Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
- Includes USL regular season, USL playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcelo Augusto Silva Serrano | Brazil
|
August 3, 2018 | September 4, 2021 | 75 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 036.00 |
| Ryan Thompson | Jamaica
|
September 4, 2021 | present | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 033.33 |
Average attendance
| Year | Reg. season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2,395 | 2,656 |
| 2020 | 2496 | DNQ |
| 2021 | 957 | DNQ |
- Due to COVID-19, attendance at games was restricted
Honors
Minor
- Copa Tejas (Division 2)
- Winners (1): 2019
References
- "USL Announces Return to Austin in 2019". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- "Austin pro soccer franchise will roll in 2019 in 5,000-seat COTA venue". Mystatesman.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- "Austin Bold FC Hosts Official Launch". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- Partian, Claire (October 26, 2021). "REPORT: Austin Bold FC to relocate to Fort Worth, citing Austin FC's success". austonia.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- Bils, Chris. "Austin Bold FC breaks ground on stadium, signs former Liga MX midfielder". Austin American-Statesman.
- Clynch, Shawn (March 30, 2019). "Austin Bold FC claims 1st win of the season in 1st ever home match". KVUE. Austin, Texas. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- "Austin PAC Under Fire for Transphobic Comments, Racist Campaign Ad". Spectrum Local News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "Austin PAC says they mistakenly used 'racist' frog in ad against Adler". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "Caught on Video: Petitioners giving misinformation about MLS stadium deal". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "Texas-Based Ownership Group Purchases Austin Bold FC". USL Championship. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- "Austin Bold FC Unveils Inaugural Jersey and Announces Partnership with Ascension Seton". Austin Bold FC. March 5, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- "Austin Bold FC Roster". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "Austin Bold FC Staff". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- "2019 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- "Austin Bold FC - LA Galaxy II". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- "Austin Bold FC - New Mexico United". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- "2021 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
