Broward County, this is your invitation to help write the next chapter of South Florida soccer. Fort Lauderdale United FC is joining USL League One in Spring 2027, bringing professional men’s soccer back to a community that knows what it means to stand behind a hometown club.
The team will call Amerant Bank Field, sharing the stadium with our women’s professional team and giving supporters a place to gather, raise their flags and build new matchday traditions.
From the 954 to the 305 and everywhere in between, Fort Lauderdale United FC is giving South Florida something to rally behind. For longtime Fort Lauderdale soccer supporters, this moment carries something deeper: a chance to reconnect with the game they love and help build a club the next generation can call its own.
The history belongs to this community. The future is ours to build together.
The Passion Never Left
If you grew up following Fort Lauderdale soccer, you know.
You remember the familiar faces in the stands. The pride of wearing your hometown kit. The excitement of watching your favorite players from Gerd Müller and George Best to Jan Van Beveren and Ray Hudson, to our very own Aly Hassan take the pitch. You remember how a match could bring people together and give this community something to believe in.
When those chapters ended, supporters were left with memories, unanswered questions and a loyalty that outlasted the final whistle.
That loyalty deserves a home.
To everyone who carried Fort Lauderdale soccer through those years: we want you here. Bring your stories, your songs, your flags and your expectations. Help us build something worthy of the passion you never lost.
“I want our supporters to understand that Spring 2027 is just the beginning,” said Tommy Smith, Founder and Chairman of Fort Lauderdale United FC. “We want people to be excited not only about what they’ll see in 2027, but about where this can go over the next 10, 20, and 30 years.”
We know loyalty is earned through seasons of showing up, listening and following through. Our commitment begins with a men’s team rooted in South Florida, opportunities for local players and a place for every supporter.
A New League. An Ambitious Future.
Joining USL League One connects Fort Lauderdale United FC to a national soccer landscape and an ambitious vision for its future.
The USL has adopted plans for promotion and relegation across its men’s professional leagues. The principle is simple: clubs can earn their way into a higher league through results, while teams at the bottom face moving down. As that system takes shape, it offers supporters a compelling possibility: watching their hometown club compete to climb higher.
The USL Cup adds another dimension. Its current format brings League One and USL Championship clubs together, creating opportunities for teams to test themselves against opponents from another level.
For our supporters, that means a future worth getting excited about: new opponents, meaningful rivalries and the ambition to see how far Fort Lauderdale United FC can go.
A Team From Fort Lauderdale
This next chapter builds on a foundation already taking shape through our women’s professional team, youth academy and development programs.
Adding a men’s professional team gives young players another reason to dream close to home. They can grow within our programs, see professional soccer firsthand and work toward the possibility of one day wearing the shirt themselves.
“South Florida has always produced talent,” said General Manager Aly Hassan. “Too often that talent had to leave home to find its next step. Now it doesn’t have to.”
Our development programs will prepare players for opportunities with the League One squad, college soccer and careers across the United States or abroad. Experienced players joining the club will help establish the standards of our new team.
The ambition is a team whose connection to South Florida is visible every time it takes the field.
“If we do that right, the League One team won’t just be a team in Fort Lauderdale,” Hassan said. “It’ll be a team from Fort Lauderdale.”
Help Build the Matchdays We’ll Remember
Picture Amerant Bank Field with flags flying, supporters singing and families finding their favorite seats. Picture a young player watching from the stands, imagining the day their name is announced.
Those moments begin with you.
Every friend you bring, every ticket you buy and every voice you add helps build the support that allows a club to grow. A packed stadium creates an atmosphere players want to compete in. A community that shows up gives local businesses a reason to get involved. A growing fan base helps turn ambition into opportunity.
You have a part to play in how far this club can go.
“This team is being built for them,” Hassan said. “Every decision, from the style of play to who we sign to how we show up in the community, is being made so supporters feel ownership of this club.”
You can start now. Join us for a women’s match at Amerant Bank Field. Bring someone who remembers Fort Lauderdale’s soccer history—and someone ready to experience it for the first time.
Then help us carry that energy into Spring 2027.
“Fort Lauderdale has a proud soccer history, and the supporters who built it deserve to be part of what comes next,” Smith said. “We want to carry that passion forward while giving a new generation its own team, traditions and memories. What excites me most is the opportunity to grow this game across all of South Florida.”
Plant Your Flag. Become a Founding Member.
Years from now, when someone asks how it all started, you’ll be able to say: I was there.
Place your $20 Founding Member deposit for Fort Lauderdale United FC’s inaugural USL League One season and stand with us from the beginning.
Founding Membership benefits include:
- Permanent Founding Member designation: Since 2027
- Exclusive Founding Member gift
- Priority seat selection event at Amerant Bank Field
- Founding Member pricing
- Invitations to team launch events
- Name recognition at the stadium and on the digital founders wall
- First access to merchandise and special events
South Florida has the talent. Broward has the history. Now we have a new chapter to build—and every reason to believe in what it can become.
Place your $20 Founding Member deposit today and plant your flag with Fort Lauderdale United FC.
