Not to Reign on parades, or Sound picky, but it’s really clutch to have a small, community-based soccer club in town. Enter Ballard FC.
The semi-pro squad in the United Soccer League (USL) League Two was formed last year by former Sounders player Lamar Neagle, and two Ballard High grads, Sam Zisette + Chris Kaimmer. Ballard FC is now prepping for its inaugural season at Interbay Stadium in May — and hosting open tryouts next week. Um, how are your dribbling skills?
SEAtoday caught up with co-owner Zisette (who himself advanced his sem-pro soccer career through an open tryout years ago) to learn more about the club’s origins and what ideas he’s kicking around. 🥅
How did Ballard FC get started?
Soccer was always my passion […] I got to play for a few different [semi-pro] clubs, including AFC Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where there’s 1,000 people per game. The way they treat their fans and players was so amazing, it sparked an idea. Why don’t we have that in Seattle? There’s a history to Ballard, and that kind of pride of place — people can rally around their neighborhood and community the same way they cheer on their city.
Why do you think there was a need for another Seattle soccer team?
There’s obviously a lot of people who love watching soccer, watching the Sounders — but there’s obviously a huge gap for playing here between the professional level and then co-ed outdoor or men’s leagues, a level where we, can provide a real quality semi-professional experience where players can train and play meaningful games in front of fans.
Who’s going to be on the team?
We reserved spots for tryout participants — so on March 5-6, there’ll be 150 players there [men over the age of 16 could sign up], and our coaching staff is excited to assess their talent. We were blown away with how many people registered, and had to limit the list so that everyone could get attention. Otherwise, we are still building out our roster with local college players [like Seattle University goalkeeper Akili Kasim]. Compared to other teams at our level, who bring players from other states, we just feel like there’s so many talented players in Seattle that we could build an entirely local roster.
I have a personal open tryout story of my own. I played in college at University of Puget Sound, which is a Division 3 school. Division 3 players don’t get a lot of love often [...] so in my senior year of college, I went to an open tryout for a club in what was then called the FC 2 League [now a team called the Tacoma Defiance in the MLS Next Pro League]. There were about 250 other people there, and I had a great tryout and was selected as one of two players to start preseason with that team. I got to put that on my resume, got some highlights from playing in some games. It helped be a domino to go and play at the professional level, while not for that team, at least for other teams. So I’m a firm believer in the open tryout process, because I think it’s great to give people an opportunity who otherwise might not get that invite or might not have that connection.
How might Ballard FC connect to the larger Seattle soccer world?
There have been former Sounders players — Jordan Morris, Andre Yedlin — who played in the USL League 2 at one point in their careers. It’s particularly meant for players who are in college … they kind of keep their training and development going during those summer months when they’re off from their seasons.
What might the fan experience be like?
We want to do a tribute to Ballard’s Nordic heritage and history. And we want to celebrate art in the community, like Henry who did the mural at Reuben’s [the club’s main sponsor]. What’s cool about Ballard FC — and also one of the more daunting pieces — is that it’s this blank canvas.
Individual tickets for games start at $12.50 and go on sale Sat., Feb. 26. Check the team’s Instagram for announcements.
