 | |||
| Nickname | Fury | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 | ||
| Stadium | Franklin Field | ||
| Capacity | 52,958 | ||
| Sporting Director/CEO | Matt Driver | ||
| Chairman | Martin E. Judge | ||
| Head coach | Cris Vaccaro | ||
| League | National Independent Soccer Association | ||
| Website | https://philadelphiafury.com/ | ||
ThePhiladelphia Fury was an Americansoccer team based inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, that last competed in theNational Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club formerly competed in theAmerican Soccer League and is currently owned by Martin E. Judge and Matt Driver.[1] The team continued to sport the colors ofthe original NASL team.
Like the team name, the current iteration of the club uses both the original colors and crest of the originalNorth American Soccer League team.
Theoriginal Philadelphia Fury was an expansion franchise in the originalNorth American Soccer League and played for three seasons inVeterans Stadium starting in 1978. Among the club's investors were rock musiciansMick Jagger,Rick Wakeman,Peter Frampton andPaul Simon.[2] They were the NASL's second attempt in Philadelphia, the first being thePhiladelphia Atoms (1973–76). Although never posting a winning season, they did make the playoffs in two of their three seasons. Attendance declined with each season and in 1980, the club was sold and moved to Montreal, becoming theMontreal Manic.
After the team ceased operations, the Fury name remained dormant until 2011 when the teamsIntellectual property rights were purchased by Matt Driver, a former player and coach.[3][4] The team began play in 2012 as an amateur team in the regional adult league the United States Club Soccer's National Adult League.[4] However, soon after the re-founding of the team it joined theAmerican Soccer League, a league created and ran by Driver.[3] The team played its games in SouthernNew Jersey.[5]
In 2016, it was reported that the Fury were attempting to join the now defunctNorth American Soccer League (NASL) in a partnership with Driver, investors from theUnited Arab Emirates, and Spanish clubSD Eibar.[6] This deal would have also seen theASL become a development league for theNASL.[6] However, in 2018 theNASL went on hiatus after not receiving division II sanctioning and losing many of its teams to theUSL Championship and theNPSL.[7][8]
In 2019 it was reported that the Fury and Driver were again attempted to join a professional soccer league, this time it was the newNational Independent Soccer Association.[9] It was further reported that the team would play their inaugural season at the historicFranklin Field inWest Philadelphia.[10] In June 2019, it was reported that the primary benefactors of the team would be Martin Judge and the Judge Group with Judge serving as the Chairman of the Board and Driver serving as the team's CEO and Sporting Director.[11][12]
It was announced that the Fury would take part in the inaugural NISA season. The regular season is split into two halves, fall and spring, with playoffs at the end. The fall season, named "NISA Showcase", will feature 8 teams, with the East and West champions earning berths into the 2020 playoffs.[13] While more teams are expected to compete in the Spring half in the season, the Fury will take part in both the second half "full" season and the fall "NISA Showcase."[13] On September 18, 2019, it was announced that the Fury's lead investor had pulled out of the project, and the team would pull out of the NISA Showcase in order to reorganize for the Spring Season,[14] though the team has since been inactive.
| Year | Division | League | Record | Position | Playoffs | US Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | 3 | NISA | 0–0–6[a] | 4th - East Coast | did not qualify | N/A |
Sports teams based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area | ||
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| Roller derby | ||
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| College athletics (NCAA Div. I) | ||
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| Currently defunct teams | Further information:Template:Defunct Philadelphia sports teams | |
Main article:Sports in Philadelphia | ||
