 | ||||
| Full name | Jacksonville Armada Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Boys in Blue | |||
| Founded | May 2013; 12 years ago (2013-05) | |||
| Stadium | New Eastside Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 2,545 | |||
| Owner | Chris Campione | |||
| CEO | Nathan Walter | |||
| League | MLS Next Pro (2027) | |||
| Website | www | |||
Jacksonville Armada FC is an American professional soccer team based inJacksonville, Florida. They were founded in 2013 as anexpansion franchise in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of American soccer, and played until the league folded in 2018. Armada FC then moved to theNational Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of theAmerican soccer pyramid, during the2018 season before going on hiatus. They are set to resume play inMLS Next Pro in 2027.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2022) |
In May 2013, Jacksonville businessman Mark Frisch and formerMajor League Soccer playerDarío Sala formed Sunshine Soccer Group with the intention of bringing professional soccer toJacksonville. The effort was bolstered by several successful soccer matches held atTIAA Bank Field, including two national team games that set records for international friendlies. TheNorth American Soccer League invited the group to present a bid for a 2015 expansion team at their July 25, 2013, board meeting. The bid was accepted, and the NASL announced that Jacksonville andOklahoma City FC would receive franchises for the 2015 season.[1][2][3]
The organization has announced that Sala would serve as general manager,[4] and formerNFL Europe andJacksonville Jaguars executive Steve Livingstone will serve as President.[5] On February 18, 2014, the team announced its name would be Jacksonville Armada FC, and that its colors would be navy blue, royal blue, gold, and white.[6] On June 11, 2014, the team announced it had hired former Argentine playerJosé Luis Villarreal as its first head coach.[7]
The team began playing in the 2015 NASL Spring season.[2] After a few pre-season games in February and March, the club played its first league game, at home, on April 4, 2015, defeatingFC Edmonton, 3–1. On September 21, 2015, the club announced the dismissal of head coachGuillermo Hoyos, general manager Dario Sala and assistant coaches Edison Ibarra, Sebastian Fabres and Rafael Perez Nino. The Armada stood 11th and last in the North American Soccer League. The decision came just three months after the team had extended Hoyos' contract through the end of 2019. "Following an in-depth analysis of the team and operations, I am confident that a new direction is needed to turn around our team", Armada owner Mark Frisch said. Director of player development Eric Dade took over through the end of the 2015 NASL season.
On November 24, 2015, the Armada announcedU.S. Soccer playerTony Meola as the team's new head coach.[8] After nine months on the job, Meola was fired on August 7, 2016, withMark Lowry taking over as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2016 Fall Season.[9]
After the 2016 season ended, the NASL lost two teams to the then Div. IIIUnited Soccer League. At the time the USL had submitted to be promoted to Div. II with the NASL. Several NASL teams were then rumored to be shutting down or switching leagues as well as the possibility of the league losing its Div. II status.[10] In December 2016, there were several reports stating the Armada were about to fold and had released all their players due to mounting financial losses. The reports turned out to be false but the team did release five of their highest price players.[11] In January 2017, the NASL was approved to keep its Div. II status but Armada owner Frisch confirmed that he was looking to sell the team and that the league would likely be taking over the club.[12]
In July 2017, local entrepreneur Robert Palmer of RP Funding purchased the Armada.[13]
After recording its best season to date in professional soccer during the 2017 season, finishing fifth overall in the NASL while just falling short of a playoff berth, the league lost its Division II sanctioning for the upcoming2018 season.[14] While the league entered into legal proceeding against theUnited States Soccer Federation, Armada announced it would field a team in theNational Premier Soccer League, an amateur league commonly referred to as part offourth tier of American soccer, while still retaining membership in the NASL.[15] This team retains the Armada name and replaced the organization'sUnder-23 team in the NPSL, while merging both sides' rosters.
The Armada clinched its first ever playoff appearance by finishing second overall in the Sunshine Conference, and won its first playoff game againstMiami United FC, 4–1, on July 11, 2018.[16] The team later fell to fellow NASL sideMiami FC 2 in the conference final, 3–1.[17]
On October 31, 2018, club president Nathan Walter announced that Jacksonville Armada would play in the NPSL in 2019.[18] However on December 10, Walter announced that the team's U-23 side would compete in the2019 NPSL season as the organization's focus shifted to player development. In the meantime the first team would continue to explore options for a return to competition in 2020.[19]
In November 2019, the organization announced that it proposed an agreement to take over land in downtown Jacksonville for a new stadium.[20][21] The first team will remain off the field for 2020 while the U-23 side announced a move to the brand new "Gulf Coast Conference" in the NPSL.[22]
On November 2, 2023, the club announced that they would move toMLS Next Pro, the reserve and development league forMajor League Soccer, and begin playing again in the 2026 season.[23] A new stadium is set to be constructed in time for the 2026 season with 2,500 to 3,000 seats in its initial configuration. Jacksonville will remain an independent team in the league, which is composed mostly of reserve teams for MLS clubs.[24]
In a public statement released on October 30, 2025, owner Robert Palmer announced that after years of guiding the Armada, changes in his personal and professional life – including a growing family and expanding real-estate business – had reduced his ability to provide the day-to-day, locally-rooted leadership he believed the club required. He confirmed that an agreement had been reached to sell the club to a Jacksonville-based business owner and that his companies would remain involved as sponsors during the team’s transition. Palmer expressed deep gratitude to the club’s supporters, especially the “Section 904” fan group, and reaffirmed his belief in the Armada’s potential as the club prepares for its next phase of development.[25]
The same day as the Palmer announcement, Jacksonville attorney and sports-team investor Chris Campione announced that he would become the majority principal owner and managing director of Jacksonville Armada FC after current owner Robert Palmer confirmed the sale of the club. As part of the transition, Campione affirmed that the club would pursue the construction of a privately-funded downtown stadium with a minimum of 8,000 seats, with groundbreaking planned for December. Long-time club executive Nathan Walter, who had served as the Armada’s president and general manager since 2017, was set to take on the role of Club Director and Chief Executive Officer under the new ownership.[26]
| Season | League | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Overall | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top goalscorer | Avg. attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | League | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | NASL | Spring | 6th | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 11th | did not qualify | Third round |  Alhassane Keita | 7 | 7,927 (3rd) | |
| Fall | 11th | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 31 | 19 | |||||||||
| 2016 | Spring | 10th | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 11th | Fourth round |  Charles EloundouAlhassane Keita | 6 | 3,499 (9th) | |||
| Fall | 11th | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 35 | 23 | |||||||||
| 2017 | Spring | 4th | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 24 | 5th | Fourth round |  Jack Blake | 9 | 3,035 (7th) | |||
| Fall | 5th | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 22 | 19 | |||||||||
| 2018 | NPSL | Sunshine Conference | 2nd | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 10 | 24 | 28th | Conference finals | Third round |  Ciarán Kilduff | 6 | N/A | |
| On Hiatus from 2019 to 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2027 | MLSNP | TBA | |||||||||||||||
On July 11, 2014, the Armada announced they would play their home games at theBaseball Grounds of Jacksonville(later re-dubbed Community First Park) inDowntown Jacksonville for at least three seasons. They hope to later construct their own expandablesoccer-specific stadium.[27][28] In 2017, due to the high costs associated with playing at the Baseball Grounds, the Armada signed a lease to play atHodges Stadium, a soccer and track and field stadium at theUniversity of North Florida.[29]
The team has also played games inEverBank Field, including their first exhibition game vs the Philadelphia Union, which set a modern-era NASL record for preseason attendance (13,934).[30] It was also the site for their first regular season game, which was a 3–1 victory overFC Edmonton, and set the modern era NASL record for regular season attendance (16,164).[31] The Armada also useSouthern Oak Stadium as a venue forUS Open Cup matches.
TheCoastal Cup was established in 2010 and was originally contested between theFort Lauderdale Strikers andTampa Bay Rowdies, but with Jacksonville's entry into the league, the competition became triangular.[32] The league addedMiami FC in the 2016 season.[33] This made the Coastal Cup a four team affair. After the 2016 season Tampa Bay left the NASL and joined theUnited Soccer League, while Fort Lauderdale ceased operations because of financial and legal issues.
The team is cheered on by Section 904,[34] the first supporters' group. Section 904 is known for their singing, drumming, and blue-and-yellow smoke; can be seen behind the goal at every home match.[35]Area code 904 is the telephone area code for all of metropolitan Jacksonville.
In 2016, the Armada announced that they had formed anunder 23 team to play in theNational Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as part of their development system. The team,Jacksonville United U-23, replaced Jacksonville United FC in the NPSL. The Armada retained Jacksonville United coach Pat Cannon.[36]
| Name | Years | League | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alhassane Keita | 2015–2016, 2018 | 16 (46) | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | 17 (51) |
| 2 | Ciarán Kilduff | 2017–2018 | 10 (24) | 3 (2) | 1 (4) | 14 (29) |
| 3 |  J. C. Banks | 2017–2018 | 10 (44) | 2 (2) | 1 (6) | 13 (52) |
| 4 | Zach Steinberger | 2016, 2017 | 12 (52) | 0 (0) | 0 (1) | 12 (53) |
| 5 | Jack Blake | 2017 | 9 (27) | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | 10 (29) |
| 6 |  Pascal Millien | 2015–2016 | 7 (37) | 0 (0) | 0 (2) | 7 (39) |
| 6 | Jemal Johnson | 2015–2017 | 7 (73) | 0 (0) | 0 (3) | 7 (76) |
| 6 | Charles Eloundou | 2016–2017 | 7 (49) | 0 (0) | 0 (4) | 7 (53) |
| 9 | Derek Gebhard | 2015–2018 | 6 (59) | 0 (2) | 0 (7) | 6 (68) |
| 10 | Joshua Castellanos | 2018 | 3 (12) | 0 (2) | 1 (4) | 4 (16) |
| Name | Years | League | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechack Jérôme | 2015–2018 | 74 (3) | 1 (0) | 7 (0) | 82 (3) |
| 2 |  Jemal Johnson | 2015–2017 | 73 (7) | 0 (0) | 3 (0) | 76 (7) |
| 3 | Derek Gebhard | 2015–2018 | 59 (6) | 2 (0) | 7 (0) | 68 (6) |
| 4 |  Kevan George | 2016–2017 | 55 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0) | 57 (0) |
| 5 | Charles Eloundou | 2016–2017 | 49 (7) | 0 (0) | 4 (0) | 53 (7) |
| 5 | Zach Steinberger | 2016, 2017 | 52 (12) | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | 53 (12) |
| 7 | J. C. Banks | 2017–2018 | 44 (10) | 2 (2) | 6 (1) | 52 (13) |
| 8 | Alhassane Keita | 2015–2016, 2018 | 46 (16) | 0 (0) | 5 (1) | 51 (17) |
| 9 |  Miguel Gallardo | 2015–2016 | 43 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (0) | 46 (0) |
| 9 | Matt Bahner | 2015–2016 | 45 (3) | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | 46 (1) |
| Name | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | Honours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Luis Villarreal |  Argentina | June 11, 2014[37] | June 13, 2015 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 21 | 027.27 | ||
| Guillermo Ángel Hoyos | Argentina | June 14, 2015 | September 21, 2015 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 023.08 | ||
| Eric Dade | United States | September 21, 2015 | November 24, 2015[8] | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 028.57 | ||
| Tony Meola | United States | November 24, 2015[8] | August 7, 2016[9] | 20 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 29 | 015.00 | ||
| Mark Lowry | England | August 7, 2016[9] | July 24, 2018[38] | 64 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 94 | 17 | 039.06 | First playoff appearance and win in club history[39] | 2018 season played in NPSL |
| Baseball |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | ||
| Esports | ||
| Football | ||
| Hockey | ||
| Pickleball |
| |
| Roller derby | ||
| Rugby league | ||
| Soccer |
| |
| Soccer (indoor) |
| |
| Softball | ||
| Ultimate | ||
| Volleyball | ||
| Australian Rules Football | ||
