Another sports franchise sets foot in Stockton as the United Soccer League’s Women’s League (USL W) announced SC Stockton as the first expansion team for the 2023 season this past April 14.
This makes it the city’s fourth sports franchise, joining the Heat, Kings and Ports.
The team was founded just recently in late 2021 by CEO Lee Neves, who has served as a political consultant to California 13th District Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua.
Neves has a passion for soccer and proposed the idea of a women’s club to help grow the game in Stockton.
“When I saw that the USL was launching a women’s league I reached out to them and told them, ‘Stockton would be perfect for this. It’s larger than most of your championship team cities and is the most diverse city in America. It’s a population that loves their soccer,’” Neves said.
The club goes by the motto ‘Our city, Our team.’ More than just a team that will compete in the USL W, SC Stockton intends to be a major representative for the city.
“I want this to be a team of Stockton, from Stockton and for Stockton. One that fans will want to enjoy coming out to watch and that the community will be proud to call their own. We want to be a resource to bring the community together,” Neves said.
It will also serve as a means to expand its reach to local talent and provide more opportunities for players, especially those coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“It’s going to give a lot of opportunity to untapped talent in the San Joaquin County area,” Neves added. “We have a lot of talent in our area; many of these young women could play for Division I schools or even go pro. Many of our players have to go through academies that have a pay-for-play system to get to that level, and many players in Stockton can’t afford that. I don’t want to replicate that, Stockton deserves better. We’re not going to charge for tryouts, if you’re going to make the team it will be purely because of your talent.”
The club will make this approach not only for players, but for any woman who would want to work with SC Stockton on all levels.
“It’s going to provide opportunities for young women in Stockton on and off the field. I want most of the administration on this team to be women, including interns from Delta and University of the Pacific,” Neves added.
Delta College is playing a small role in raising awareness about the club as women’s soccer Head Coach Adrienne Sorenson acts as SC Stockton’s spokesperson.
“It’s an absolute honor to be a part of this milestone for women’s soccer in Stockton being the first USL W expansion team in California,” Sorenson said. “The vision for this team is extremely rare: a team for women by women instead of the norm which is typically a men’s program with a future women’s team as the afterthought. The baller women in this area have been without a professional pathway team that is accessible to them and that is no longer the case. It means everything to me to be a part of building this team from day one.”
Neves saw Sorenson as an ideal spokesperson to contribute to the growth of the women’s game in the area.
“Adrienne is a great ambassador for women’s soccer in Stockton. She offered to be our spokesperson and we gladly took her up on that offer. We’re glad to have her on board,” Neves said.
When it comes to results on the field, the CEO believes the city is capable of putting together a highly competitive team from the get go.
“If you expect mediocrity you get mediocre results. We don’t plan on going into our first season to ‘see how things go.’ I expect the team to make the playoffs and compete for a championship because I believe Stockton has the talent to do that,” Neves said.
As the USL W kicks off its very first season this month, Stockton will have to wait one more year before soccer fans get to see their team in action.
In the meantime, the club is still figuring out where they will play their home games and who’ll put together the team.
“We expect to determine where we’ll have our venue somewhere between late June and early July. For the roster we’ll know more by the end of this year going into next year,” Neves said.