Soccer Bay Area has learned that Bay Cities has been formally admitted into the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). Its men’s and women’s teams will kick off their inaugural season in NISA in March 2022.
“All our hard work and effort has paid off. We are ecstatic to join NISA and excited for the upcoming season,” said club President Anders Perez. “We are building a grassroots organization that will use the power of soccer to unite and inspire our community.”
Bay Cities FC is San Mateo County’s first professional sports team. It will play its home matches at Sequoia High School Stadium in downtown Redwood City.
NISA is a nationwide third division league that recently completed its second full season. The Oakland Roots played in NISA from August 2019 to October 2020 before joining the second division USL Championship.
“We’ve anticipated this moment for months and are elated it is finally here,” said NISA Executive Vice President Josh Prutch. “We can’t wait to see how this Northern California club continues to galvanize the community and brings opportunity for rivalry to NISA fans.”
Bay Cities prepared for the upcoming season last summer by hosting three exhibitions and two matches in the NISA Independent Cup. They averaged more than 600 people per match at their 3,500-seat stadium.
“We will have an enormous impact on the next generation of soccer players and provide an exciting match experience for Peninsula families and fans,” Perez said. “We are going to have a hyper-focus on our community, cultivating relationships and bridging opportunities for youth on-and-off the field.”
