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Wilmington Hammerheads FC

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Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Full nameWilmington Hammerheads Football Club
Nickname(s)Hammers
Founded1996 (28 years ago) (1996)
Dissolved2017 (7 years ago) (2017)
Executive DirectorCarson Porter
LeaguePremier Development League
Websitewww.wilmingtonhammerheadsyouth.com

Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017.

History

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The Hammerheads had one championship in 2003, and were a finalist in 2002 and 2012, losing to the Long Island Rough Riders 2–1 in 2002 and losing 0–1 to the Charleston Battery in 2012. Wilmington found great success in the US Open Cup in their later years, regularly drawing MLS teams in the late rounds. Their most famous result occurred in 2003 when they drew the Dallas Burn, an MLS team, in the middle of a particularly bad year. They shocked the soccer world by defeating the Burn 4–1 at Legion Sports Complex before bowing out to D.C. United 1–0 in the quarterfinal round. The Hammerheads regularly drew well over 2,000 fans per game, and had drawn nearly 5,000 for playoff games. On June 30, 2009, the Hammerheads upset the Chicago Fire in the third round of the 2009 US Open Cup 1–0 at home.

The team went on hiatus in 2010 and returned for the 2011 USL PRO regular season, due to local businessman Bill Rudisill and a minority ownership group combining their efforts and financial support to the Port City. Following the 2011 USL PRO regular season, the Hammerheads competed in the division semifinals. In 2012, the Hammerheads finished their regular season with an overall record of 10–7–7 After qualifying for playoffs, they defeated both the Richmond Kickers and Orlando City Lions to obtain their spot in the finals versus the Charleston Battery whom took the 2012 USL PRO Championship title at Blackbaud Stadium after defeating the Hammerheads 1–0. The Hammerheads fell short of qualifying for a playoff position following their 2013 regular season.

In 2013, Daniel Steres led the team in goals with seven.[1] He received the team's Most Valuable Player award, and was named to the 2013 USL PRO All-League Second Team.[1]

In September 2013, the Wilmington Hammerheads announced that after three years of ownership, Bill Rudisill had sold a majority share to George Altirs, CEO of Capelli New York. Rudisill retained a minority share of the club.[2]

In January 2014, the Wilmington Hammerheads entered a developmental partnership deal with Major League Soccer side Toronto FC that would see a minimum of four Toronto players come to Wilmington with the goal of gaining first team experience.[3] In August 2014, the Hammerheads' longtime head coach, Englishman David Irving, stepped down from his position following fifteen seasons with the club.

New York City FC announced a one-year affiliation with the Hammerheads in January 2015, in which NYCFC would send players to train and play in Wilmington for further development.[4] The clubs renewed their affiliation agreement for the 2016 season.[5]

On August 1, 2016, it was reported that the Hammerheads were planning another hiatus from the USL, beginning with the 2017 season. This would allow the club to restructure "in order to keep pace with the growth in stature of the USL."[6] Six weeks later, the Washington Post reported that the Hammerheads were a possible contender to move to Baltimore, Maryland for the 2018 season, noting that Wilmington is the smallest of the league's twenty-nine markets.[7] The team self-relegated to the Premier Development League on September 29, 2016.[8]

After the 2017 season, the PDL team was disbanded.[9] The organization continues as a youth soccer academy under the name Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC.

Stadium

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Notable former players

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Head coaches

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Achievements

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  • USL PRO Championship Finalist 2012
  • USL Second Division Regular Season Champions 2009
  • USL Pro Select League Champions 2003
  • USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2002
  • USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2001

Record

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Year-by-year

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Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs Open Cup Avg Attendance[10]
1996 3 USISL Pro League 3rd, South Atlantic Semifinals did not qualify 1,310
1997 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 5th, South Atlantic did not qualify 1st Round 1,146
1998 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 6th, Atlantic Division Semifinals did not qualify 778
1999 3 USL D-3 Pro League 2nd, Atlantic Conference Finals 2nd Round 1,208
2000 3 USL D-3 Pro League 2nd, Southern Conference Quarterfinals 2nd Round 1,506
2001 3 USL D-3 Pro League 1st, Southern Conference Finals did not qualify 2,312
2002 3 USL D-3 Pro League 1st, Southern Final did not qualify 2,554[a]
2003 3 USL Pro Select League 2nd, Southern Champion Quarterfinals 2,829
2004 3 USL Pro Soccer League 2nd, Southern Quarterfinals 3rd Round 2,270
2005 3 USL Second Division 4th Semifinals 3rd Round 3,317[a]
2006 3 USL Second Division 8th did not qualify 4th Round 3,072[a]
2007 3 USL Second Division 7th did not qualify did not qualify 2,978[a]
2008 3 USL Second Division 7th did not qualify did not qualify 2,577[a]
2009 3 USL Second Division 1st Semifinals Quarterfinals 2,467
2010 On Hiatus
2011 3 USL Pro 2nd, American Division Semifinals 3rd Round 4,053
2012 3 USL Pro 5th Championship 3rd Round 4,265
2013 3 USL Pro 9th did not qualify 3rd Round 3,162
2014 3 USL Pro 7th Quarterfinals 2nd Round 2,326
2015 3 USL 12th, Eastern did not qualify 2nd Round 2,960
2016 3 USL 9th, Eastern did not qualify 4th Round 3,000
2017 4 USL PDL 8th, South Atlantic did not qualify did not qualify —
  1. ^ a b c d e Top attendance in league.

Supporters

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The primary supporters group was the Port City Firm. The group was founded in 1997 and stuck together during the team's hiatus year in 2010.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wilmington Hammerheads defender Daniel Steres named to 2013 USL PRO All-League second team". boxscorenews.com.
  2. ^ "New York CEO buys Hammerheads". WWAY. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Toronto FC announce partnership with USL Pro club – Waking The Red". wakingthered.com. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  4. ^ "NYCFC Announce Affiliation with Wilmington Hammerheads". nycfc.com. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  5. ^ "New York City FC Announces extension with Wilmington Hammerheads FC". NYCFC.com. New York City FC. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  6. ^ Hollingsworth, Chad. "Aztex & Hammerheads Out for 2017 USL Season". Scratching the Pitch. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  7. ^ Goff, Steven. "Are USL's Wilmington Hammerheads moving to Baltimore?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Wilmington Hammerheads FC Awarded PDL Franchise". Premier Development League (PDL). September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  9. ^ Flanagan, Brenna (22 March 2023). "Pro soccer group seeks Legion Stadium lease for 2024 season". Port City Daily. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Attendance Project: Div. III". kenn.com blog.
  11. ^ Meet the Port City Firm (Press Release), Wilimington Hammerheads, June 4, 2012, retrieved July 21, 2015
  12. ^ USL Pro Supporter Group Q&A: The Port city Firm, Reckless Challenge, March 6, 2013, retrieved July 21, 2015
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