Fort Lauderdale United FC
| Founded | 21 November 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Beyond Bancard Field at NSU | |||
| CEO | Tommy Smith | |||
| Head Coach | Tyrone Mears | |||
| League | USL Super League | |||
| Website | https://www.ftlutd.com/ | |||
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Fort Lauderdale United FC is an American professional women's soccer club based in Broward County, Florida, that competes in the USL Super League (USLS).[1] The team will play its home matches at a new soccer-specific stadium being constructed at Nova Southeastern University.
The club is principally owned by Tommy Smith, who serves as chair and CEO.
History
On November 21, 2023, the USL Super League announced that it had awarded a franchise to Fort Lauderdale, making it the first professional women's soccer team in South Florida.[2]
On January 25, 2024, former Premier League and MLS player Tyrone Mears was announced as the team's first head coach.[3] On May 14, 2024, Felicia Knox was revealed as the team's first ever signing after being drafted by Angel City FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft.[4] One day later, the club welcomed defender Laveni Vaka who made history as Tonga's first female professional soccer player.[5] On June 26, 2024, the club announced its full coaching staff, with Alissa Rogers as Associate Head Coach and former Fort Lauderdale Strikers star Aly Hassan as Director of Recruitment.[6]
Stadium
In November 2024, the team's home stadium at Nova Southeastern University on the site of the former Miami Dolphins training facility was rebranded from NSU Soccer Field to Beyond Bancard Field.[7][8][9] The $7 million project, which seats nearly 7,000 fans, is the result of a multi-year exclusive naming-rights agreement between FTL UTD and Beyond Bancard, a provider of payment-processing solutions.[9][10][11]
Included in the agreement are exclusive stadium-wide Beyond Bancard branding and a new stadium logo featured on all signage and LED boards. Beyond Bancard also acts as the team’s presenting sponsor for weekly kids’ soccer clinics and participates in giveaways, content series, and exclusive email offers for FTL UTD fans.[9]
On April 29, 2025, the team announced the launch of a men's side that is set to play in USL League One in 2026.[12]
Identity
The name and crest were unveiled on February 29, 2024.[7] The Fort Lauderdale United FC crest features the initials FTL prominently displayed, meant to intertwine like the canals of the city. The “glint” represents the vibrant sun bouncing off the waters the region is known for. The club’s colors represent Fort Lauderdale’s world-renowned beaches and shallow waters, with seafoam green contrasting the ocean blue.
Fort Lauderdale United FC is abbreviated to FTL UTD for short.
Players and staff
Current roster
As of July 12, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Former players
For details of former players, see Category:Fort Lauderdale United FC players and List of Fort Lauderdale United FC players.
Staff
As of 2 March 2025*
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Founder & chairman | Tommy Smith |
| Chief Financial Officer | Tony Myers |
| Chief Operating Officer | Todd Sussman |
| Technical staff | |
| Head Coach | Tyrone Mears |
| Associate Head Coach | Ali Rogers |
| Head of Recruitment | Aly Hassan |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Mackenzie Booth |
| Equipment Manager | Marco Sanchez |
| Performance Coach | Tyler Raborn |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Matthew Lampson |
Records
Year-by-year
| Season | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Avg. attendance | Top Goalscorer | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Name(s) | Goals | ||||
| 2024–25 | USLS | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 24 | — | — | — | Addie McCain | 10 |
Head coaching record
- As of 1 March 2025
Only competitive matches are counted.*
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrone Mears | England | January 25, 2024 | present | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 16 | 63.33 |
Team records
- As of July 2, 2025.[13][14] Current players in bold. Statistics are updated once a year after the conclusion of the USL Super League season.
| Player | Appearances | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Nat. | Pos. | United career | USLS | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | Sh'Nia Gordon | FW | 2024– | 28 | 2 | 30 | |
| Addie McCain | MF | 2024– | 28 | 2 | 30 | ||
| 3 | Taylor Smith | MF | 2024– | 27 | 2 | 29 | |
| 4 | Jasmine Hamid | FW | 2024– | 26 | 2 | 28 | |
| 5 | Darya Rajaee | MF | 2024– | 25 | 2 | 27 | |
| 6 | Felicia Knox | MF | 2024– | 26 | 0 | 26 | |
| 7 | Cosette Morché | GK | 2024– | 22 | 2 | 24 | |
| 8 | Celia Gaynor | DF | 2024– | 21 | 1 | 22 | |
| 9 | Tatiana Fung | MF | 2024–2025 | 19 | 2 | 21 | |
| 10 | Laveni Vaka | DF | 2024– | 18 | 0 | 18 | |
| Kiara Locklear | FW | 2024– | 16 | 2 | 18 | ||
| Player | Goals scored | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Nat. | Pos. | United career | USLS | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | Addie McCain | MF | 2024– | 10 | 0 | 10 | |
| 2 | Jasmine Hamid | FW | 2024– | 9 | 0 | 9 | |
| 3 | Kiara Locklear | FW | 2024– | 5 | 2 | 7 | |
| 4 | Sh'Nia Gordon | FW | 2024– | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
References
- ^ "USL Super League adds team in Fort Lauderdale for inaugural 2024-25 season". equalizersoccer.com. The Equalizer. November 21, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "USL Super League awards franchise to Fort Lauderdale". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. November 21, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "Super League Fort Lauderdale Appoints Tyrone Mears as Club's First Head Coach". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. January 25, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC announces first player, Felicia Knox". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC makes history signing Tonga's first female professional soccer player, Laveni Vaka". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. May 15, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC rounds out its coaching staff with dynamic Associate Head Coach and Head of Recruitment Appointments". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. June 26, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "FORT LAUDERDALE UNITED FC, ANNOUNCES NAME AND CREST". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University to be Home to Super League Fort Lauderdale Women's Professional Soccer Team". news.nova.edu. Nova Southeastern University. November 21, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Fort Lauderdale United FC & Beyond Bancard Strike Multi-Year Seven Figure Naming Rights Deal". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University stadium to host new pro soccer team, undergo $7M renovation". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "About Beyond Bancard". Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "United Soccer League, Fort Lauderdale United FC Announce Men's League One Soccer Team in 2026". Fort Lauderdale United FC. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ "Summary - Fort Lauderdale United - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC Player Stats". USL Super League. Retrieved July 1, 2025.