AFC Mobile

Soccer club

AFC Mobile

Full name| Association Football Club Mobile
Nickname(s)| Azaleas, Wanderers
Founded| June 15, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-06-15)
Ground| Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, Mobile, AL
Capacity| 5,000
Head Coach| Steve Wieczorek
League| National Premier Soccer League
Website| http://www.afcmobile.net

AFC Mobile is an American soccer club based in Mobile, Alabama, that formerly competed in the National Premier Soccer League. After a hiatus, the club has returned to the Gulf Coast Premier League for the 2024 season.[1]

## History

[edit]

### Founding

[edit]

AFC Mobile was founded in 2015 by Mobile and Baldwin County, Alabama, soccer enthusiasts in order to establish a semi-professional soccer team in the City of Mobile.[2] It was announced on January 3, 2017, that AFC Mobile would join the Gulf Coast Premier League for its inaugural Summer Season.[3] On November 12, 2019, it was announced that AFC Mobile would join the National Premier Soccer League in a newly formed Gulf Coast Conference that featured Mobile, Port City FC, Tallahassee SC, Pensacola FC, and NPSL mainstays the New Orleans Jesters and Jacksonville Armada.[4]

### Inaugural season

[edit]

Prior to their debut season, AFC Mobile announced that it would play its inaugural season's home games at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, located in the Bolton neighborhood of Mobile.[5] For its first two years, the team was managed by Nate Nicholas, a former player for the University of Mobile, former back-to-back state championship-winning coach at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, and current varsity men's coach at McGill–Toolen Catholic High School.[6]

### Changes to coaching staff

[edit]

After finishing the 2018 GCPL season, head coach Nate Nicholas stepped down.[7]

Ultimately, Spring Hill College's men's soccer coach Steve Wieczorek was named as Nicholas's replacement on January 7, 2019.[8]

## Rivalries

[edit]

The club's main rival is Port City FC (formerly Biloxi City FC), who play in Gulfport, Mississippi. The clubs compete for the fan-based Forgotten Coast Cup, which started in 2017 when they were both in the GCPL.

## Attendance

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For their debut game on May 14, 2017, AFC Mobile more than quadrupled the highest ever attendance for the Gulf Coast Premier League.[9] In their second home game on June 10, 2017 against Biloxi City FC, AFC Mobile drew 924 to Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium, which topped the league's previous record.[10] On June 8, 2017, AFC Mobile became the first team in the Gulf Coast Premier League to break 1,000 people in attendance against CD Motagua of New Orleans.[11]

During their second season, AFC Mobile would go on to draw over 1,400 fans twice against the Gulf Coast Rangers and Port City FC.[12]

## Coaching staff

[edit]

### Team management

[edit]

Coaching Staff

Head coach  |  Steve Wieczorek
Assistant coach  |  Brent Grube
Assistant coach  |  Edward Dakwa
Assistant coach  |  Desmond Ibie

## Year-by-year

[edit]

Year  | Conference  | League  | Regular Season  | Playoffs  | Open Cup

|
|
|
|
|

2017  | Eastern Conference  | GCPL | 6th, East  | did not qualify | did not enter
2018 | Eastern Conference  | GCPL | 4th, East  | did not qualify | did not enter
2019 | Eastern Conference  | GCPL | 2nd, East  | Quarterfinals | did not enter
2020 | Gulf Coast Conference  | NPSL | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[13] | did not enter

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "AFC Mobile to join Gulf Coast Premier League". AL.com.
2. ^ "Soccer enthusiasts hope to bring new team to Mobile". AL.com.
3. ^ "Gulf Coast Premier League announces summer season; adds 3 new clubs". Gulf Coast Premier League.
4. ^ "New Gulf Coast Conference Announced by the NPSL". National Premier Soccer League.
5. ^ "AFC Mobile announces Home Field for Inaugural Season". AL.com.
6. ^ "Mobile Finally Has A Soccer Team". 99.5 The Jag. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
7. ^ "AFC Mobile Coach Nate Nicholas Resigns". WKRG-TV.
8. ^ "AFC Mobile names Spring Hill College's Steve Wieczorek as new head coach". WKRG-TV.[permanent dead link]
9. ^ "AFC Mobile game breaks attendance records". WPMI-TV. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
10. ^ "Late Goal Sinks AFC Mobile In 2-1 Loss to Biloxi City FC". AFC Mobile.
11. ^ "AFC Mobile wraps up home schedule in front of record crowd". WKRG-TV.
12. ^ "AFC Mobile Breaks GCPL Attendance Record in 2-0 Loss to Gulf Coast Rangers FC".
13. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (March 26, 2020). "2020 NPSL season cancelled". ProSoccerTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

## External links

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* Official website

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