The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), is proud to announce that Stockton Football Club (Stockton, CA) has joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin competition in the West Region’s Golden Gate Conference in 2019.
“We are very excited to bring the NPSL to Stockton,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera commented. “This is the second team from California to join the NPSL for 2019 and we are looking forward to the continued growth of our West Region.”
The leadership of Stockton Football Club includes Chris Hernandez, Dr. Bennet Omalu, and Abdelrahman Kurdieh.
“We wish to bring the community of Stockton together,” Hernandez added. “There have been so many shortcomings that have divided our city in recent decades, but one sport remains true to unify us, and that is football.”
Hernandez, who will serve as President and CEO, was born and raised in Stockton and will serve as the club’s first-ever coach. He has been involved in soccer since the age of four. A graduate of Franklin High School and the University of the Pacific, Hernandez moved to the United Arab Emirates six months after graduating college. Finding a trial in Dubai, Hernandez signed with semi-professional club Al Nisr.
Omalu, who will act as Vice President, is the world-renowned neuropathologist that served as the inspiration for the movie Concussion.
Kurdieh, who is from New York and had been living in Dubai for about four years at the time of meeting Hernandez, was the owner of Al Nisr. For two seasons before permanently returning to California, Hernandez created a relationship with Kurdieh. That relationship continues today with this new venture. Kurdieh will serve as Club Director of Operations.
“Stockton Football Club chose the NPSL for a variety of reasons,” Hernandez continued. “The professionalism, camaraderie, platform and attainable price tag led us here. The NPSL is a prestigious, respected and well sought American level of football that many clubs can only dream of entering. We here at SFC are very lucky and thankful to be part of such a league. The NPSL is the perfect league to jumpstart any club and help them dream big.”
More information about the club can be found at www.stockton-fc.com or by following the club on Facebook (@StocktonFC1), Instagram (@stocktonfc), and Twitter (@stockton_fc).
“The Stockton market brings a rich soccer history to the NPSL,” NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case concluded. “The league is excited to add Stockton to its depth of teams. We are confident that they will add value both on and off the field and will provide further strength and stability to the Golden Gate Conference.”
More information about expansion opportunities in the NPSL can be found at http://www.npsl.com/expansion-application.
