{{Short description|American soccer club}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = AFC Mobile | image = AFC Mobile.png | image_size = 150 | fullname = Association Football Club Mobile | nickname = Azaleas, Wanderers | founded = {{Start date and age|2015|06|15}} | ground = Davidson High School Stadium, Mobile, AL | capacity = | owner = | chrtitle = | chairman = | mgrtitle = Head Coach | manager = Sam Rehm | league = The League for Clubs | current = | position = | website = {{url|https://www.afcmobile.net/| afcmobile.net}} <!-- home kit --> | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = _whitecollar | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = _2 orange stripes | leftarm1 = 9C0000 | body1 = 9C0000 | rightarm1 = 9C0000 | shorts1 = 000000 | socks1 = 9C0000 <!-- away kit --> | pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = | body2 = | rightarm2 = | shorts2 = | socks2 = | American = true }}
'''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 returned to the Gulf Coast Premier League for the 2024 season, and currently competes in The League for Clubs. <ref>{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile Joins The League for Clubs|url=https://www.afcmobile.net/2025/01/31/afc-mobile-joins-the-league-for-clubs/}}</ref>
== History ==
===Founding=== 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soccer enthusiasts hope to bring new team to Mobile|url=http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/10/soccer_enthusiast_hope_to_brin.html|website=AL.com}}</ref> It was announced on January 3, 2017, that AFC Mobile would join the Gulf Coast Premier League for its inaugural Summer Season.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gulf Coast Premier League announces summer season; adds 3 new clubs|url=http://www.gcplsoccer.com/gulf-coast-premier-league-announces-summer-season-adds-3-new-clubs/|publisher=Gulf Coast Premier League}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Gulf Coast Conference Announced by the NPSL|url=https://www.npsl.com/13524/|publisher=National Premier Soccer League}}</ref>
===Inaugural season=== 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile announces Home Field for Inaugural Season|url=http://blog.al.com/press-releases/2017/03/afc_mobile_to_play_2017_home_g.html|website=AL.com}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mobile Finally Has A Soccer Team|url=http://995thejag.iheart.com/onair/mason-1123/mobile-finally-has-a-soccer-team-15678293/|publisher=99.5 The Jag|access-date=2017-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402213511/http://995thejag.iheart.com/onair/mason-1123/mobile-finally-has-a-soccer-team-15678293/|archive-date=2017-04-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Changes to coaching staff=== After finishing the 2018 GCPL season, head coach Nate Nicholas stepped down.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFC Mobile Coach Nate Nicholas Resigns |url=https://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-coach-nate-nicholas-resigns/1676821345 |publisher=WKRG-TV }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Ultimately, Spring Hill College's men's soccer coach Steve Wieczorek was named as Nicholas's replacement on January 7, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFC Mobile names Spring Hill College's Steve Wieczorek as new head coach |url=https://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-names-spring-hill-college-s-steve-wieczorek-as-new-head-coach/1690595816 |publisher=WKRG-TV }}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== Support == === Rivalries === Mobile's main rival is Union 10, who are based across Mobile Bay in Daphne, Alabama. The matches between these two clubs are referred to as the 251 Derby.
AFC had a rivalry with Port City FC (formerly Biloxi City FC), who played in Gulfport, Mississippi when both clubs participated in the GCPL. They competed for the fan-based Forgotten Coast Cup.
=== Attendance === For their debut game on May 14, 2017, AFC Mobile more than quadrupled the highest ever attendance for the Gulf Coast Premier League.<ref>{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile game breaks attendance records|url=http://local15tv.com/news/local/afc-mobile-game-breaks-attendance-records|publisher=WPMI-TV|access-date=2017-05-15|archive-date=2017-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523065729/http://local15tv.com/news/local/afc-mobile-game-breaks-attendance-records|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Late Goal Sinks AFC Mobile In 2-1 Loss to Biloxi City FC|url=https://www.afcmobile.net/2017/06/11/1792/|website=AFC Mobile}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFC Mobile wraps up home schedule in front of record crowd |publisher=WKRG-TV |url=http://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-wraps-up-home-schedule-in-front-of-record-crowd/867891249 |access-date=May 3, 2018 |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627092652/https://www.wkrg.com/sports/afc-mobile-wraps-up-home-schedule-in-front-of-record-crowd/867891249 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|title=AFC Mobile Breaks GCPL Attendance Record in 2-0 Loss to Gulf Coast Rangers FC|url=https://www.afcmobile.net/2018/06/11/afc-mobile-breaks-gcpl-attendance-record-in-2-0-loss-to-gulf-coast-rangers-fc/}}</ref>
==Coaching staff== === Team management ===
{|class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;" scope="col" colspan="2"|Coaching Staff |- {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Head coach |s= {{flagicon|USA}} Sam Rehm}} |}
==Year-by-year== {| class="wikitable" !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Year !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Conference !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|League !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Regular Season !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|Playoffs !style="background:#800000; color:white; border:2px solid #FFFF00;;" scope="col"|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 | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |'''''Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic'''''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Prince-Wright |first1=Joe |title=2020 NPSL season cancelled |url=https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2020/03/26/2020-npsl-season-cancelled/ |website=ProSoccerTalk |publisher=NBC Sports |access-date=15 June 2020 |date=26 March 2020}}</ref> |''did not enter'' |- |2025 |Gulf Coast Conference |TLfC |9th, Gulf Coast |''did not qualify'' |''did not enter'' |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{oweb}}
{{The League for Clubs}} {{Alabama Sports}}
Category:Sports clubs and teams in Mobile, Alabama Category:2015 establishments in Alabama Category:Association football clubs established in 2015 Category:Soccer clubs in Alabama