Deal finalized to bring Golden City FC pro soccer to San Francisco's historic Kezar Stadium

CBS News

3 days ago

San Francisco's newest sports franchise, Golden City Football Club, has been given the green light to launch another pro soccer team to play at historic Kezar Stadium.
On Wednesday, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced he signed legislation to finalize an agreement with Golden City FC to begin play in the MLS Next Pro league beginning in 2026 or 2027. MLS Next Pro is the third tier of professional soccer in the U.S., a developmental league with most clubs affiliated with Major League Soccer clubs.
As part of the deal, GCFC, which would join the league as an independent club, will commit $10 million for stadium upgrades and receive a 15-year permit to use the stadium, with the option for three additional five-year extensions.
Last month, Lurie announced the plan to bring the team to San Francisco in a partnership with GCFC and the city's Recreation and Parks Department, in which the team would also use other Rec and Parks facilities for training. The city's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the plan last week.
"Today it's official: Golden City FC will become the newest professional team to call our city home," said Lurie in a prepared statement. "This investment is truly an investment in the people of San Francisco and represents a new era for San Francisco sports."
"We are deeply grateful and incredibly excited to officially call Kezar Stadium GCFC's long-term home," said Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, co-founders of Golden City FC, in a prepared statement. "This is a tremendous milestone for our club, and it wouldn't have been possible without the broad support of the San Francisco community. As we continue to grow GCFC, we're committed to making our city and fans proud, and we can't wait to build something truly special together at Kezar."
Kezar Stadium in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park
San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department
GCFC will be the second Bay Area team to play in the MLS Next Pro league, joining The Town FC, an affiliate of the San Jose Earthquakes, which plays its home games at Saint Mary's College in Moraga.
The planned upgrades to Kezar Stadium that GCFC will fund include a new natural grass field, new seating and bleachers, a high-definition LED scoreboard, improved ADA accessibility, and upgrades to press box and concession areas. Situated in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park, the stadium is also currently the home of the San Francisco Nighthawks of the amateur Women's Premier Soccer League and the San Francisco City FC of the amateur USL League Two. It also hosts other amateur and recreational sports leagues, along with high school football games.
Originally opened in 1925, Kezar Stadium hosted track and field competitions, auto racing, rugby, and college football games before becoming the home of the San Francisco 49ers from 1946 until 1971, when the 49ers moved to Candlestick Park. The 60,000-seat stadium was demolished in 1989 and reconstructed as a much smaller venue, mostly for high school sports, with a seating capacity of 10,000. Additional upgrades were added beginning in 2014, which included the installation of thousands of seats from Candlestick Park, which was closed in 2014 and demolished the next year.