Austin Bold FC

Austin Bold FC
Full nameAustin Bold Football Club
FoundedAugust 9, 2017; 9 years ago (2017-08-09)
DissolvedNovember 4, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-11-04)
StadiumBold Stadium
Capacity5,000
ChairmanBobby Stein
Head coachRyan Thompson
LeagueUSL Championship
20216th, Mountain Division
9th, Western Conference
Playoffs: DNQ
Websitewww.austinboldfc.com

Austin Bold FC (ABFC) was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circuit of the Americas at the end of the season but may have to wait until 2023, depending on the construction of their stadium.

History

Founding and Early Years (2017–2018)

The USL announced the return of professional soccer to Austin for the 2019 season on August 9, 2017, with Circuit of The Americas chairman Bobby Stein leading the ownership group and securing approval for a permanent home venue at the Circuit of The Americas.

The club entered the United Soccer League in 2019.

Stadium

The club played at Bold Stadium on the grounds of the Circuit of the Americas race track, located between the amphitheater and the grand plaza. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Kleber Giacomazzi in a 1–0 win against San Antonio FC on March 30, 2019.

Ownership

Bobby Stein, chairman of the Circuit of the Americas, has led the ownership group after becoming majority owner in 2017. He became involved in a public relations battle with Anthony Precourt, the primary owner of Austin FC, who had been sanctioned by Major League Soccer to create a franchise in Austin after selling his stake in the Columbus Crew amid controversy. Stein was criticized for his tactics, including hiring petition campaigners who are accused of lying to the public.

In December 2021, a new ownership group was approved by the USL. The new ownership group consists of Donnie Nelson, Neil Leibman, and Stein. The team did not participate in the 2022 USL Championship as it sought relocation to another city in Texas, and has not participated since, as they were never able to get any stadium deal done.

Sponsorship

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2019–2020 BLK Ascension Seton
2021 Puma

Players and staff

Roster

As of September 15, 2021
No. Pos. Player Nation

Staff

As of September 4, 2021

Team records

Year-by-year

As of December 20, 2022
Season USL Championship Play-offs U.S. Open Cup Top scorer 1 Head coach
P W L D GF GA Pts Pos Player Goals
2019 34 13 12 9 53 52 48 8th, Western Conference quarterfinals 4th Round Brazil André Lima 14 Brazil Marcelo Serrano
2020 16 5 4 7 30 27 22 3rd, Western
Group D		 Did not qualify Cancelled Turks and Caicos Islands Billy Forbes 7 Brazil Marcelo Serrano
2021 32 10 10 12 32 42 42 6th, Mountain Did not qualify Cancelled Mexico Xavier Báez 6 Jamaica Ryan Thompson

^1. Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches

CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinLossDrawWin %
Marcelo Augusto Silva Serrano  Brazil August 3, 2018 September 4, 2021 75272424036.00
Ryan Thompson  Jamaica September 4, 2021 present 12444033.33

Average attendance

YearReg. seasonPlayoffs
2019 2,395 2,656
2020 2496 DNQ
2021 957 DNQ
  1. ↑ Due to COVID-19, attendance at games was restricted

Honors

Minor

References

  1. ↑ "USL Announces Return to Austin in 2019". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Austin pro soccer franchise will roll in 2019 in 5,000-seat COTA venue". Mystatesman.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Austin Bold FC Hosts Official Launch". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  4. ↑ Partian, Claire (October 26, 2021). "REPORT: Austin Bold FC to relocate to Fort Worth, citing Austin FC's success". austonia.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  5. ↑ Staff, USLSoccer com (August 9, 2017). "USL Announces Return to Austin in 2019". USL Championship. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Staff, USLSoccer com (August 3, 2018). "Austin Bold FC Hosts Official Launch". USL Championship. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ Maas, Jimmy (August 3, 2018). "Austin's New Pro Soccer Team (No, Not That One) Is Called Bold FC". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ Bils, Chris. "Austin Bold FC breaks ground on stadium, signs former Liga MX midfielder". Austin American-Statesman.
  9. ↑ Clynch, Shawn (March 30, 2019). "Austin Bold FC claims 1st win of the season in 1st ever home match". KVUE. Austin, Texas. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Austin PAC Under Fire for Transphobic Comments, Racist Campaign Ad". Spectrum Local News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Austin PAC says they mistakenly used 'racist' frog in ad against Adler". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Caught on Video: Petitioners giving misinformation about MLS stadium deal". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Texas-Based Ownership Group Purchases Austin Bold FC". USL Championship. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Short Update" (Twitter Post). x.com. May 16, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2025. Stadium deal is dead after election loss by it's [sic] champion.
  15. ↑ "Austin Bold FC Unveils Inaugural Jersey and Announces Partnership with Ascension Seton". Austin Bold FC. March 5, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Austin Bold FC Roster". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Austin Bold FC Staff". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  18. ↑ "2019 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Austin Bold FC - LA Galaxy II". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Austin Bold FC - New Mexico United". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  21. ↑ "2021 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved March 23, 2024.