The New Orleans Jesters are an American soccer team based in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the U ...

(NPSL), the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of pro ...

. Nicknamed 'The Jesters', they are coached by Kenny Farrell, play home games at Pan American Stadium, and their colors are purple, green, and white.

History

Early years

The New Orleans Shell Shockers entered the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

(PDL) as an expansion franchise in 2003, playing at the George G. Westfeldt Facility at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

. The team played their first season with the nickname the "Shell Shockers" which came from the team's sponsorship by the

Shell Oil Company Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States-based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation "oil major" which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...

. In its first season, the team won their first game 2–0 over

Nashville Metros The Nashville Metros were an American soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1989, the team most recently played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South ...

, then won seven of the next eight. They outscored many of their opponents – they put four goals past the

Lafayette Swamp Cats Lafayette Swamp Cats were an American soccer team, founded in 2000. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2004, when the team left the league an ...

on two separate occasions, with Jonas Lopez scoring a hat trick in one of the games, and they beat the Houston Toros 4–0. After a 5–3 loss on the road against

Memphis Express The Memphis Express was a professional American football franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stad ...

, the Shell Shockers won nine in a row and secured the Mid South Division title well before the final game of the season. The Shell Shockers hosted the Southern Conference playoffs and were favorites to progress. They comfortably overcame Central Florida Kraze 4–1 in the conference semi-final but were uncharacteristically beaten 2–0 in the conference final by Memphis. Head Coach Kenny Farrell was named PDL Coach of the Year. Having been so dominant the previous year, expectations were high for the Shell Shockers as they approached the 2004 season. After winning their opening fixture of the season 3–1 over the

, they lost 8–0 to the DFW Tornados in their next game, having been reduced to nine men by the 57th minute. The team went on a slide, losing to the

El Paso Patriots El Paso Patriots was an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southe ...

twice, to DFW once more, and to

. The Shockers ended the season a disappointing fifth in the Mid South Division, 30 points behind divisional champs

and well out of the playoffs. Roberto Najarro was the team's top scorer, with 5 goals, while former

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Park ...

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium ...

, and

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

midfielder Ian Bishop registered 5 assists. In 2005, the team moved to Pan American Stadium in

City Park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to res ...

and won their first game over

. The team then lost their next five games, including a 5–2 defeat at the hands of the

. A brief mid-season surge that included a pair of wins over divisional

Laredo Heat Laredo Heat is an American soccer team based in Laredo, Texas, United States. Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They were members of the USL Premier Deve ...

sparked the potential for a revival, but four more defeats, including another to Nashville, ended any playoff hopes New Orleans may have had. The team finished sixth in the Mid South Division. Pablo Araya-Espinozo was the season's top scorer, with 9 goals. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged Pan American Stadium, along with much of the rest of the area. As a result, the Shell Shockers played at Muss Bertolino Stadium in nearby

Kenner, Louisiana Kenner (historically french: Cannes-Brûlées) is a city in Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans. The population was 66,448 at the 2020 census. Histor ...

for the 2006 season. After their plight was featured by international media, the Shockers, with the support of teams like

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

and individuals such as former Northern Ireland manager

Lawrie Sanchez Lawrence Philip Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a Northern Irish football manager and former international footballer. The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup Final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon ...

, pledged to help raise $1 million to the redevelopment of City Park. That season the team won just 4 games. The Shockers finished fourth in the Mid South Division, almost 30 points behind divisional champs

. Gautreau and Roberto Najarro were the team's top scorers, with 3 goals each. In 2007 the team finished the season fifth in the Mid South Division. That season the Shockers did beat their new Louisiana rivals, the

Baton Rouge Capitals BRSC Capitals are an American soccer team based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of t ...

, new divisional team

Mississippi Brilla Mississippi Brilla is an amateur American soccer club based in Clinton, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two. The team's colors are sky blue, navy and white. Brilla is associated with Brilla Soccer Mini ...

, and the

Austin Lightning Austin Lightning was an American soccer team, founded in 2002, originally with the name Lafayette Lightning. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, unti ...

. Unfortunately the team was unable to win any of its 8 away games throughout the season. Ged Quinn, Brandon Chagnard, and Gino Ray were the team's top scorers for the year, with 13 goals between them, while Jamie Davies contributed six assists. The team's sponsorship with the

ended after the 2007 season, and "Shell" was dropped from the team's name. In 2008, businesswoman Dana Stumpf also bought out long-time chairman Gary Ostroske, and the team moved to a new home within City Park,

Tad Gormley Stadium Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track and fiel ...

for four games. They also played at Lupin Field at

Isidore Newman School Isidore Newman School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school located on an campus in the uptown section of New Orleans, Louisiana. Jeré Longman of ''The New York Times'' described Isidore Newman as "one of ...

for four games. The Shockers struggled for much of the 2008 season. For the fifth year in a row, New Orleans ended the year at the wrong end of the Mid South Division standings, finishing seventh. Brandon Chagnard was the team's top scorer with 4 goals.

Rebranding

Following the 2008 season, the team underwent a full rebranding. It changed its name, colors, and crest entirely, rebranding themselves as the New Orleans Jesters to better reflect New Orleans culture. The team returned to Pan American Stadium following a full renovation that included the installation of FieldTurf. The team also developed a renewed focus on improving the local community and developing young soccer talent. In its first year as the New Orleans Jesters, the team went undefeated in the regular season and posted one loss in the playoffs. That year, two players were named to the All-Conference Team, and one received All-League Honors.

Move to NPSL

On November 2, 2012, it was announced that the Jesters would compete in the

, ending the club's nine-year stint in the PDL.

2019 hiatus

In early 2019, the Jesters exercised their right to become inactive for the 2019 NPSL season. In 2020, the Jesters resumed play in the NPSL.

Players

Notable former players

''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the Jesters, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.'' * Ian Bishop * Steve McAnespie * Jared Montz * Steven Morris * Anthony Peters *

Patrick Mullins Patrick Michael Mullins (born February 5, 1992) is an American retired soccer player. A left-footed forward, he was a two-time winner of the Hermann Trophy as the top men's college soccer player and was the leading scorer in NCAA Division I ...

Andrew Tarbell Andrew Tarbell (born October 7, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo. Career College Tarbell spent his entire college career at Clemson University. He started all ...

* Ben Callon * Gary Stopforth * Jordan Hulme

Year-by-year

Attendance statistics are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the PDL's historical match archive.

Honors

* USL PDL Regular Season Champions 2003 * USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2003 * Louisiana Cup Winners 2016

Head coaches

* Kenny Farrell (2003–present)

Home stadiums

* George G. Westfeldt Facility at

;

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Muss Bertolino Stadium;

(2006–2007) *

; New Orleans, 4 games (2008) * Lupin Field at

; New Orleans, 4 games (2008) * Pan American Stadium; New Orleans (2005, 2009–2018, 2020–present)

References

External links

Official website
{{Louisiana Sports Association football clubs established in 2003 2003 establishments in Louisiana