Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the

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 syst ...

, 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 prom ...

in 2017.

History

The Hammerheads had one championship in 2003, and were a finalist in 2002 and 2012, losing to the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofs ...

2–1 in 2002 and losing 0–1 to the Charleston Battery in 2012. Wilmington found great success in the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

in their later years, regularly drawing MLS teams in the late rounds. Their most famous result occurred in 2003 when they drew the Dallas Burn, an MLS team, in the middle of a particularly bad year. They shocked the soccer world by defeating the Burn 4–1 at Legion Sports Complex before bowing out to D.C. United 1–0 in the quarterfinal round. The Hammerheads regularly drew well over 2,000 fans per game, and had drawn nearly 5,000 for playoff games. On June 30, 2009, the Hammerheads upset the Chicago Fire in the third round of the 2009 US Open Cup 1–0 at home. The team went on hiatus in 2010 and returned for the 2011

USL PRO The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

regular season, due to local businessman Bill Rudisill and a minority ownership group combining their efforts and financial support to the Port City. Following the 2011 USL PRO regular season, the Hammerheads competed in the division semifinals. In 2012, the Hammerheads finished their regular season with an overall record of 10–7–7 After qualifying for playoffs, they defeated both the Richmond Kickers and Orlando City Lions to obtain their spot in the finals versus the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

whom took the 2012 USL PRO Championship title at

Blackbaud Stadium MUSC Health Stadium was a soccer-specific stadium located in the Daniel Island area of Charleston, South Carolina that served as the home of the Charleston Battery of the USL Championship. Originally named Blackbaud Stadium, the stadium was open ...

after defeating the Hammerheads 1–0. The Hammerheads fell short of qualifying for a playoff position following their 2013 regular season. In 2013,

Daniel Steres Daniel Steres (born November 11, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo. He was USL-Pro All-League Second Team in 2013 and 2014, USL All-League First Team in 2015, a ...

led the team in goals with seven. He received the team's Most Valuable Player award, and was named to the 2013

All-League Second Team. In September 2013, the Wilmington Hammerheads announced that after three years of dedicated ownership, Bill Rudisill would no longer be majority owner of the team and that George Altirs, CEO of Capelli New York, has taken the role of Wilmington Hammerheads Owner. In January 2014, the Wilmington Hammerheads entered a developmental partnership deal with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

side

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

that would see a minimum of four Toronto players come to Wilmington with the goal of gaining first team experience. In August 2014, the Hammerheads' longtime head coach, Englishman

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany. His works include '' The Destruction of Dresden'' (1 ...

, stepped down from his position following fifteen seasons with the club.

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

announced a one-year affiliation with the Hammerheads in January 2015, in which NYCFC can send players to train and play in Wilmington for further development. On August 1, 2016, it was reported that the Hammerheads were planning another hiatus from the USL, beginning with the 2017 season. This would allow the club to restructure "in order to keep pace with the growth in stature of the USL." Six weeks later, the ''Washington Post'' reported that the Hammerheads were a possible contender to move to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

for the 2018 season, noting that Wilmington is the smallest of the league's twenty-nine markets. The team self-relegated to the

on September 29, 2016. After the 2017 season, the PDL team was disbanded. The organization continues as a youth soccer academy under the name "Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC".

Stadium

Legion Stadium Legion Stadium is a 6,000 seat stadium located in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the Legion Sports Complex and was home of the Wilmington Hammerheads of the Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier ...

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

(2003–2009, 2011–2016) *UNCW Soccer Stadium:

(2017)

Notable former players

Head coaches

(1998–2014) *

Carson Porter Carson Porter (born in Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the ...

(2014–2015) *

Mark Briggs Mark Jonathan Briggs (born 16 February 1982) is an English football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Sacramento Republic in the USL Championship. Playing career England and Denmark Briggs began his career with West B ...

(2015–2016)

Achievements

*USL PRO Championship Finalist 2012 *USL Second Division Regular Season Champions 2009 *USL Pro Select League Champions 2003 *USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2002 *USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2001

Record

Year-by-year

Supporters

The primary supporters group is the Port City Firm. The group was founded in 1997 and stuck together during the team's hiatus year in 2010. A second group, the East Side Ultras, was founded in 2015 and are identified by their sky blue helmets/hats and black shirts.

References

External links

{{USSoccer Association football clubs established in 1996 Association football clubs disestablished in 2017 Defunct soccer clubs in North Carolina Sports in Wilmington, North Carolina Former USL Championship teams Former USL Second Division teams 1996 establishments in North Carolina USL League Two teams 2017 disestablishments in North Carolina