Bursting onto the scene: Ballard FC is one of the best tickets in town, and they’ve already added to the trophy case
By Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA – In just two seasons, Ballard FC has reached the pinnacle of USL League Two, bringing home championship hardware by beating third year Lionsbridge FC in dramatic fashion. Through excellent play from both returning and new faces, Ballard FC steamrolled their way through the regular season before using some “Ballard magic” to get through the first three rounds of the playoffs before having to go back to that wizardry one last time to win the Final. Ballard’s success and the road to this trophy start with the regular season match days, the kit reveals, and the general community that they’ve created for a semi-professional soccer team. The keys to overall success for the club have been in place since day one, and even though it’s been only hours since they lifted their first ever title, Ballard FC is destined to win for many years to come. Here is how they added the first piece of hardware to their trophy case.
Peter Kingston is an example of a player that returned for a second season with Ballard FC (Photo by Sage Zipeto)
A mixture of returns and new faces on this roster
This year's Ballard FC roster was compromised of returning faces and new insertions to the club, creating the perfect mixture of new blood and returning knowledge. When of the best stories from Ballard FC media day this season was then head coach Jason Farrell discussing how several of the players that had spent time with the club or had come back, had gone back to their respective colleges and universities and essentially recruited others to come out to join them the next season or to try out the club because of how much they enjoyed their experience. That, and when Farrell said that the club had to turn away a few interested names, really started to put the idea out that this roster was for real. With returning faces like Alex Mejia (who left midseason to join a different club), Peter Kingston, Lars Helleren, and Lesia Thetsane around to help welcome newer names such as Stas Korzeniowski and Danny Robles, the talent and leadership was there. Ballard just needed the pieces of the puzzle to click together chemistry wise, and thankfully they did.
Members of the Bridgekeepers celebrate Ballard FC winning the USL League Two Final (Photos by Sage Zipeto)
The Bridgekeepers built this atmosphere
Ballard FC’s supporters' group, the Bridgekeepers (can’t forget about the Bush Keepers, too), are another major piece of why this club has reached such great heights in only year two. In sports, there are many great sports teams. There are great teams, but not always great atmospheres to come and watch these teams in person. The Bridgekeepers play a major part in creating the electric atmosphere at Ballard FC home matches at Interbay stadium, which in brutally honest words is a lower-tier venue when stacked up against the others in the city of Seattle. It’s hard to compare Interbay and the other venues in the Emerald City, considering that Seattle has nine professional sports teams (eight that currently play in the area) and six minor-league/semi-pro teams that play in the general area, but what sets Ballard apart is the gameday atmosphere.
Whether it’s the drums that bang and flags that wave all match, marching from Mulleady’s Irish Pub across the West Dravus Street bridge and into Interbay, the fans that travel to Ballard FC’s road matches, or the unwavering support for the club that runs year-round, the fan experience and love are remarkable for a second-year club. The support for Ballard’s team doesn’t go unnoticed, whether it’s a Ballard flag making an appearance at a European musical festival this past offseason or heading out to other Northwest Division venues to watch their club. A fanbase fit for the great club that we see take the pitch during the best parts of summer here in Seattle.
Setting the foundation of a rich history
Take all of what I’ve just given you, from the players spreading word about their experience to their teammates back in college and around the nation, the fanbase that’s been as loyal as can be, the ownership that works as hard as a standard volunteer during matchdays, the electric matchday atmosphere, and not to forget the beautiful kits, and you get Ballard FC. Back on media day before their preseason friendly against Vancouver Whitecaps FC II, co-founder Sam Zisette talked about how the club was looking to ensure that the success and buzz wasn’t solely from it being the club's inaugural season. That was shown week in and week out, and the popularity of Ballard should only soar. Past players have told stories of their enjoyed experience in the club, resulting in Ballard gaining some new faces this season and forcing the coaching staff to turn down some strong players.
It’s hard to point out what Ballard FC doesn’t have as a club, because they’ve checked so many boxes already and I’ll say it again: they only just completed their second season. Their players have been top notch, putting together a strong inaugural season on the pitch before falling in the playoffs before the strong year that came together to result in a championship this season. Their ownership and staff are strong and are clearly dedicated not only to the team but to the sport itself and has even been able to withstand losing Jason Farrell as head coach to Seattle University during this season. The fanbase, we’ve already talked about the fanbase at length. The jerseys have been top notch from season one and can keep getting better as they add a star for this title and the artist collaboration kits continue year by year. All that being said, if you aren’t a fan of this club yet, you probably should be.
Great people make good karma
We’ll take you a bit behind the curtain here, but not too much of course, to emphasize what I mean by great people within the club. Ballard FC has an incredible group of folks running it, from those that work to create the social content that only further pushes how good the teams branding looks, to the volunteers that help you once you enter Interbay stadium, and even the folks who run Interbay on match day. Many to all of them are volunteering their time and so much more to ensure that you enjoy an excellent experience on match day, whether that be normally at Interbay Stadium or even tonight’s historic win at Starfire Stadium. To see how much work Sam Zisette, a co-founder of this club, does on a singular matchday is remarkable considering his title. Seeing how well the social team works together to get content out through the big moments is impressive. Zisette and former head coach Jason Farrell discussed how they wanted to make this club as professional of an environment as they could back on media day before the season started, and that’s also shown in how the club is run from top to bottom.
To Sam, Chris, Lamar, Mike, Max, Blake, Marissa, Cameron, Camden, and so many more that I can’t remember off the top of my head and off the heels of that championship final: Thank you. Obviously, these players, and this support group make this club so special, but they don’t get into the best places to succeed without the work that fans may not see all the time. The effort and love from every person involved in the club adds to the atmosphere and culture, ensuring that the success we’ve seen through two seasons is only the start of what this team will do as the years go on. The soccer world is being put on notice slowly but surely, and the winning ways of Ballard are only adding to the success that Seattle’s soccer teams have seen. A tip of the cap to you all, I cannot wait to see you all again when season three gets underway.