Gotham Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020, and as NJ/NY Gotham FC from 2021 onwards. A founding member of the NWSL in 2013, Sky Blue FC also played in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) from 2009 to 2011. They won the NWSL Championship in 2023 and 2025.
Contents
History
2006–2008: Establishment
Following the growth of women's soccer in the United States in the 1990s, the first attempt at a fully professional women's league, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), was founded in 2000. However, after playing just three seasons the WUSA folded in 2003. Almost immediately following the folding of the WUSA, attempts were made to relaunch the league, although each of these initially came to naught. Finally, in December 2006, an agreement was reached to establish a new professional women's league, consisting of teams from Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., as well as an undetermined sixth city located somewhere in the Western United States. Originally planned to begin play in 2008, the launch of this new league, dubbed Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), was subsequently pushed back to 2009. Boston and the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area were also selected to host clubs to participate in the inaugural WPS season.
Sky Blue FC was originally founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, playing in the USL W-League in 2007, a semi-professional league that served as part of the second division of women's soccer in the United States. Future governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy Murphy were co-founders of the team, alongside businessman Steven H. Temares, Francesco Prandoni and Thomas Hofstetter. The Murphys would later claim that their motivation in founding the club was as an example to their daughter, in order to prove that there was a viable pathway for women in the United States to play professional soccer. By September 2007, the club had been selected to fulfill the New York/New Jersey slot in Women's Professional Soccer and rebranded as Sky Blue FC. Following this move, the Jersey Sky Blue name initially remained in use for a feeder team in the W-League, although it later rebranded as the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues. Co-founder Thomas Hofstetter, who served as president of Sky Blue FC until 2013, also served as chairman of the feeder team until their folding in 2010. As of 2018, Phil Murphy was a majority shareholder of the team.
Sky Blue FC named Ian Sawyers as its first head coach and general manager on March 5, 2008. However, it was not until September 9, 2008, that the New York/New Jersey outfit was officially unveiled under the name Sky Blue FC. One week later, the U.S. women's national team allocation took place with Heather O'Reilly, Natasha Kai, and Christie Pearce allocated to Sky Blue FC.
On September 24, the 2008 WPS International Draft was held. Sky Blue FC drafted Australia national team forward Sarah Walsh in the first round, Brazil national team members Rosana and Ester in the second and third rounds respectively, finished with Canada national team midfielder Kelly Parker in the fourth round. In addition to these picks, Sky Blue FC also named Australia national team midfielder Collette McCallum and England national team defender Anita Asante as post-draft discovery players on September 26, 2008, and October 2, 2008, respectively, and were awarded their WPS playing rights.
2008–2020: Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC kicked off its inaugural season on April 5, 2009, dropping a 2–0 decision to Los Angeles Sol at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. It played its next game at the venue before moving permanently to Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University.
The team stuttered to one win and two draws in their first six games, scoring only 3 goals in the process, before head coach and general manager Ian Sawyers was suspended indefinitely by the team for disagreements on May 23, 2009. He was eventually relieved of his duties as head coach and general manager on May 28, 2009. In his absence, Kelly Lindsey stepped in as the interim and slowly started to turn around Sky Blue FC's on-field fortunes. She was eventually permanently installed as head coach on June 19, 2009, by then General Manager Gerry Marrone.
Lindsey's time at the helm was short-lived as she abruptly resigned from her position on July 30, 2009. She had won five games and drawn three others in her twelve total matches before Christie Rampone was named the second interim of the year and third head coach overall by Marrone. Her position also included playing on the field and she was the first player/manager in WPS history. Rampone led Sky Blue FC into 4th position and secured the final playoff spot for the 2009 playoffs. Sky Blue FC upended both Washington Freedom and Saint Louis Athletica to make the championship game against Los Angeles Sol. A 16th minute Heather O'Reilly strike earned Sky Blue FC the championship on August 22, 2009, beating the Sol on their own home field of The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Sky Blue's victory was seen as an upset, and later described as "an all-time underdog story." Sky Blue were later invited to the White House, where President Barack Obama hailed their success in the inaugural WPS season.
With two additional teams, Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence, joining the league for 2010, Sky Blue FC were destined to lose players from their championship-winning side. On September 15, the 2009 WPS Expansion Draft was held with Jen Buczkowski moving to Philadelphia and Noelle Keselica headed to Atlanta.
Sky Blue FC announced on September 29, 2009, that former Finnish National Team player Pauliina Miettinen would be head coach of the team for the 2010 season after completing her coaching duties with PK-35 Vantaa.
2021–present: NJ/NY Gotham FC and NWSL champions
In April 2021, Sky Blue officially changed its name to Gotham FC, "Gotham" being a nickname for New York City. Carli Lloyd announced her retirement from professional soccer on August 16, 2021, indicating the current NJ/NY Gotham season would be her last season. In September 2021, former Sky Blue player Nadia Nadim accused management of forging her signature on a contract extension so they could trade her to the Portland Thorns in early 2016.
Lloyd joined the ownership group on April 27, 2022. On May 4, 2022, NBA player Kevin Durant and investor Rich Kleiman announced their minority investment into Gotham FC via their investment company Thirty Five Ventures. On July 29, 2022, WNBA player Sue Bird joined Gotham FC's ownership group as a minority owner, consultant, and advisor. On August 10, 2022, Gotham FC announced the addition of former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Giants chief commercial officer Pete Guelli to its ownership group as minority owners. The investments raised the club's valuation to an estimated $40 million.
On August 11, 2022, Gotham FC fired head coach Scott Parkinson following a 4–8–0 start to the 2022 season and announced an immediate search for a new coach to be hired for the 2023 season.
After finishing the 2022 season in last place, Gotham FC appointed Juan Carlos Amóros as the new head coach. In the NWSL Draft, Gotham FC made several trades to acquire Lynn Williams from Kansas City Current in exchange for the 2nd pick and send Paige Monaghan to Racing Louisville in exchange for the 4th pick, which they used to draft 2023 Rookie of the Year winner Jenna Nighswonger. Prior to the start of the season, veteran defender Ali Krieger announced that she would be retiring at the end of the 2023 NWSL season. Gotham FC finished the regular season in 6th place, securing the final playoff spot on the last day of the season. In the playoffs, Gotham FC defeated North Carolina Courage 0-3 and Portland Thorns FC 0–1 to advance to their first ever NWSL Championship Game. On November 11, 2023, Gotham FC won their first NWSL Championship, the team's first title since the 2009 WPS Championship, by a score of 1–2 over OL Reign with first half goals by Lynn Williams and Esther Gonzalez.
In the 2024 season, Gotham finished third in the league, defeating Portland Thorns FC in the quarterfinals 2–1. In the semifinals, Gotham faced the Washington Spirit, in this match goals from Esther González and Hal Hershfelt sent the match to penalties, where Gotham lost 3–0.
Colors and crest
The club's visual identity has changed multiple times throughout its history. During their tenure in Women's Professional Soccer, Sky Blue FC's home colors were orange and their away colors were sky blue. Beginning with the 2013 season and the launch of the National Women's Soccer League, the club's home colors changed to midnight blue, while their away colors changed to a white shirt with midnight blue shorts. In 2015, the club's colors reverted to sky blue and orange, but with sky blue for their home jersey and orange for their away jersey. The following season, the club's home colors returned to midnight blue, while their away colors returned to sky blue. This pattern again emerged in following seasons, as the club's home jersey was sky blue in 2017 and 2018, but returned to midnight blue in 2019. The 2020 season marked yet another change, as the club's home colors became primarily black with sky blue accents. While their home and away strips as Sky Blue FC lacked a consistent visual identity, throughout this era the club's crest remained a blue, white, and orange shield emblazoned with the club's name. The addition of a blue star above the shield was to represent the club's victory in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer championship.
Following the club's rebrand from Sky Blue FC to NJ/NY Gotham FC, a new crest and color scheme was announced. The club's new crest, a shield adorned by the crown of the Statue of Liberty, was designed by Matthew Wolff, who had previously designed for several MLS clubs as well as other professional clubs around the world. According to a club statement, the crown represents the club's ambitions to become an international club. The lettering on the crest contains a hybrid letter Y and letter J, reflecting the club's name, location, and fanbase. The new kit is similarly representative. The blue sash running diagonally across the kit harkens back to the team's roots as Sky Blue FC. The sash also symbolizes the Hudson River, a visual representation of the "/" in NJ/NY, as it flows between New Jersey and New York. Following the rebrand, the official colors of Gotham FC are "Sky Blue", "Gotham Black", and "Cloud White", representing the club's original name, its current name, and the name of the supporters group.
Stadiums
Yurcak Field (2009–2019)
TD Bank Ballpark (2 games, 2009)
MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field (2 games in 2020)
Sports Illustrated Stadium (2 games in 2019, 2020–present)
Icahn Stadium (1 game in 2025, 1 game in 2026)
Citi Field (1 game in 2026)
Etihad Park (2028–future)
Training facility
Since its founding as Sky Blue FC, Gotham FC has operated without a dedicated training facility, renting or sharing various fields in New Jersey, including those of youth programs and the New York Red Bulls Academy.
On June 10, 2026, the club announced plans to build its first permanent training facility by repurposing and renovating the former New York Red Bulls training site in Whippany. The project, estimated to cost $35 million, is privately funded and operates under a 15-year lease starting September 1, 2026. Designed by SHoP Architects with input from players and coaching staff, construction is scheduled to begin in late summer 2026, with an estimated completion date in 2027.
Plans for the site include three grass pitches, one heated, with a fourth full-size indoor field subject to permit approval. The interior design features a 3,000-square-foot gym, recovery and hydrotherapy rooms, a player lounge, dining space, a press room, and a content studio.
Supporters
Cloud 9 is the official supporters group of Gotham FC. They stand in the supporters' section for home games (Section 101 of Red Bull Arena, behind the south-side goal), and travel to road games, singing songs and chants throughout the game. During the team's tenure at Yurcak Field, Cloud 9 stood and supported from Section 9 during home games.
Players and staff
Current squad
As of August 21, 2026
Staff
As of March 29, 2025
Head coaches
As of May 27, 2025
Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses, and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shootouts are not counted.
Honors
Major trophies
s shared record
Minor trophies
Invitational cup(s): (1)
The Women's Cup
Champions (1): 2024 C
Records
Statistics from competitive matches (regular season, playoffs, and domestic, continental, and international cups) only. Current players in bold.
Year-by-year
As of June 26, 2026
Most appearances
As of May 27, 2025.
Top goalscorers
As of May 27, 2025.
Matches played appear in brackets.
Top scorers by season
As of December 1, 2025.
Broadcasting
Starting in April 2017, Sky Blue FC games were streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers. For the 2017 season, the team was featured in the nationally televised Lifetime NWSL Game of the Week broadcasts on May 13, May 20, July 1, and August 12, 2017.
Previous seasons' matches were streamed live on YouTube, available around the world. The announcers were Corey Cohen on play-by-play and Dan Lauletta on color commentary with Evan Davis hosting the halftime show and NJ Discover handling production.
The NWSL announced that it has entered into a three-year media agreement with CBS Sports and the video game-oriented streaming service Twitch on March 11, 2020. Since 2023, matches have additionally been televised locally on MSG Network.