Who are the founders of CT Fusion, when was the club started and why?
The Connecticut Fusion was created in January 2018 when Farmington Sports Arena (FSA) purchased an expansion team in United Women’s Soccer (UWS) ahead of the 2018 season. The club is based out of FSA, which is a family owned and operated sports complex in Farmington, CT (roughly about 20 minutes southwest of Hartford, the state capitol of Connecticut) and is home to one of the states’ top youth soccer organizations, FSA FC.

The Fusion’s Co-Managing Directors are JP Dellacamera and Shep Messing, two legends in the American soccer landscape. Dellacamera is the 2018 National Soccer Hall of Fame ‘Colin Jose Media Award’ winner for his work in the broadcasting field. Messing, a current broadcaster for the New York Red Bulls, was the starting goalkeeper for the New York Cosmos and played alongside the legend Pele in the North American Soccer League. The Fusion’s General Manager is JP DiTommaso: a former player at the University of New Haven (NCAA Division II), youth coach at FSA and also the organization’s Director of Events and Sponsorship. He has been with the club since the announcement of entering the club into UWS and is one of the main reasons why our organization has been able to grow as quickly as it has since starting in 2018.

Some clubs at your level serve as the end of a development funnel and some are stand alone adult clubs; what's your model and involvement in local youth soccer?
The opportunity to compete in the nations’ top “Pro-am” Women’s Soccer league is a fantastic way to add to the level of women’s soccer in CT and across New England. The UWS is listed in the second tier of Women’s Soccer leagues in the United States and is an NCAA-compliant summer league that allows for both professional and amateur sides to compete against each other. Having the Fusion operate under the FSA umbrella completes the pyramid of playing opportunities for female players of all ages at the club. Younger players aspire to achieve the competitive playing level that these women have achieved, and the Fusion serves as a fantastic resource for soccer players in the local community. With youth girls’ teams starting as early as the Under-8 age group at FSA, they now have the opportunity to play on FSA teams all the way through their college and post-grad years. While the Fusion roster isn’t exclusively comprised of FSA alums, numerous players on the current roster have come through the youth soccer ranks at the club, which is truly exciting and inspiring for the next generation coming through FSA.

Where do you draw your players from? Local colleges, high schools, local adult athletes?
The 2021 Connecticut Fusion roster was made up of players who have played/are currently playing at colleges in the state of Connecticut or are current residents of Connecticut. This year alone, we had players on our roster represent six of the state’s seven Division I Women’s Soccer programs (Fairfield, Yale, Quinnipiac, Central Connecticut State, Hartford, UConn) as well as two of the state’s four Division II programs (Bridgeport, New Haven). While the competitive level of the Fusion draws in top talent from across New England, it is the team culture and environment that has generated historical player retention since the team’s inception in 2018.

Funding any club is important, but it seems critical in keeping a solid women's team running; how do you keep the lights on? Great sponsors? Kits, scarves and matchday revenue?
Many of those who have been involved in the youth, amateur and semi-pro levels of the sport recognize the challenges that clubs face to operate these types of programs. Sponsors, ticket sales and fan gear are one source of revenue, but often only cover small portions of the annual expenses incurred to operate the team. The CT Fusion is fully funded by the generosity and passion of the FSA Football Club, whose sole intention for the team is to growth women’s soccer in the state of Connecticut and to create a pathway for young, dedicated players to reach their full playing potential.

Have you had any players move up to NWSL or overseas? Conversely, do you have any players or coaches who have had the opportunity to operate at those levels?
Since the inception of the Connecticut Fusion, the organization has seen two players since move on to play professionally in Europe. First was Hayley Nolan, who was part of the Fusion’s inaugural roster in 2018. After playing for the club in 2018 and graduating from the University of Hartford, she moved on to play for the London City Lionesses in the FA Women’s Championship, a professional league at the second tier of English Women’s Soccer.

Vivien Beil, who was part of our 2019 team, has also moved on to play overseas in Europe. After playing the 2019 season and graduating from UConn, she played with Napoli in the top division of professional Women’s Soccer in Italy.

Additionally, we have several players who have played professionally, both domestically and internationally, before joining the Fusion. One stand out is Tiffany Weimer, who was on the roster for our 2021 season. Weimer, a former All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist at Penn State, has played professionally in six different countries, including winning the 2013 NWSL Championship with the Portland Thorns. She also played in Champions League during her time in Denmark when she played for Fortuna Hjorring.

Lastly, we have been fortunate to have two players who have played for the Fusion and have been capped by the Republic of Ireland. Nolan was the first and most recently during the middle of the 2021 UWS season, Roma McLaughlin earned her first cap for Ireland since taking part in several 2019 World Cup Qualifying matches when she played in a friendly this past June against Iceland.

You had an amazing run at the UWS Championship this season - how do you follow that up? Can you retain your players and coaches? What steps have you already taken to get back in 2022?
The 2021 season was a historic one in many ways for the club. While our first two seasons in UWS play (2018-2019, there was no 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic) set a solid foundation for the club, 2021 took us to the next level. We entered this season on the strength of back-to-back second place finishes in our conference during the regular season, but did not advance beyond conference playoffs. This 2021 season, the Fusion brought home the club’s first trophy as the winners of the East Conference Playoff Tournament. Additionally, the 2021 season saw us set a club record for goals scored in a season with 45, which also doubles as the most goals scored in a season by an East Conference club in league history.

We have certainly set the standard and raised expectations for the 2022 season. While finishing second in the UWS National Championship Game left us with disappointment, the experience of playing in a league final gave us inspiration and drive to succeed in the 2022 season. Our staff will continue working in the next few months to identify prospective players for next season, as well as monitor the success of our current college players as they enter their fall season. As previously mentioned, the success of this program is built on developing a culture that fosters a passion for women’s soccer in CT and brings together local players that are dedicated to our club’s vision and values.

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