What’s Downtown Football Club’s origin story? Who started the club and why?
My name is Daniel Loughrey, and I’m one of the Club’s co-founders along with Cruz Rios, Alex Villegas, Sergio Klassen and a few others. Coming out of COVID in March of 2021, we yearned to kick the ball around and started hosting weekly pickup soccer that was open to the entire community. We started with 4-6 people at most sessions but wanted to grow the group and include more community members. This led us to Instagram, and eventually our website. By June of 2021, we were averaging 20+ at most pickup sessions. This led to launching a second weekly pickup session, which continues. Pickup soccer eventually led to the launch of our two teams.

What is the club’s mission: what other people or organizations might have influenced that?
Our mission is to provide a place for amateurs to participate in soccer while making friends and supporting the Fresno community in the process. We believe we can be the intersection of soccer and philanthropy, and most of our decision-making is rooted in local partnerships, giving back to the community, and inclusivity.

Clubs, organizations, and brands that have directly influenced us are PDX FC, Philadelphia Falcons Soccer, and PARK. There are many great grassroots organizations passionate about soccer, the climate, their community, etc. and we draw inspiration from many of them.

What league do you play in and what kinds of players do you look for?
We currently field a coed team in Madera United Soccer League, and our men’s indoor team will soon launch in Joga 559. We hope to launch an coed indoor team by August of 2022.

For personnel, cultural fit is everything. How do they get along with the rest of the squad? Do they believe in our mission of supporting our community? Are they a team player? We strive to harness a sense of community and inclusivity.

How can readers or other interested folks support your club: do you sell any merch?
While we do not currently have an online store, we do occasionally sell kits through Instagram. These sales, however, serve two purposes. The first is that it helps offset the cost of kits for our players (if not completely covering the cost). The second is that it allows us to remain true to our core value of charitable support for our community.

Does Downtown FC participate in the community off the pitch?
Community involvement is a key element of everything we do. Our pickup soccer sessions are completely open to anyone that wants to participate, no matter their skill level.

As we discussed, we often auction or simply sell kits online through our Instagram. The proceeds are often earmarked for local charitable initiatives/organizations. For example, we were blessed to provide a gift of $500 to a local charter school in December of 2021 known as Aspen Valley Prep Academy. It’s estimated that approximately 75% of their student body lives below the federal poverty line. These kids are spread throughout our community, and we were humbled to help, while wishing we could do more. We also fundraised $630 in March of 2022 in support of a local brewery (Grayview Brewing Company) whose downtown Fresno brewing operation recently burned down.

For our jersey sponsors, we ask that they provide a charitable donation to a local nonprofit rather than providing us with any funds. The Club is content with this arrangement as it means more funds going back to organizations making a difference in our community. We’re fortunate enough to be in position to absorb certain expenses due to the generosity of those who purchase our kits.

What about your community makes your club successful?
DFC is blessed to be part of a community of creatives and vested individuals and organizations who genuinely care about their neighborhood (Downtown) and greater community (Fresno, CA). Our city has a rich history and tradition of soccer (PDL, USL, NPSL, Collegiate), and we’re able to exist and operate in the grassroots niche of the market thanks to the generosity and involvement of various people and organizations who truly care for the beautiful game. These include Root General (kit production and event sponsorship), Othy Creative (graphics), Grayview Brewing (club sponsorship), Cruz Rios (runs our pickup soccer sessions), AP Armour, Amy Gavroian and Nate Wathen (leadership), and countless others too numerous to list. We’re grateful to share a community with all of them.

When does your season kick off and how can people catch up with you?
Our coed squad will return to the pitch this July, and our men’s indoor squad will debut at the end of May. All events are posted at www.DowntownFootballClub.com, and we encourage all interested parties to get involved and support the cause!