Annapolis Blues were recently announced as a NPSL expansion side for 2023 - how long has the club been in development? What inspired the club's inception and who are the folks behind the new team?HITCH - My wife is from Maryland so I've always loved Annapolis as a market. For me, it was just a matter of when we were going to launch a team in Annapolis. As the founder, I started working on this behind the scenes in 2021 then meeting with key local leaders in 2022 and we eventually launched the club with former MLS player Alex Yi and former National team star Kyle Beckerman who are both from the area. Annapolis is a soccer loving community that loves to support local. It's a special place that has an entrepreneurial spirit and a great sense of community which is why we decided to invest in bringing the Annapolis Blues to Naptown. And so far, the response has been great; we have over 2,300 season seat holders, great sponsorship portfolio of Annapolis businesses and we're selling lots of Annapolis Blues merchandise.

Tell us about your badge and colors - how are they connected to the community and walk us through the process the club went through to land on it? Who is behind the design?
My sports management company is hired to do brand development for other soccer clubs and it's a service we provide to our teams as well. Lots of owners underestimate the importance of investing in the brand. We invest a lot of time, money and resources in our clubs' brands that are relevant and connected to their community. We launched a campaign last Summer called "Naptown, name your soccer club!" where the community voted online, in-person, at events and through Social Media. We had four Brands that fans could choose from (1) Annapolis Yard (in honor of Naval Academy), Annapolis Seawolves (in honor of Navy Special Forces), Annapolis Kraken (just a fun, out of the box brand) and Annapolis Blues (paying tribute to the very popular, locally loved Blue Crabs). We had thousands of fans vote and Annapolis Blues won by a nautical mile. We announced the brand in August and the rest is history or at least in the process of making history.

With so many league options available nowadays, what advantages did you see in joining NPSL? Were other leagues considered or was it a no-brainer?
The NPSL is a league that is a non-profit 501c6 run and operated by the members who are the owners. The leagues mission is to grow the sport of soccer in the US in a sustainable way. The spirit of the league is a perfect fit for what we're trying to build in Annapolis.

Has the club made any partnerships with local youth programs- either to create a direct development pathway or simply to get connected to the community?
Annapolis Blues are a community based club. We're inclusive and want to play our small role in continuing to grow the game for all of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. We represent the entire community and want to provide opportunities for local players to pursue their dreams of playing pro soccer, provide opportunities for local students to pursue their dreams of working in sports management, provide local businesses with a team they can support while growing their business and give fans and the community a fun, affordable game day experience at world class Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Where will the club draw its players from? Have you had tryouts already - plan on having another event? What levels of players show up for those events?
Players will come from all over the DMV. This area of the country is a talent rich area with lots of great players who we know will want to play in front of thousands of fans in a professional environment. We hosted our first tryout and had around 90 players participate. We're hosting a Final Open Tryout for local players on March 5th while our coaching staff is scouting players from all over the region and using their network of contacts to identify players. This is going to be fun and I'm confident Head Coach Colin Herriot and his staff will build a team that Annapolis will be proud to support.

What are the goals for the club in season one? When you look back at this season 6 months later, what will be a marker of success?
2023 is the foundation building year for the Annapolis Blues. NPSL is a very strong league and we're in a tough Mid-Atlantic Conference so we're entering the year with humble expectations. Regardless of team record, we want to provide fans with a great product on the field and a team that gives 100% for the fans. Ideally, contend for a Playoff Spot. We want to make a meaningful connection with our community and provide a positive impact on many levels. We'd like to break the record for average attendance for NPSL expansion team which is around 4,100 fans per game by Lubbock Matadors in Lubbock, Texas. And we want to create a Blues Community that brings fans together from all areas of Annapolis and regardless of neighborhood or socio-economic background, comes together to cheer on their Blues!!!

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