What is the origin story for First State FC? Who founded the club and why?
FSFC was founded in 2019 by a group consisting of family and friends (me+my wife, my mother and father, and our friends Kyle and Olin Gay). We have since added a number of dedicated staff and volunteers. The main mission of the club was to help raise the profile of soccer in this area - specifically this State. We saw that there was an appetite for soccer around here that wasn't being quenched -- youth systems were (and are) overflowing with kids playing soccer, and some really high level college soccer was being played right here in Delaware (national leading goalscorers, guys who played for their national teams)...yet nobody knew it. Additionally, kids looking to go to that next level after college (or in the summers) had no options here. So while soccer was clearly popular here, and despite having local high schools that consistently pump out D1 talent, that talent was always being dragged out of state. So we viewed FSFC as a way to kill two birds with one stone. If we did this thing right, we could help put Delaware (more) on the map as being fertile soccer ground, and also give players in and from this area a higher level of competition.

What league do you play in; what led you to that choice and how often does the organization re-evaluate?
We play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). That original choice was driven by a few things, but mainly 1) it was cost effective and 2) other smart owners saw value in the NPSL (see: Dennis Crowley's yearly posts about Kingston Stockade and the NPSL).

We evaluate our league association regularly, although again we're very happy in the NPSL. But with the shifting sands in lower league soccer, any owner at this level has to have his/her head on a swivel and be agile and ready for any number of unexpected turns in the road. One thing that we do believe though - and I believe this is true in all of lower level soccer - the connection between the club and its community is >>>. If you can't engage your fans, put butts in seats, and put a good product on the field, it probably doesn't matter what league you're in, because you won't be there very long. On the other hand, if you can cultivate a thriving fan base and become known as a positive force in your community who also puts on a hell of a show on the field, then it also might not matter what league you're in, because you've already built your staying power.

How did you finish last year and what goals have you set for this year?
Last year was a difficult year for us due to some unforeseen coaching musical chairs right at the very beginning season. But we righted the ship and, but for two heartbreaking come from behind defeats (up 2-0 in one game only to lose 5-3, then up 3-2 in the 85th minute in the other, only to lose 4-3), we would have been in the playoffs. We're excited to be bringing back our Head Coach Dan Frick again this year, so we're hoping to hit the ground running. We're back in the Keystone Conference this year, which, as anyone who follows the NPSL knows, is a powerhouse. Motown were the national champions last year, Atlantic City is always tough, and we've had some knock down, drag out games with Monmouth as well. So we have our work cut out for us, but we're excited to be testing ourselves against the best competition.

Many clubs design and sell custom kits and scarves either for fun or to help keep the lights on; do you have any merch for sale? How can folks help support your club?
Just generally speaking, and yes I'm biased, but our kits are hot fire. And yes they are for sale. Our friends at The Barn Creative and Icarus designed and produced these kits for us, respectively. We have kits, t-shirts, scarves, and a few other things -- all available at our shop (firststatefc.com/shop).

Sometimes clubs work as hard off the pitch as they do on it - does First State FC do anything to help their local community? Do you support causes or organizations we can draw attention to here?
From day one we have strived to be a club that puts community at the forefront of what we do. Our staff and members have volunteered at food drives, animal shelters, local community fairs, local sports events (like opening day for little league baseball), amongst others. We've donated to national causes as well. This year in particular, we are looking to be very very active in the community, ideally on a weekly basis, with scheduled events every Saturday or Sunday that our staff and players.

One organization that we really like working with is the Delaware Humane Association. It's a local animal shelter that works tirelessly to help distressed animals -- many that come to the shelter from all over the country. They have some great people working there and deserve some good pub.

There's always a bigger fish; if you could schedule a friendly or two with any clubs within a 100 miles of First State FC, who would you like to play and why?
The biggest fish in this pond is always gonna be the Union - so that would be the pipe dream. Other than that, I think it would be a lot of fun to meet up with Red Bulls II.

Give First State FC a follow on Facebook HERE
And see what they’re up to on Twitter HERE