Metuchen, NJ — UWS League Two (UWS2) is excited to announce expansion into the Bay Area. The league welcomes Bay Cities FC as a founding member of the new conference that will kick off in May 2022. Based in Redwood City, CA, the club plans to join the first division of the UWS national pro-am league in 2023. Stay tuned for more additions to this new conference.
“We are excited to welcome Bay Cities FC to UWS2,” said League Commissioner Joe Ferrara. “The club is committed to establishing a professional pathway for its players and providing an exciting game day experience for its fans.”
“We are ecstatic to welcome Bay Cities FC to our league,” said Executive Director Stephanie Cleaves. “They are building an exciting pathway to professional soccer for their players and recently announced their commitment to offering equal pay to both men’s and women’s teams at the pro level. Their values and future plans align perfectly with our platform and commitment to advancing women’s soccer.”
Bay Cities Football Club (Redwood City, California) is a professional soccer club founded in 2021 that will participate in the men’s inaugural National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) season in 2022. In their first season, Bay Cities women’s team will compete in UWS League Two – a developmental league geared toward U20/23 players. Bay Cities will bring professional soccer to the Peninsula and bridge successful sports, community, and technology opportunities for the surrounding bay cities.
Two Bay Cities’ founders are Redwood City community advocates Anders Perez and Ivan Martinez. Currently, Anders and Ivan both lead separate non-profit organizations with extensive roots in Redwood City that continue to positively impact the daily lives of hundreds of youth and families. This experience has allowed both leaders to establish the needed network and support to launch BCFC.
Bay Cities’ mission is to leverage the community’s passion for soccer to accelerate development and provide growth opportunities for their community. The club strives to add a professional women’s team in the future and is adding a team at the pro-am as a natural next step.
“Our vision is to provide professional opportunities for the young men and women in our community,” said President & Cofounder Anders Perez.”With joining the UWS, we feel this is the first step in being able to achieve that goal for the countless young female players in Redwood City and the Peninsula. All along, we feel that our women’s game is underserved compared to the men’s game. Bay Cities wants to do our part in helping close the gaps and address the inequities in terms of opportunities for female soccer players.”
Bay Cities FC women’s team will play their home games at Sequoia High School (1201 Brewster Ave, Redwood City, CA 94062). For more information on Bay Cities FC, visit their official website. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
