USA's Oldest Community-Owned Soccer Team Operates From Low-Key Ingleside Storefront

The oldest community-owned soccer club in the country is quietly serving its members from a low-key Ingleside storefront.

The San Francisco City Football Club, which was founded in 2001 by Jonathan Wright, plans to use the space at 1907 Ocean Ave. #2 as an online fulfillment center for the team’s merchandise, store matchday operations and act as a headquarters or clubhouse.

“Every now and then we’d be open for community events like art and wine walks or other activations or pop-ups for merch pickups,” SF City FC’s Board of Directors, Marketing and Creative member Ian Blackley told The Ingleside Light in August 2024.

While an official launch date has not been revealed, the team has spent its off-season renovating the space including covering some of the purple walls and setting up fixtures. Owner of San Francisco Studio Fernando Garcia also helped bring the new space to life by painting some of the brand’s iconography inside and added the club’s slogan, “The oldest community-owned soccer club in America” on the façade in September 2024. 

While the team’s home stadium is located in Golden Gate Park at Kezar Stadium they have hosted matches at Boxer Stadium in Balboa Park in the past. 

SF City FC has also partnered with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency since 2023 to release limited edition jerseys with the Muni logo in honor of their two year-long sponsorship deal and recently collaborated with SFMTA and Standard Deviant Brewing on a limited edition “Hop on Muni” IPA for SF Beer Week in February 2025.

SF City FC recently took to Instagram on March 23 to celebrate hitting 10,000 followers by hiding 10 jerseys on the K-Ingleside light rail trains for that week.

The Ocean Avenue Association’s Rosendo Betancourt, who is also an avid soccer fan, said that the OAA will try to collaborate with the club soon and is excited about what’s to come in the near future. 

“I dig that the SF City Football Club is a neighbor,” Betancourt said. “They're a wonderful organization that is true to grassroots and community values.”