Memphis 901 FC has moved its USL Championship franchise rights over to Santa Barbara which is a pretty big change for the league. The team won’t be playing in the 2025 USL Championship season and Santa Barbara is gonna start playing in 2026. This is happening cause Memphis is having trouble finding a good stadium they can use long-term.
- Memphis 901 FC has moved its franchise rights to Santa Barbara.
- The team won’t be playing in the 2025 USL Championship season.
- Santa Barbara is joining the USL Championship in 2026.
Santa Barbara’s Entry into the USL Championship
Santa Barbara moving up to the USL Championship is kinda like starting over for them since they were supposed to be in USL League One originally. This gives them a chance to make their mark in the bigger league. Everyone’s pretty excited to see how they’ll do when they start playing in 2026 and how they’ll connect with local fans.
RT @tombogert: BREAKING: Memphis 901 FC have transferred their USL Championship franchise rights to Santa Barbara, per sources.
Memphis wi…
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert)
November 13, 2024
This is just one of those things happening in the league right now where teams are moving around and changing things up. If you want to know more about what’s going on in the league check out the Championship Matches Overview.
Implications for Memphis 901 FC
Memphis 901 FC which started back in 2019 was pretty important in the USL Championship. But they couldn’t figure out the stadium situation in Memphis so they had to give their franchise rights to Santa Barbara. This means Memphis 901 FC won’t be playing in 2025, and Santa Barbara will take over in 2026.
Memphis 901 FC used to play at AutoZone Park sharing it with the Memphis Redbirds. Even though they’re gone now maybe Memphis could come back if someone new buys the team. If you want more info about USL Championship stuff, look at Major League Soccer News.
Broader Trends in US Soccer Leagues
Memphis 901 FC giving up their franchise rights is pretty normal in US soccer leagues where teams are always changing stuff to try to do better. It’s kinda like what happened with Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer when they had their own problems.
These changes show how US soccer leagues keep changing as teams try to stay successful and important. If you want to learn more about what’s going on with different teams check out the Eastern Conference Shake-Up and Inter Miami’s Challenges.
