The United Soccer Leagues announced today that the Palmetto FC Bantams have joined the PDL and will begin play in the 2012 season. The new club will be based in Greenwood, S.C.
Local business leader Mark Riddle, Lander University soccer coach Van Taylor, and Greenwood attorney Aaron Taylor have spearheaded the development of the franchise.
Palmetto FC will play a 16-game schedule between the months of May and July, and will play most of its eight home matches at Lander University’s soccer field in Greenwood, located in west central South Carolina. Riddle will be the team’s president, while coaches and other team officials have yet to be named.
The club chose the name Palmetto to draw support from a wider area of South Carolina, the Palmetto State. Palmetto FC has formed a partnership with Bradford City of England’s League Two and will share the same logo and team colors as Bradford City. The partnership includes the possibility of exhibition matches.
The Bantams will have several South Carolina schools to draw from including strong smaller school programs like Lander, Erskine, Newberry, North Greenville, Anderson, USC Aiken, Francis Marion, Coker and Limestone, to bigger schools including Winthrop, USC Upstate, Presbyterian, Coastal Carolina, Furman, Charleston, the University of South Carolina and Clemson.
The club’s first tryout is tentatively planned for December.
Read the entire USL press release here
With a several highly competitive college soccer programs in the state, a PDL team should be able to draw a large pool of players while giving the students opportunities to train throughout the summer. Best of luck to the Bantams!
