Newtown Pride FC

Newtown Pride FC is an American soccer team based in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Connecticut.

Newtown Pride FC
Full nameNewtown Pride Football Club
Nickname(s)The Pride
Founded1998 (1998)
GroundNewtown High School
Sandy Hook, CT
FounderMichael & Matt Svanda
General ManagerMatt Svanda
Head CoachMichael Svanda
LeagueConnecticut Soccer League
WebsiteClub website

History

The team was founded in 1998 by father and son Mike and Matt Svanda.[1]

In 2019, the team won the National Amateur Cup for the first time in its history, becoming the second team from Connecticut, & first since 1967, to win the Cup.[2][3] The team beat New Jersey sides Jackson Lions and Cedar Stars Academy to reach the USASA Region I Final against Steel FC (PA), which the team won 2-0.[4][5][6][7] In the National Final, the Pride beat RWB Adria (IL) in the semifinal before beating Horizon FC (TX), 4-0, and won both the trophy and $15,000.[8][9]

The team became the second National Amateur Champion to directly qualify for the U.S. Open Cup after U.S. Soccer had started the practice with the 2018 Champions Milwaukee Bavarian SC. Newtown will enter the 2020 U.S. Open Cup in the first round alongside local qualifiers and teams from both the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two.[10][11][12][13]

As National Amateur Cup Champions Newtown also secured a spot in the 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup. The team will compete against defending champion Flint City Bucks and the National Champions of both the NPSL and USL 2 (or the furthest advancing amateur team if the champion is a professional side) to determine the "USA National Amateur Champions."[14]

In August 2019, then-U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro announced that Newtown will also host the winners of the 2019 UEFA Regions' Cup, Dolny Śląsk, in the inaugural International Amateur Cup.[15] The game was originally set to take place on May 19, 2020 but was later postponed to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

Charity

Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the Pride began to dedicate their matches in honor of the victims and families of the tragedy. The team continues to work with Newtown Youth and Family Services and has played charity matches against larger teams such as the New York Cosmos (2013), New York Red Bulls II (2015), Reading United AC (2016), Kingston Stockade FC (2017), and Bethlehem Steel FC (2017).[17][18][19][20][21]

Honors

References
  1. "TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE". Newtown Pride FC. Retrieved 13 January 2020. The club was officially founded in 1998 By head Coach Michael Svanda & Son Matt Svanda.
  2. USASA Communications. "Newtown Pride FC Crowned Amateur Champions". U.S. Adult Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  3. Hutchison, Andy. "Newtown Soccer Club Brings Connecticut First National Title Since '67". The Newtown Bee. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  4. Fricker, Michael. "Region I Rounds of the 2019 US Amateur Cup [UPDATE – 06/04/2019]". Amateur Cup Media. Michael Fricker. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  5. New Jersey Publicity. "Jackson Lions face Newtown Pride FC in the USASA Region I Open Amateur Cup". New Jersey Soccer Association. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. "US Amateur Cup for the Fritz Marth Trophy Region I Final @Steel_FC15 0:2 @NewtownPrideFC Newtown brings the trophy to Connecticut. Good final between both sides". Twitter. USASA Region I. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. Fricker, Michael. "Newtown Pride FC: 2019 Region I US Amateur Champions". Amateur Cup Media. Michael Fricker. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  8. Fricker, Michael. "Newtown Pride FC are 2019 Amateur Cup Champions and take a Star back Home to their Community". Amateur Cup Media. Michael Fricker. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  9. "Mesoamerica Advance to USASA National Amateur Cup Final". CalSouth. Retrieved 13 January 2020. Aside from a national title and bragging rights at stake, National Amateur Cup Champions earn a spot in the U.S Open Cup, as well as cash prizes listed below. Champion – $15,000 Runner Up – $10,000 Third Place – $7,500 Fourth Place – $5,000
  10. Open Cup (21 August 2019). "EIGHTY-NINE AMATEUR TEAMS APPROVED FOR 2020 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP QUALIFYING". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020. Beyond the amateur teams in local qualifying, Newtown Pride FC (Newtown, Conn.), by virtue of winning the 2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup on Aug. 3, has been awarded a direct slot into the First Round of next year’s Open Cup and will not compete in local qualifying, the second year running where a first round berth has been reserved for the Amateur Cup champion.
  11. Open Cup. "RECORD-SETTING 100 TEAMS CONFIRMED FOR 2020 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP, 107TH EDITION OF U.S. SOCCER'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  12. Arnison, Tom. "Newtown Pride FC win first Amateur Cup title, qualify for 2020 US Open Cup". TheCup.us. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. Sigal, Jonathan. "Notebook: Newtown Pride FC win Amateur Cup; Bedoya's moment; more". New England Soccer Journal. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. "Hank Steinbrecher Cup". U.S. Adult Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020. The Steinbrecher is a competition between the reigning National Amateur Cup champion, the NPSL champion, the USL Two champion and the previous year’s Steinbrecher champion... The three-peat of the USASA national championship ensures that the Bucks will represent again in the 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup, but also brought with it some more good news. Tournament Director Duncan Riddle and tournament namesake Hank Steinbrecher confirmed that the Bucks will host the 2020 tournament in Flint next May as the team goes for a record fourth title in a row.
  15. "Congratulations to @NewtownPrideFC, the 2019 @USAdultSoccer Amateur Cup Champions! In addition to the Fritz Marth Trophy, they've earned a ticket to the 2020 Lamar Hunt @opencup and a matchup against the @UEFA Regions' Cup winners next summer!". Twitter. Carlos Cordeiro. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  16. Communications, USASA (19 March 2020). "International Amateur Cup Postponed". United States Adult Soccer Association. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  17. Martinez, Dave. "New York Cosmos ready for Newtown "Soccer Revolution"". Empire of Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  18. USL Admin. "Red Bulls II To Face Newtown Pride FC". USL Soccer. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  19. "Soccer Double Header To Benefit Newtown Youth & Family Services". The Newtown Bee. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  20. "Kingston Stockade Announces April 22 Friendly at Dietz Stadium Against Newtown Pride FC". Stockade FC. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  21. USLSoccer.com Staff. "Steel FC to Participate in Sandy Hook Fundraiser". USL Championship. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
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