Wikipedia - FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to 2017 and then going on hiatus in 2018 when the NASL ceased competitive operations and cancelled the 2018 season. They returned in 2019 to compete in the Canadian Premier League from the league's inaugural season in 2019 until 2022, when it was dissolved by the league. From 2012 onward, FC Edmonton's home field had been Clarke Stadium.

History

Formative years

In February 2010, FC Edmonton was launched by brothers Tom Fath and Dave Fath as founding members of the North American Soccer League. The club spent the first year playing exhibition matches against teams including Colo Colo, the Spokane Spiders and Vitória, with a squad mostly represented by Albertan college students and amateur players. The team also played an honorary match against the Canadian Armed Forces on Canada Day in July.

In December 2010, head coach Dwight Lodeweges and his assistant Hans Schrijver left the club before competing in a professional game to take a job in Japan. He was replaced by fellow Dutchman Harry Sinkgraven shortly after.

In January 2012, FC Edmonton started a male youth academy, and in September 2013 launched a female youth academy in partnership with the Alberta Soccer Association.

North American Soccer League (2011–2017)

On April 9, 2011, the team played its first competitive game and recorded a 2–1 victory against Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Alberta-native Shaun Saiko scored the first goal in the club's history. Edmonton finished their inaugural season in fifth out of eight teams and qualified for the 2011 NASL Playoffs quarterfinals, but were knocked out in a 5–0 defeat against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

FC Edmonton plays against Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the 2012 Canadian Championship.

Schrijver returned to the club as assistant head coach for the 2012 season, but just five wins from 28 games finished the club at the bottom of the table. In September 2012, both Sinkgraven and Schrijver were released due to the bad results. On November 27, Colin Miller was named as the club's new head coach.

The club saw slight improvement during Miller's first year in charge, finishing fifth in the spring season before slipping to seventh in the fall season. However, the 2014 season saw considerable improvement for the club. After struggling at ninth in the spring season, Edmonton recorded their best ever league finish at third place during the fall season.

The 2015 season brought a similar scenario for the club. After a 10th-place finish in the spring season, the Eddies bounced back to finish fifth in the fall season, missing a playoff position by just four points. Edmonton improved further for the 2016 season, finishing third in both the spring and fall seasons. The club missed out on topping the spring season table by a single point after both Indy Eleven and the New York Cosmos recorded 18 points.

FC Edmonton returned to its former ways during the 2017 season and struggled to seventh-placed finishes in both the spring and fall seasons. On November 24, 2017, the club ceased professional operations citing the sustainability of the team and "continuous uncertainty being forced upon the NASL by the United States Soccer Federation". FC Edmonton continued to run their academies in hope of re-establishing the professional team at a later date.

Canadian Premier League and ownership struggles (2018–2022)

FC Edmonton celebrates a goal by Julian Ulbricht, their only goal in a 1–3 loss to HFX Wanderers FC on 30 April 2022 in Halifax.

On June 5, 2018, it was announced that the newly formed Canadian Premier League had approved the city of Edmonton for a professional club to compete in the league. Three days later, FC Edmonton announced their return to professional soccer. As well as confirming their place in the league for the 2019 season, the club revealed a new crest and branding. On July 3, the club named former assistant coach and academy technical director Jeff Paulus as the new head coach. The club finished fourth out of seven teams in the inaugural CPL season.

Following a last-place finish in the 2020 season, Jeff Paulus resigned as head coach and general manager. On November 2, 2020, Eric Newendorp was named club president and general manager.

FC Edmonton struggled again on the pitch in 2021 with new head coach Alan Koch, finishing seventh of eight and consistently drawing crowds of fewer than 1,000 people. On December 31, 2021, the league announced that it had taken over operations of the club from the Faths, with an aim to find a new ownership group.

On February 8, 2022, it was announced that club president Eric Newendorp had left the club and was replaced by former Edmonton Oilers executive Jeff Harrop. The majority of Edmonton's roster in 2022 was players on loan from other CPL clubs. The team finished the season in last place, recording just 4 wins in 28 matches. Following the season the CPL terminated the Fath Group's rights to operate the team in the CPL and said that the league will not operate a team in the Edmonton market for the 2023 season.