Carolina Core FC

What Carolina Core FC does

Carolina Core FC is a private, for-profit professional soccer club competing in MLS NEXT Pro, the developmental league beneath Major League Soccer. Founded in 2024 and based in High Point, North Carolina, the club — nicknamed "The Foxes" — plays home matches at Truist Point Stadium and represents the Carolina Core region encompassing Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. It is led by President Andy Smith with Principal Investor Megan Oglesby, and operates with 11–50 employees across offices at Congdon Yards, the official team store, and Truist Point Stadium.

The club's core product is competitive MLS NEXT Pro soccer matches (regular season and playoffs within the Eastern Conference), generating matchday attendance of approximately 3,000–4,500 fans per home game. Surrounding the core match product, Carolina Core FC operates a portfolio of sub-products and services: a CCFC Academy structured as a 501(c)(3) public charity for youth development; community clinics and camps; official merchandise through a physical team store and online shop; season and single-match tickets sold direct via the club's website and stadium box office; and a multi-city "World Soccer Watch Party Series" across Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. There is no proprietary technology stack disclosed beyond standard MLS NEXT Pro league infrastructure; no public or partner-facing API is offered, and the club has no native mobile app.

The business model spans five revenue streams: matchday ticket sales (transaction-based), merchandise and retail (hardware sales), broadcasting rights distributed via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and OneFootball (subscription/recurring at the league level), corporate sponsorships across Signature, Kit Supplier, Performance, and Community Partner tiers (advertising), and academy/clinic program fees (professional services). Named Signature Partners include Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, CIBC, High Point University, and Skyla Credit Union, with hummel Pro North America as kit supplier. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the official website, box office, and team store, complemented by league-level streaming on Apple TV and OneFootball. The club maintains an active presence on Instagram, TikTok, X, and its own news/content hub. In its second season (2025) it clinched its first-ever playoff berth and was subsequently selected to host the 2026 MLS All-Star Game.

Name

Carolina Core FC

Legal name

Carolina Core FC

Website

https://carolinacorefc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carolina Core FC is a private men's professional soccer club in MLS NEXT Pro based in High Point, NC, serving the Greensboro–High Point–Winston-Salem region with matchday entertainment, youth development academy programs, community clinics, merchandise, and regional watch-party activations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Spectator Sports (7112), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Licensing, Merchandising & Co-Branded Products (Sponsored Merchandise, Collabs) (MPAKALAE), Regional/Continental Confederations & Associations (MPAKAFAD)

Keywords

• Professional soccer club
• MLS NEXT Pro
• Soccer match tickets
• Youth soccer academy
• Sports team merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

High Point

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from matchday ticket sales for MLS NEXT Pro regular season and playoff matches at Truist Point Stadium
2. Merchandise and Retail: Revenue from team store sales at physical location and online shop.carolinacorefc.com
3. Broadcasting Rights: Revenue from streaming matches on MLS Season Pass (Apple TV) and OneFootball platforms
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Partnership revenue from Signature Partners, Kit Supplier (hummel), Performance Partners, and Community Partners including Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, CIBC, Deuterman Law Group, High Point University, and others
5. Academy Programs: Revenue from youth development programs including CCFC Academy (501 c3 public charity), community clinics and camps

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carolina Core FC is a men's professional soccer club competing in MLS NEXT Pro at Truist Point Stadium in High Point, North Carolina. The club sells match tickets (season and single-match), operates official team merchandise through a physical store and online shop, runs the CCFC Academy (a 501(c)(3) youth development program), hosts community clinics and camps, and organizes the World Soccer Watch Party Series across the North Carolina Triad. Revenue is diversified across matchday, merchandise, corporate sponsorships, broadcasting, and academy programs.

Product overview

Carolina Core FC is a professional soccer club competing in MLS NEXT Pro, the developmental league for Major League Soccer. The club is based in High Point, North Carolina, and plays home matches at Truist Point Stadium. The organization offers a portfolio of products and services including MLS NEXT Pro competitive matches (the core offering), season and single-match tickets, youth development through the CCFC Academy (a 501(c)(3) public charity), community clinics and camps, official merchandise through the team store, and special event experiences such as watch parties. The club serves the Carolina Core region encompassing Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MLS NEXT Pro Soccer Matches Professional men's soccer competition in MLS NEXT Pro, the developmental league for Major League Soccer. Matches are played at Truist Point Stadium and streamed via MLS Season Pass (Apple TV) and OneFootball.
• Season Tickets Full-season ticket packages granting access to all regular season home matches at Truist Point Stadium, sold through the official website.
• Single Match Tickets Individual game tickets for specific MLS NEXT Pro matches throughout the season, available through the official website and stadium box office.
• CCFC Academy Youth development academy program structured as a 501(c)(3) public charity, providing professional-level soccer training and development pathways for young players in the Carolina Core region.
• Community Clinics and Camps Soccer clinics and camps open to the community for youth skill development, training, and fan/player engagement in the Carolina Core region.
• Official Merchandise and Team Store Official Carolina Core FC merchandise including apparel, accessories, and memorabilia sold through the physical team store at 275 N Elm St, High Point, NC and the online shop at shop.carolinacorefc.com. Kit supplied by hummel.
• World Soccer Watch Party Series Outdoor watch party series held across Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem featuring live music, fan zones, and live screenings of international soccer tournaments, open to the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• First-ever playoff berth clinched in 2025, the club's second season

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atrium Health Wake Forest BaptistcoreOthersSignature Partner providing healthcare services and community health initiatives supporting Carolina Core FC's community engagement efforts.
• CIBCcoreOthersSignature Partner and financial services provider supporting the club's commercial operations.
• hummel Pro North AmericacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial kit supplier providing all team apparel, training gear, and official merchandise for Carolina Core FC.
• High Point UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignature Partner and educational institution providing potential talent pipeline, academic partnerships, and community connections in the High Point area.
• Skyla Credit UnioncoreOthersSignature Partner and local credit union contributing to the branded charter bus sponsorship alongside Landmark Builders and The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel.
• Landmark BuildersminorOthersCommunity partner and sponsor of the branded charter bus wrap for player transportation to away games.
• Jean's Bus ServiceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransportation partner providing branded 56-passenger charter bus for team travel to regional away games including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chattanooga, and Huntsville. Multi-year partnership serving multiple collegiate and professional teams.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Chattanooga FC: Independent MLS NEXT Pro club competing in the Eastern Conference alongside Carolina Core FC. Comparable as a community-rooted, non-MLS-affiliated developmental club building fan engagement in a mid-sized Southeastern market.
• Crown Legacy FC: MLS NEXT Pro club affiliated with Charlotte FC, competing in the same Eastern Conference as Carolina Core FC. Directly comparable as a peer developmental team in the Carolina region with shared league economics.
• Huntsville City FC: MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of Nashville SC playing in the Eastern Conference. Direct on-field competitor with similar regional, mid-sized-market dynamics and developmental-league economics.
• Inter Miami CF II: MLS NEXT Pro reserve team for Inter Miami CF, competing in the Eastern Conference. Directly comparable as a league peer with similar matchday, merchandise, and streaming revenue dynamics.
• New York Red Bulls II: MLS NEXT Pro reserve team for the New York Red Bulls, who eliminated Carolina Core FC in the 2025 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Direct league peer with shared developmental league economics.
• Atlanta United 2: MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of Atlanta United FC competing in the Eastern Conference. Comparable as a reserve-team peer with shared league infrastructure and broadcast economics.
• Philadelphia Union II: MLS NEXT Pro reserve team for the Philadelphia Union, Eastern Conference competitor. Directly comparable as a developmental league peer operating under the same MLS governance.

Broad incumbents

• Charlotte FC: MLS first-division club based in Charlotte, NC, and operator of Crown Legacy FC. Comparable as a North Carolina soccer organization sharing the regional market and competing for similar fans, sponsors, and broadcast attention at a higher competitive tier.

Emerging players

• Detroit City FC: Independent USL Championship club with strong community-led brand and grassroots support model. Comparable to Carolina Core FC in its emphasis on fan engagement and youth development pathways within a mid-sized market.
• Louisville City FC: Established USL Championship club with strong attendance, academy, and stadium economics. Comparable as a community-anchored lower-division professional soccer brand with a similar growth and monetization playbook.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarolinaCore_FC
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolinacorefc
• TikToktiktok.com/@carolina.core.fc
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarolinaCoreFC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carolinacorefc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carolina Core FC