Annapolis Blues FC

What Annapolis Blues FC does

Annapolis Blues FC is a privately held pre-professional soccer club founded in 2022 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. The club operates two teams — a men's team competing in USL League Two (Chesapeake Division) and a women's team competing in the USL W League (Eastern Conference) — both playing home matches at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Owned by Annapolis Soccer Group LLC with ProRel Soccer Ventures as majority owner and managing partner, the club was launched with a community-driven identity campaign in which over 1,200 fans voted on the team name and crest.

The club's core products are match-day experiences (single-game tickets, season memberships, and combined dual-team passes), branded merchandise sold through an online store, and corporate sponsorship packages spanning jersey, shorts, sleeve, and back placements, plus stadium signage. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the HappsNow ticketing platform, stadium box office, and shopannapolisblues.com. Revenue streams include ticket sales, merchandise, multi-tier corporate sponsorships, and a streaming-rights partnership with Monumental Sports Network. Community programs such as Kicks for Kids (powered by Rise Up Coffee) and a Youth Training Program at the Indian Creek School training facility in Crownsville extend the club's footprint into youth development and nonprofit outreach (Every Child 365, Seeds 4 Success, Boys & Girls Clubs, Anne Arundel County Public Schools).

Since its 2023 inaugural NPSL season, the club has aggressively expanded — adding a women's team for 2025, transitioning the men's team from NPSL to the more prominent USL League Two, and adding a flagship media partnership with Riggo Productions for 2026. Record-setting attendance (8,368 at the 2023 NPSL home opener, 11,171 at an NPSL match in June 2024, and 12,853 at a USL League Two match in May 2025) reflects unusually strong pre-professional demand and provides a defensible local fan base. The business is dependent on a small core staff (1–10 employees), volunteer-supported matchday operations, and the ongoing commitment of a private ownership group led by Michael Hitchcock.

Name

Annapolis Blues FC

Legal name

Annapolis Blues FC

Website

https://annapolisblues.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Annapolis Blues FC is a privately held, community-driven pre-professional soccer club in Annapolis, Maryland, operating men's (USL League Two) and women's (USL W League) teams at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and monetizing through tickets, merchandise, sponsorships, and streaming rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pre-Professional Soccer Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Pre-professional soccer
• Soccer club operations
• Sports ticketing services
• Community soccer programs
• Youth soccer development

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single-game tickets sold via HappsNow platform and stadium gates. General admission $18.50 adults, $13.50 for 12 and under. Season memberships available for both men's and women's teams.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling jerseys, apparel, accessories, and branded merchandise including the iconic Blues branded Crab Mallet Bottle Openers.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Multi-tier sponsorship packages including jersey front (Forward Brewing), shorts (Westfield Annapolis Mall), sleeve (Rise Up Coffee), and back (Picante, SIXGEN). Local business sponsors on stadium walls.
4. Broadcasting Rights: Partnership with Monumental Sports Network for streaming home matches. MNMT covers DC metro area including Delaware to Richmond, VA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Annapolis Blues FC operates a pre-professional men's soccer team in USL League Two (Chesapeake Division) and a women's team in the USL W League (Eastern Conference), both playing home matches at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The club sells single-game tickets, season memberships, and team-branded merchandise through its online store, while delivering community programs such as Kicks for Kids and the Youth Training Program and securing multi-tier local business sponsorships.

Product overview

Annapolis Blues FC is a community-focused pre-professional soccer organization operating two teams: a men's team in USL League Two and a women's team in the USL W League. Both teams play home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The club's offerings include ticketing/memberships for games, community programs such as the Kicks for Kids initiative and Youth Training Program, and merchandise sold through the online store. The organization emphasizes community engagement and player development as pathways to professional soccer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Men's Soccer Team The Annapolis Blues men's team competes in USL League Two (Chesapeake Division) as a pre-professional soccer organization, playing home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and providing collegiate and amateur players a pathway toward professional careers.
• Women's Soccer Team The Annapolis Blues women's team competes in the USL W League (Eastern Conference) and provides pre-professional development opportunities for women players aiming to advance to professional soccer, playing home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Season Memberships

Quantifiable outcome

• Jacob Murrell drafted by D.C. United in first round after playing for Blues; 27 professional appearances
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Monumental Sports NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 May 2024Streaming partner broadcasting six home matches per season on MNMT digital platform. Covers DC metro area from Delaware to Richmond, VA. Available via app, website, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV.
• Maryland Bobcats FCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2024Annual Community Shield pre-season charity match opponent. NISA professional club from Germantown, MD. Proceeds benefit local Annapolis charities including Every Child 365, Walk the Walk Foundation, Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
• Luminis HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2023Official Health Partner providing exclusive healthcare for Annapolis Blues players. Luminis Health logo appears on practice jerseys. Players visit Annapolis and Lanham hospitals for autograph sessions. Partnership includes 'Hug a Healthcare Worker Night' community activation.
• Indian Creek SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2023Official Training Facility for Annapolis Blues FC. Located on 114-acre campus in Crownsville, MD. Features two full international-sized turf soccer fields with environmentally friendly shock pad technology.
• PUMAflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 28 July 2022Multi-year Official Apparel Partner. PUMA provides jerseys, training gear, and merchandise for players, staff, and fans. Coaches, players, and supporters wear PUMA brand on game days and throughout the year. PUMA sponsors top clubs globally including Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund.
• Rise Up CoffeecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal coffee roaster sponsor on jersey sleeve. Powers Kicks for Kids community program. Created 'Blues Blend' coffee flavor. Owned by Brandon Bartlett, part of ownership group. Supportive of community initiatives.
• Forward BrewingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFront of jersey sponsor for 2023 inaugural season. Local Annapolis brewery.
• Westfield Annapolis MallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFront of shorts sponsor for 2023 inaugural season.
• Riggo ProductionsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial media content studio and premium jersey sponsor for 2026 season. Primary content creation provider for the club.
• Naval Academy Athletic AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for home venue. Bill Givens, Jon Gren, Damisi Price and Phil Wrye from NAAA assist with operations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Detroit City FC: Community-owned, supporter-led pre-professional soccer club that previously held the NPSL attendance record (7,410) before Annapolis Blues surpassed it. Operates a comparable dual-gender model with strong local sponsorship and a path toward USL professional play — a near-perfect analog for Annapolis Blues FC's strategy.
• Chattanooga FC: Community-driven lower-division soccer club with a strong supporter culture, fan ownership and a similar league-progression arc from NPSL to professional status. Competes directly with Annapolis Blues for the model of community-led pre-professional soccer in the U.S.
• Northern Virginia United FC: Geographic rival referenced explicitly in Annapolis Blues' 2023 match schedule, competing in the same NPSL/USL League Two regional structure. Operates as a comparable pre-professional soccer club in the same Chesapeake/Mid-Atlantic footprint.
• West Chester United SC: NPSL opponent that eliminated Annapolis Blues in the 2023 East Region Semifinals. Operates a comparable pre-professional men's soccer program with similar player-development positioning in the Mid-Atlantic.
• Maryland Bobcats FC: NISA professional club from Germantown, MD that serves as Annapolis Blues' Community Shield charity match opponent annually. Operates in the same Mid-Atlantic soccer ecosystem and shares the lower-division community-club positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Sacramento Republic FC: Established USL Championship club with prior ties to Annapolis Blues leadership (Fred Matthes assisted in building Sacramento Republic FC). Serves as a benchmark for the professional tier that a successful pre-professional club could aim for.

Emerging players

• Forward Madison FC: Community-supported USL League One club with strong local brand and creative sponsorship strategy. Comparable to a forward-looking version of Annapolis Blues' pre-professional model and a benchmark for the next step in club progression.
• South Georgia Tormenta FC: Lower-division soccer club that has progressed from USL League Two to USL League One, providing a comparable league-progression template. Offers insight into the operational leap Annapolis Blues could face as it climbs the pyramid.
• Oakland Roots SC: Mission-driven community soccer club competing in USL Championship, with a comparable community-first philosophy and emphasis on social impact programs analogous to Annapolis Blues' Kicks for Kids.

Regional players

• DC Power FC: USL W League club in Washington, D.C., a direct competitor to Annapolis Blues in the women's pre-professional space within the same regional footprint. Provides a relevant comparison point for the women's team growth trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Annapolisblues
• Facebookfacebook.com/annapolisblues
• Instagraminstagram.com/annapolisbluesfc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/annapolis-blues-fc

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 Annapolis Blues FC