Santa Barbara Sky Football Club

What Santa Barbara Sky Football Club does

Santa Barbara Sky Football Club, operating as Santa Barbara Professional Soccer LLC, is a privately held professional soccer franchise preparing for its inaugural USL Championship season in March 2027 at UCSB's 17,000-seat Harder Stadium. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Goleta, California, the club targets the 805 Central Coast region with a community-led go-to-market focused on grassroots supporter groups, watch parties, a creator program, and local partnerships. Its core commercial products are season tickets (deposits starting at $25, with full pricing to be announced in Summer 2026 across general admission, supporters, premium, VIP, and family tiers), merchandise sold through a PUMA-branded online storefront, and corporate sponsorships. The club's technology stack is lightweight and operational rather than proprietary: vivenu for ticketing, SportsEngine for website and fan engagement, and an official iOS/Android app currently under development.

The business model combines matchday ticket revenue, recurring merchandise sales, and multi-year corporate partnership fees (PUMA apparel, EA Sports technical integration, Theta Lake and Swell Athletic Clubs as regional partners, and UCSB as stadium partner). Founding minority owner Peter Moore, former CEO of Liverpool FC and former head of EA Sports, anchors the leadership team alongside COO Sheralyn Baltes and VPs from EA Sports FC and Sacramento Republic FC. The club has postponed its inaugural launch multiple times — originally 2024, then 2026, now March 2027 — citing the need to finalize ownership, sanctioning, and stadium infrastructure, including significant capital investment in Harder Stadium's natural grass surface, premium seating, and F&B facilities.

Name

Santa Barbara Sky Football Club

Legal name

Santa Barbara Professional Soccer LLC

Website

https://santabarbaraskyfc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Santa Barbara Sky Football Club is a privately held USL Championship soccer franchise preparing for its inaugural March 2027 season at UCSB's Harder Stadium, serving Santa Barbara and California's Central Coast (805 region) through ticket sales, PUMA merchandise, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Soccer Club (Sports Entertainment)

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

Keywords

• Professional soccer club
• USL Championship team
• Matchday ticketing
• Licensed sports merchandise
• Corporate sports sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Apparel and Kit Sales: Partnership with PUMA provides official kit and training gear for players, coaches, and fans. Merchandise available through online shop including hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and limited edition 805 gear.
2. Ticket Sales: Season ticket deposits currently being accepted for 2027 inaugural season. Deposits start at $25. Season tickets will be available for purchase in Summer 2026 with tiered seating options.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Multi-year partnerships with corporate sponsors including Theta Lake and PUMA. Revenue from branding rights, match entitlements, and partnership activations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Santa Barbara Sky Football Club is a professional men's soccer organization competing in the USL Championship, preparing for its inaugural season in March 2027 at UCSB's Harder Stadium. The club sells season tickets and matchday admissions, branded apparel and merchandise through an online store, and generates revenue from corporate sponsorships, while building a community-based supporter base across California's 805 Central Coast region.

Product overview

Santa Barbara Sky Football Club is a professional soccer organization preparing for its inaugural USL Championship season in March 2027. The club offers match tickets through its vivenu-powered ticketing platform, with season ticket deposits currently being accepted. Additional products include an official mobile app (under development) for iOS and Android, and an online merchandise store featuring branded apparel including 'Vamos' hoodies and 805 gear. The club plays home matches at UCSB's Harder Stadium, a 17,000-seat soccer-specific venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Santa Barbara Sky FC Season Tickets Season ticket packages for the club's inaugural 2027 USL Championship season at UCSB's Harder Stadium, with tiered seating options including general admission, premium seats, supporters section, family section, behind the goal fan zone, corporate, birthday, and VIP sections.
• Santa Barbara Sky FC Official Merchandise Official online merchandise store featuring PUMA-branded kits, training gear, hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and limited edition 805 gear available for purchase by fans.
• Santa Barbara Sky FC Official Team App Official mobile application for Santa Barbara Sky FC available for download on iOS and Android, intended to serve as a primary channel for team announcements and fan engagement.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Swell Athletic ClubsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2025Partnership with premier fitness destination in the Santa Barbara region. Both organizations focused on building a stronger, healthier community. Collaboration promotes better living across the Central Coast.
• Theta LakeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 March 2025Multi-year partnership making Theta Lake an Official Club Partner. Both companies are Santa Barbara-based innovators. Theta Lake is a pioneer in Digital Communications Governance and Archiving. Partnership includes community events addressing food insecurity, game day experience elements, match entitlement, and stadium branding.
• UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024Multi-year agreement for home games at UCSB's Harder Stadium, a 17,000-seat soccer-specific stadium. Club contributing significant capital investment to stadium improvements including new natural grass playing surface, premium seating, VIP sections, and improved food & beverage facilities. Partnership provides internship opportunities for students and connection to club's charitable arm Fundación Cielo.
• EA SportscoreTechnology or Integration · 17 November 2022Multi-year technical partnership with EA Sports FC. Includes integration into XSENS capture technology for realistic player movement. Community-based stories and initiatives for major global soccer events. EA Sports has 300+ partners, 19,000 players, 700 teams, and reaches 230 million people.
• PUMAcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 3 November 2022Three-year partnership making PUMA the official apparel partner. PUMA provides official kit and training gear for the club, players, coaches, and staff. Merchandise available for fans to purchase. PUMA is a globally recognized soccer brand worn by top athletes and clubs including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Orange County SC: USL Championship club in Southern California. Comparable as a California-based lower-division pro soccer team competing for sponsor and fan attention in the same state market.
• Sacramento Republic FC: Fellow USL Championship California club. Directly comparable as a second-division professional soccer team competing in the same league, with similar mix of ticket, sponsorship, and merchandise revenue streams.
• Indy Eleven: USL Championship club operating in a mid-size market. Comparable as a second-tier pro soccer team working to expand brand and sponsor footprint in a non-MLS city.
• Louisville City FC: Top-performing USL Championship club known for strong community engagement and attendance. Comparable as a lower-division pro soccer team that has built a viable local commercial model.
• Monterey Bay FC: Another USL Championship club on California's Central Coast. Closely comparable as a geographically proximate lower-division pro team targeting a similar regional fan base.
• Phoenix Rising FC: USL Championship side with a strong brand and sponsorship profile. Comparable business model around ticketing, sponsorship, and merchandise, but in a larger Arizona metro.
• San Antonio FC: USL Championship side in Texas with similar ticketing, sponsorship, and merchandise revenue mix. Comparable as a second-division professional soccer team.
• Tampa Bay Rowdies: Historic USL Championship club. Comparable as a long-tenured lower-division pro soccer team with established ticketing and sponsorship operations.
• Oakland Roots SC: USL Championship club with a community-first, culture-driven identity. Closely comparable to Sky FC's community-led brand positioning on the West Coast.
• Detroit City FC: USL Championship club with a community-owned, supporter-driven identity. Highly comparable GTM philosophy to Sky FC's community-led approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SBSKYFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/santabarbaraskyfc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santa-barbara-sky-fc
• Instagraminstagram.com/santabarbaraskyfc
• TikToktiktok.com/@sbskyfc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Santa Barbara Sky Football Club