Hartford City FC finished its inaugural National Premier Soccer League season last month having won six games, including a playoff victory.
Owner Aaron Sarwar said it was a successful start.
“We had the stadium at capacity for several matches,” Sarwar said. “You would just look in the bleachers and they were all decked out in jerseys, scarves, hats.”
But even though the team bears the capital city’s name, it plays in New Britain.
Sarwar said he could improve attendance, grow a fan base, and boost his franchise by moving to Hartford’s much larger Dillon Stadium.
“Dillon is the most ideal for us,” Sarwar said. “Our supporters, as well as our ownership, is ready to invest in Dillon Stadium — and we’ve expressed that to the city of Hartford. So it’s really up to the city at this point.”
The city’s most recent plans for Dillon Stadium stalled when its partners in the deal got wrapped up in a federal criminal investigation.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin told WNPR that his office has been approached with numerous ideas about Dillon Stadium. He said he’ll be “very deliberate and thoughtful in developing the best plan for its future.”
But the team ownership has the support of at least one of its anchor players: goalkeeper Hami Kara.
“Looking forward, that’s the one and only thing I want,” Kara said. “Everything needs to be focused on us getting into Dillon. I think that’s going to be an absolute game-changer.”
If the team moves, it would be the second professional sports team to leave New Britain recently and move to Hartford, following the minor league baseball Yard Goats.
