Lexington Sporting Club fields 2 women's sides within the USL's structure – a professional team in the USL Super League and a pre-professional team in the USL W League. Former New Zealand international Michelle Reyner[1] serves as the Women's Sporting Director.
| Full name | Lexington Sporting Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Gals in Green | ||
| Short name | Lexington SC Lex SC LSC | ||
| Founded | October 5, 2021 | ||
| Stadium | Lexington SC Stadium Lexington, Kentucky | ||
| Capacity | 7,500 | ||
| Owner | Bill and Donna Shively Stephen Dawahare | ||
| President | Vince Gabbert | ||
| Sporting Director | Michelle Rayner | ||
| Coach | Michael Dickey | ||
| League | USL Super League | ||
| 2024-25 | TBD | ||
| Website | https://lexsporting.com/ | ||
|
| |||
Inaugural season
editIn May 2023, the USL announced that LSC would be an inaugural member of the USL Super League, kicking off in 2024 alongside Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Carolina Ascent FC, Brooklyn FC, Dallas Trinity FC Spokane Zephyr FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, and DC Power FC, with Chattanooga, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Madison, and Oakland set to join in subsequent seasons.[2]
The USL Super League (USLS) is a Division I professional women's soccer league in the United States. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League. Originally planned to launch in August 2023, it is now slated to begin play in August 2024.[3]
On January 9, 2024, the club announced Michael Dickey as the women's first team inaugural head coach for the inaugural 2024 season scheduled to kick off in August.[4]
On September 8, 2024, the USL Super League team played the first ever game at the newly built Lexington SC Stadium in front of a crowd of 3,946 - the largest in the club's history across all teams.[5]
Announced in October 2022, Lexington SC participated in the USL W League[6] a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2023. The team competes in the Valley Division alongside Indy Eleven, Kings Hammer FC, Racing Louisville Academy, and St. Charles FC.[7] The inaugural team played its matches at Toyota Stadium (Kentucky). Former National Women's Soccer League player Morgan Proffitt notably appeared in a handful of matches for the inaugural team.
Supporters
editThe Railbirds are the only officially recognized supporters group for the club. The group was founded in August 2022 by Jesus Robles, Sam Spencer, Jon Lunsford, and Alan Clark.[8]
The group's name is inspired by the horseracing term "Railbird" – a person who hangs on the fence of a horse track, cheering for their horse and helping to give that final push across the finish line.[9]
The group supports all teams that the club fields, including the men's teams that play in USL League One.
Colors and crest
editPer the club's website, the crest and colors are broken down as follows-
Typography – "Our name, Lexington Sporting Club, is emblazoned in typography inspired by bourbon barrels. The letters are reminiscent of the barrels' graceful curves, giving our name the weight of local history and tradition."[10]
The Shield – "The shield reflects the longstanding traditions of soccer. The heraldic silhouette recalls soccer club crests from the sport's early days during the Victorian Era. And the tapered shape perfectly frames our horse and our name."[10]
The Horse – "Horses are synonymous with Lexington, the horse capital of the world. People speak with pride about the majestic, athletic, powerful, animal. The design of our horse is distinct yet traditional. Rearing upward gives the crest a sense of energy and power, striking a balance of historical and contemporary."[10]
The Colors – "Lexington's rolling hills and lush, leafy woodland that bolster Kentucky's major industries – bourbon and horses – inspire the colors for this design. Our community carries a strong sense of place, and we love the memorable green colors that dominate our landscape."[10]
Design process
The Lexington SC crest was designed by Christopher Payne, a designer whose work with soccer clubs in the United Kingdom and the United States includes Eastleigh Football Club, Flower City Union, Monterey Bay FC, and Appalachian FC.[11] Payne coordinated with Lexington-based media and PR company Bullhorn Creative which oversaw project management, creative services, and messaging beyond the brand design.[12][13]
Over several months, Lexington SC leadership held fourteen listening sessions with community members, gathering more than 300 responses to brand surveys and more than 1,500 responses to stadium surveys to identify key themes to reflect on the club's brand identity. Themes that emerged included the cultural landscape of the Bluegrass region and its lush green rolling hills and leafy woodlands, its equine and bourbon industries, and a communal sense of place.[14][15]
Surrounded by over 400 horse farms, Lexington is often referred to as the "Horse Capital of the World". It was also the first city outside of Europe to ever host the World Equestrian Games.[16] To reflect this heritage, as well as club ownership's involvement in the thoroughbred industry and President Vince Gabbert's professional connection to Keeneland Race Course,[17] the crest features a vibrant green stylized horse figure set against a dark green background.
Payne developed a typeface called Lex Type specific for Lexington SC branding. He states, "Like a horse, Lex Type is tall, powerful, and athletic. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice the typeface has subtle curves at the top and the bottom of the letters. This detail is inspired by the graceful curves of a bourbon barrel, tying the typography to this important element of local history and tradition."[12]
Sponsorship
edit| Seasons | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (USL Super League) | Nike | UK HealthCare Sports Medicine |
| 2023-24 (USLW) | Badass Coffee of Hawaii |
Mascot
edit
On May 12, 2023, LSC announced their official "mini" mascot Thunder, a miniature therapy horse stationed in the southwest corner of Toyota Stadium during matches.[18] Thunder is very popular among fans, especially younger ones, and helped pave the way for the green horse found on the club's crest to be nicknamed Thunder by the fans after her.
Stadium
editLexington SC's Super League team will be the first to play in Lexington SC Stadium, a new 7,500 soccer-specific stadium in the southeastern part of Lexington, Kentucky. The stadium will be the home for the club's 2 professional teams and is surrounded by the club's professional and academy training grounds.
Players and staff
editUSL Super League current roster
edit- As of October 2, 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
C - Team Captain
Staff
edit| Front Office | |
|---|---|
| President | Vince Gabbert |
| Chief Operating Officer | Kim Shelton |
| USL Women's Technical Staff | |
| Women's Sporting Director | Michelle Reyner |
| USL Super League Head Coach | Michael Dickey |
| USL Super League Assistant Coach | Maren McCrary |
| USL Super League Assistant & Goalkeeping Coach | Ben Willis |
| USL W-League Coach | Paul Dolinsky |
Team records
editYear-by-year
edit- As of August 25, 2024
| Season | USL Super League | Playoffs | Top Scorer 1 | Head Coach | Avg. Attendance | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||||
| 2024-25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 | TBD |  Sydney Sherpard
|
1 | Michael Dickey
|
3,946 | |
- As of December 6, 2023
| Season | USL W League | Playoffs | Top Scorer 1 | Head Coach | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | |||
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 10 | 3rd | Did not qualify | Kailey Utley
|
4 |  Alan Kirkup
|
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 14 | 3rd | Did not qualify | Makala Woods
|
6 | Alan Kirkup
|
^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
edit| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Draw | Loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Dickey |
|
January 9, 2024 | Present | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Draw | Loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Kirkup |
|
October 18, 2022 | June 29, 2024[21] | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 42.5 |
| Paul Dolinsky |
|
Unknown[22] | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
League honors
edit- Katelyn Fishnick - May
Other honors
editThe Railbirds (Supporters Group)
References
edit- ^ "Lexington's Michelle Rayner: "Never overlook USWNT at the Women's World Cup, but..."". USL Super League. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ "USL Super League Announces Initial Markets".
- ^ "About the Usl Super League".
- ^ "Lexington Sporting Club Announces Michael Dickey as Super League Head Coach Ahead of the Inaugural Season". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Match Center - Lexington SC vs Tampa Bay Sun FC". USL Super League. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ^ "Lexington Sporting Club to join USL W League in 2023".
- ^ "Teams | uslwleague.com/league-teams". USLWLeague.com - Official Site of the USL W League. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
- ^ "Our Supporter Groups".
- ^ "Definition of RAILBIRD".
- ^ a b c d "OUR CREST". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
- ^ "One Pager". Football Brand Designer.
- ^ a b Payne, Christopher (2022-03-22). "Behind the scenes: Designing Lexington Sporting Club's visual identity". Football Brand Designer.
- ^ "Lexington Sporting Club". Bullhorn Creative.
- ^ "Lexington's new pro soccer team releases name, crest". FOX 56 News. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ "OUR CREST". Lexington Sporting Club.
- ^ "61 Reasons Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World". www.visitlex.com. 2020-07-02.
- ^ Wood, Campbell (2021-11-18). "BizLex Q&A: Vince Gabbert". Smiley Pete Publishing.
- ^ "Lex Sporting". X (Twitter).
- ^ "Front Office Staff". lexsporting.com. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ "Technical Staff". lexsporting.com. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Announced over the PA at the June 29th, 2024 match against Kings Hammer FC that Coach Alan Kirkup would be retiring
- ^ "TECHNICAL STAFF". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2024-08-07.