Racing Louisville Fc

It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC. The expansion team was announced on October 22, 2019.

Racing Louisville FC

Full name	Racing Louisville Football Club
Founded	October 22, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-10-22)
Stadium	Lynn Family Stadium Louisville, Kentucky
Capacity	15,304
Owner	Soccer Holdings, LLC
Chairman	John Neace
Head coach	Beverly Goebel Yanez
League	National Women's Soccer League
2023	9th of 12
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Louisville was mentioned as a potential candidate for an expansion team in National Women's Soccer League as early as 2018, shortly after construction began on their soccer-specific venue, Lynn Family Stadium. The ownership group of USL Championship club Louisville City FC began preliminary discussions with the league the following year, with plans to enter in the 2020 season. Louisville's NWSL expansion team was officially announced on October 22, 2019, sharing its ownership group with Louisville City FC. It would begin play in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium.

In November 2019, NWSL filed a trademark application for "Proof Louisville FC", which was confirmed by Louisville City FC as their preliminary name for the team. The name references the local bourbon whiskey industry by using the term "proof", a measure of alcohol content. The ownership group later announced in April 2020 that they would explore other names with community input after a mixed reception from fans. The club's new name, Racing Louisville FC, was officially unveiled on July 8, 2020. PNC Bank was announced as the club's first kit sponsor on July 1, 2020, with the company's logo appearing on the back of the team's jerseys. On December 17, 2020, Louisville City announced that GE Appliances, which had already been that club's primary shirt sponsor (i.e., on the front of the kit), would expand this sponsorship to include all clubs under the Louisville City umbrella, including Racing.

Former Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly was named as Racing Louisville FC's first head coach on August 12, 2020. The club made their NWSL debut in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, where they finished at the bottom of the East Division with two losses and two draws. Racing Louisville FC made their home debut on May 15, 2021, playing to a scoreless draw against Kansas City NWSL.

Holly was fired for cause on August 31, 2021, and the club named Mario Sanchez, head of the club's youth academy and former collegiate coach, as the interim head coach. After the season, veteran Swedish coach Kim Björkegren was named as the permanent replacement. In 2022, a report from U.S. Soccer revealed that Holly had allegedly sexually abused players as coach of Racing.

Racing named former NWSL MVP finalist and Best XI selection Bev Yanez as its new coach in November 2023.

Racing Louisville FC is named in reference to the city's horse racing venues, including the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, using the "Racing" moniker used by foreign clubs. The club's circular crest uses a lavender background and a four-pointed fleur-de-lis at its center in violet. It was designed by Matthew Wolff, who had previously worked with Major League Soccer teams New York City FC and Los Angeles FC.

 

The club shares Lynn Family Stadium and its training facilities with Louisville City FC. The soccer-specific stadium, opened in 2020, has a seated capacity of 11,600, with standing-room capacity up to 15,304. The 20-acre (8.1 ha) training facilities at Louisville Champions Park includes several practice fields and an indoor gymnasium and office complex.

Current squad

As of March 13, 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation
1	GK	Katie Lund	United States
2	DF	Lauren Milliet	United States
3	DF	Arin Wright	United States
4	DF	Elli Pikkujämsä	Finland
5	DF	Ellie Jean	United States
6	MF	Jaelin Howell (Captain)	United States
7	MF	Savannah DeMelo	United States
8	MF	Ary Borges	Brazil
9	MF	Kayla Fischer	United States
10	FW	Linda Motlhalo	South Africa
11	MF	Yuuka Kurosaki	Japan
13	FW	Emma Sears	United States
14	MF	Marisa DiGrande	United States
16	DF	Carson Pickett	United States
17	MF	Maddie Pokorny	United States
18	FW	Milly Clegg	New Zealand
19	MF	Jordan Baggett	United States
20	DF	Abby Erceg	New Zealand
21	FW	Parker Goins	United States
22	FW	Kirsten Wright	United States
23	FW	Elexa Bahr	Colombia
24	GK	Jordyn Bloomer	United States
26	MF	Taylor Flint	United States
29	FW	Uchenna Kanu	Nigeria
66	FW	Reilyn Turner	United States
99	GK	Olivia Sekany	United States

Staff

As of February 19, 2024

Technical
Head coach	Beverly Goebel Yanez
Assistant coach	Carmelina Moscato
Assistant coach	Mitch Sowerby
Goalkeeper coach	Sergio Gonzalez
Support
Head athletic trainer	Tara Condon
Assistant athletic trainer	Isabelle Clarke
Head equipment manager	Sarah Kanuch

Head coaches

•   Christy Holly (2021)
•   Mario Sanchez (interim; 2021)
•   Kim Björkegren (2022–2023)
•   Bev Yanez (2023–present)

Year-by-year