Since the news broke about the Foxes potentially leaving Fresno, there’s been a flurry of activity from supporters, fans, and residents of the Valley to show our support for keeping Fresno FC in the Valley. I’ve summarized everything that’s happening in the following weeks so YOU can get involved with the “Stay in Fresno” movement and let the City of Fresno, the USL, and Fresno FC ownership know that we want to keep the Zorros in Fresno! This page will be updated as more events and details are added.

Online Petitions (Please Sign!):

Online petition to Jake Edwards of the USL.

Online petition to Ray Beshoff of Fresno FC.

Signs and Shirts at the Final Regular Home Match

Next Saturday, the 12th, the Fresno Foxes will take on LA Galaxy II at Chukchansi Park. Members of the Vigilantes supporters group recently started a Go Fund Me to purchase 4,000 “Stay In Fresno” signs for that match, reaching their initial goal in just a few hours (you can still donate until Sunday night). The first 4,000 fans at Saturday’s match will receive “Stay in Fresno” signs, and everyone who donates will get a “Stay in Fresno” shirt. Let’s pack the Chuck AND let Fresno FC ownership, the USL, and the City of Fresno all know we want out Foxes to stay in Fresno!

Fresno City Council Meeting

Sometime last week, the Fresno City Council added an item to next Thursday’s agenda:

“CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR – Government Code Section 54956.8 Property: 1707 W Jensen Ave, Fresno, CA Negotiating Parties: City of Fresno, Fresno Foxes”

We can only assume this is a last-ditch effort to find a location to build a soccer stadium. While this part of the meeting will be closed to the public, everyone is encouraged to attend the public part of the meeting wearing Foxes gear and showing their support for the team. The meeting starts at 9:00AM on Thursday the 10th at city hall.

Online Petitions and Letters To Edwards and Beshoff

Members of multiple supporters groups have combined to draft petitions to Jake Edwards, the president of the USL, and Ray Beshoff, the owner of Fresno FC. Everyone is encouraged to sign these petitions. In addition, we are encouraging all fans to write a personal note to both Mr Edwards and Mr Beshoff. You can either add your own personal touch to the letters we have already written, or you can write your own from scratch.

Online Petitions:

Online petition to Jake Edwards of the USL.

Online petition to Ray Beshoff of Fresno FC.

Contact Info To Write To Mr Edwards and Mr Beshoff and Sample Letters

Email Address for Mr Edwards: jake.edwards@uslsoccer.com

Email Address for Mr Beshoff: rbeshoff@fresnofc.com

Letter to Jake Edwards:

Dear Mr. Edwards,

A little more than two years ago, you stood in the concourse at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno and helped us welcome a brand new USL franchise to our great city. Soccer fans all over the Central Valley were overjoyed knowing that we were joining one of the fastest-growing, premier soccer leagues in the world. In the two years since that announcement, our city has embraced the new team, and many residents have become steadfast, highly loyal fans. While our ticket sales might not have matched some of the most successful clubs in the USL like New Mexico, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, we have still produced a respectable attendance for a second-year team in our league and for a city of our size.

Many of Fresno FC’s fans are highly invested in the team, and we have fans that regularly travel from as far away as Minnesota and Japan to watch the Foxes play. The team has become an extremely important part in the lives of many Valley residents. It has inspired three fans to create the Fox Trot Podcast, which captures their love for the team, the city the Foxes call home, and the USL Western Conference. It has helped one of those podcasters through the loss of a father and the loneliness of separation and depression.

The team has also become an important inspiration to our younger fans, and many of Fresno FC’s players have become role models for the Valley’s soccer youth. These younger soccer fans, many of whom aspire to also be on a professional team one day, look forward to watching their favorite players on the pitch at every match. Most of these youth were heartbroken when they learned that there might not be a team to root for at all next season. Mr. Edwards, we know you are a businessperson, but we also ask you to consider all the lives that will be negatively impacted by moving Fresno FC to another market.

We also understand that the team’s financial numbers have not been exactly what Mr. Beshoff had hoped they would be. Even more importantly, we know that the ownership group has had a difficult time building a stadium, and that the City of Fresno probably hasn’t been as helpful as they could have been in finding a location for it. However, we also ask you to look at the short time frame that has transpired since the team was announced and began play, as well as the relatively small amount of marketing that has occurred in the last two seasons, and ask yourself, “is granting permission for a move really a fair course of action, as well as a smart precedent to set for other ownership groups?” We also ask you to look at the plan to move the team, and ask yourself, “will moving the team to a significantly smaller market really produce better a result?”

We, as Fresno FC fans, are willing to help the USL and the franchise ownership in any way we can that will keep the team in Fresno. We have already drafted letters to the mayor of the City of Fresno and to individual council members, letting them know that we expect more action from them. However, most people in Fresno and the Valley feel blindsided by this decision, and we ask you to offer us more time to get a proper stadium location chosen before making a rash decision like allowing the team to move or completely shut down.

Sincerely,

Fresno FC Fans

Letter to Ray Beshoff:

Dear Mr. Beshoff,

A little more than two years ago, you stood in front of community leaders, reporters, and fans in the concourse at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno and introduced a brand new USL franchise to our great city. One part of your speech that day that really meant a lot to us was how much you emphasized your commitment to Fresno and to the Foxes. Soccer fans all over the region were overjoyed knowing that we were finally getting a professional soccer team, led by an owner who was extremely passionate about both soccer and the Central Valley. In the two years since that announcement, our city has embraced Fresno FC, and many residents have become steadfast, highly loyal fans. While our ticket sales might not have matched some of the most successful clubs in the USL like New Mexico, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, we have still produced a respectable attendance for a second-year team in our league and for a city of our size.

Many of Fresno FC’s fans are highly invested in the team, and we have fans that regularly travel from as far away as Minnesota and Japan to watch the Foxes play. The team has become an extremely important part in the lives of many Valley residents. It has inspired three fans to create the Fox Trot Podcast, which captures their love for the team, the city the Foxes call home, and the USL Western Conference. It has helped one of those podcasters through the loss of a father and the loneliness of separation and depression.

The team has also become an important inspiration to our younger fans, and many of Fresno FC’s players have become role models for the Valley’s soccer youth. These younger soccer fans, many of whom aspire to also be on a professional team one day, look forward to watching their favorite players on the pitch at every match. Most of these youth were heartbroken when they learned that there might not be a team to root for at all next season. Mr. Beshoff, we know you are a businessperson, but we also ask you to consider all the lives that your team has had a positive impact on over the last two years, as well as all those who will be negatively impacted by moving Fresno FC to another market.

We also understand that the team’s financial numbers have not been exactly what you had hoped for at this point. Even more importantly, we know that your ownership group has had a difficult time finding land to build a stadium, and that the City of Fresno probably hasn’t been as helpful as they could have been in helping with the search. However, we also ask you to look at the short time frame that has transpired since the team was announced and began play, as well as the average time it takes a USL club (or any professional team, for that matter) to find a stadium location and to start making money, and to ask yourself, “will moving the team to another location definitely produce a better result and better attendance, and how much work will it take to completely start over from scratch?”

We, as Fresno FC fans, are willing to help you and the rest of the ownership group in any way we can to help keep the team in Fresno. Many of us have already drafted letters to the mayor of the City of Fresno and to individual council members, letting them know that we expect more action from them. However, most people in Fresno and the Valley feel completely blindsided by this decision. So, instead of abandoning this project that you have already spent so much time, effort, and money on, we ask you instead to join our campaign to find a proper stadium location before making a rash decision like moving or completely shutting down the team. Most importantly, we ask you to honor the commitment you made to all of us on that summer day two years ago and keep the team in Fresno until we can get a stadium deal worked out.

Sincerely,

Fresno FC Fans