Carolina RailHawks FC
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| Full name | Carolina RailHawks Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | RailHawks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Short name | RailHawks FC, Hawks |
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| Founded | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | SAS Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 7,000 (seated) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Chris Economides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Scott Schweitzer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | USL First Division (2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Carolina RailHawks Football Club is a professional soccer team located in Cary, North Carolina set to play in the USL First Division in the 2007 season.
The expansion of the USL to Cary, NC was announced on January 26, 2006 at a press conference at SAS Soccer Park. Managing Partner Chris Economides of Triangle Professional Soccer announced that he and an ownership group consisting of Frank DuRoss, Steve Donner, and Boris Jerkunica had purchased a USL-1 division expansion franchise and intended to begin play in the Spring of 2007.
The team's official name was announced on July 19, 2006 at the halftime interval of the 2006 USL All-Star Match. The RailHawk is a fictitious bird of prey that combines the speed and power of the locomotive with the aggressive and fierce nature of a hawk. Cary originally grew out from a depot on the New Bern, NC - Hillsborough, NC rail line and the CSX and Amtrak lines run directly across from the team's grounds. Hawks are indigenous to the area. The name "RailHawks" was chosen as part of a name-the-team contest which was won by W. Jarrett Campbell, a soccer blogger and Cary resident. Campbell received two lifetime season tickets as his prize.
The RailHawks are expected to take up a rivalry with the Charleston Battery and the Atlanta Silverbacks in the Southern Derby as well as the Rochester Raging Rhinos due to links between the ownership groups of the two franchises.
On October 11, 2006, former Rochester Rhinos defender Scott Schweitzer was named the first head coach of the Carolina RailHawks. Schweitzer played collegiately at North Carolina State University and retired from play prior to the 2006 season.
On December 05, 2006, the RailHawks named the first players to sign with the franchise. Among the signings were two former UNC Tar Heel players, Chris Carrieri and Caleb Norkus, as well as several other players with Major League Soccer, United Soccer Leagues, and foreign playing experience.
[edit] Current squad
As of December 05, 2006:
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[edit] External links
- (English) Official Site
- (Spanish) Official Site
- (English) Triangle Soccer Fanatics, an independent supporters club of the Carolina RailHawks
- (English) Audio presentation of the team's name announcement
| Current Stadiums in the USL First Division |
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| Silverbacks Park | Kezar Stadium | SAS Stadium | Blackbaud Stadium | Tropical Park Stadium | James Griffin Stadium | Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | PGE Park | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium | PAETEC Park | Qwest Field | Swangard Stadium | Virginia Beach Sportsplex | ||
