In Europe, most major cities have multiple professional football clubs. London has 13 (I would say it has one real club and a few others), Manchester has 8. Each neighborhood and community has its own club. And this is all in the context of the last two years, when we’ve been starved of community at its most basic level.
At the Ballard FC launch party last December, I referred to the great quote “Football is life!” And it’s true, football (as I’m British born, I struggle to call it soccer) is life—it’s about neighborhood and community.
We in Ballard have always had an amazingly strong community, with strong local pride. Even since Seattle’s annexation in 1907, we have never stopped thinking of Ballard as its own city. So, it’s perfectly fitting that one of the first neighborhood football clubs in the United States is right here, in Ballard.
But this doesn’t just happen. It has taken immense effort from many people to make the dream of a community-driven, local football club a reality. It requires:
- The inspired idea of the co-founders: Sam, Lamar, and Chris
- The support of the city, with Interbay Stadium as our home ground
- The squad of players, who we are all excited to watch on the pitch this coming season
- A group of partners: small, local businesses all supporting a great cause
And most of all, it takes the support of fans. Just hearing the concept, people immediately supported the club. Committing to the dream, people bought tickets to the games and two matches are already sold out. Many others took a chance on buying a season ticket. Overall, there has been amazing support to make Ballard FC—community-based football in our neighborhood—a reality. You, the fans, made that happen.
We are honored to have collaborated with Ballard FC to brew a brand new beer celebrating their inaugural season. This beer is for all of us who support Ballard FC. It’s a refreshing pale ale, so we can sit back and enjoy a couple while watching the games. It has a clean and bright malt profile, with a little caramel malt to provide balance. And to represent the brand new team it includes a brand new hop: HBC 1019. Alongside 1019, it also has Cashmere and Michigan Chinook, and our orange-forward Cascade, which all provide a rich, balanced, and soft hop profile.
“Up the Bridges!” is the fifth beer in our Tenth Anniversary Collaboration Series., which will be available in neighborhoods across Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We are tremendously proud to continue to support the community that has given us such immense support over our first decade.
And so to you all, “Up the Bridges!” and cheers to Ballard FC!
