ONONDAGA, N.Y. — A Syracuse group led by businessman Samir Belhseine on Thursday announced its application to the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for a club in this market.
AC Syracuse Athletic Club expects to begin play in 2022, per the group’s news release. Team and Onondaga County officials made the announcement at Onondaga Community College where the club will play its home games.
“I am very excited to bring a professional soccer team back to Central New York,” Belhseine said. “Syracuse hasn’t had an outdoor professional team since 2004. AC Syracuse believes this is the right time to establish something very special and give players the unique pathway to transcend from grassroots to the professional level.”
Belhseine spent 29 years as a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee with stores in Syracuse, Rochester, and East Orange, New Jersey. In 2019, he sold his franchises and bought Ecars USA, an automotive sales and service company based in Rochester.
The club’s development pyramid includes a youth program that features an academy team, club and recreational teams, as well as a club in United Women’s Soccer.
The group hopes to “provide a clear path” for players to develop and ascend through the pyramid and on to the professional team, per the release.
AC Syracuse is looking for community input, support, and participation. The club has also launched a contest, inviting the entire Syracuse community to vote on its favorite club mascot. The top 32 names at the end of the voting-submission window will be entered into a bracket where fans will vote bi-weekly until a winner is selected at the New York State Fair.
About NISA
Founded in 2017, the Chicago, Illinois–based National Independent Soccer Association wants to bring professional soccer to “every city in the United States.”
A pro league member of U.S. Soccer, NISA contends that its model is based on meritocracy, independent clubs controlling their own league, clubs owning their intellectual property, all without the barrier of territorial rights. A member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, NISA also operates the mid-summer Independent Cup, open to independent professional and amateur clubs, alike.