Santa Barbara has a way of sticking with you.
It touched Peter Moore, the founding owner of the new professional soccer team Santa Barbara Sky FC, 40 years ago.
For Justin Papadakis, chief operating officer for the United Soccer League, his first memory goes back to 2004.
Moore and Papadakis shared their Santa Barbara stories on Tuesday during a ceremony where USL welcomed Sky FC as an expansion franchise.
The club will field a men’s and women’s team and begin playing in 2024. They’ll play their home matches at Santa Barbara City College’s La Playa Stadium.
Before striking it big as an executive in the video games industry, Moore worked as a sales representative for sportswear company Patrick USA in the early 1980s.
He recalled his first visit to Santa Barbara in 1982 to make a deal with a local sporting goods shop.
Moore went to Copeland’s Sporting Goods on the 1200 block of State Street and was welcomed by owner Jim Copeland.
“I said, ‘I sell soccer shoes,’ and he said, ‘I have never heard of Patrick. I know nothing about your brand. What I do know is Santa Barbara is a soccer town,’’’ Moore said of the conversation. “I always remember this.”
Copeland bought 15 pair of Kevin Keegan Gold soccer cleats and they sold.
Moore returned two weeks later to fill another order, and a nice working relationship was formed.
“Copeland’s became a terrific customer for me and helped me actually get up the ladder at Patrick in sales management,” said Moore, who later moved on to Reebok, where he rose to senior vice president of global marketing.
Moore then entered the video games industry and became a rock star executive with Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft XBox and Xbox 360 and Electronic Arts. He was president of EA Sports, the makers of the super popular FIFA soccer and Madden football games.
He stepped away from the tech industry to accept a three-year deal to be the CEO of his beloved Liverpool Football Club in England. The club won the European Champions League, Premier League and FIFA Club World Cup during his tenure.
Moore has come full circle. He’s returned to the tech industry as a senior vice president and general manager at Unity Technologies and is back in the Santa Barbara area and back in soccer.
The Montecito resident is bringing professional soccer to the community. He never forgot what Copeland told him that day he walked into the store.
“I was here 40 years ago, and I was told it was a soccer town,” Moore said.
Papadakis learned about Santa Barbara’s passion for soccer at the then-Home Depot Center in Carson in December 2004. It was the NCAA Men’s College Cup, and UC Santa Barbara was making its national semifinal debut against No. 1 Duke.
“My history with Santa Barbara goes back to my freshman year in college at Duke,” Papadakis said. “We were the top team in the nation going into the final four. We played UCSB.”
Duke had not allowed a goal during the NCAA Tournament that year.
“Tim (UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg) introduced me to Santa Barbara soccer,” Papadakis said. “We lost 4-0 (actually 5-0) and it could have been 8-0.”
Papadakis saw the big crowds and electric atmosphere at UCSB home matches in nationally televised matches and never forgot it.
“When I came into this position many years later, I said the market we really have to look at is Santa Barbara,” he said. “Tim Vom Steeg and many others have created a reputation on the field, but also off the field. For over decade, UCSB has led collegiate soccer in attendance.
“We’re going to be able to take that to the next level with the professional team coming here today.”