Santa Barbara Sky FC has found its home field.
The USL League One soccer club coming to Santa Barbara will play its home matches at UCSB’s Harder Stadium beginning in March 2025.
The agreement between UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Sky FC is a multi-year deal, so the home of the Gauchos will also be the home of the Sky for years to come.
“Harder Stadium on our beautiful UC Santa Barbara campus has long been recognized as Soccer Heaven, and we are thrilled to grow that rich history and support our engaged soccer community by partnering with Santa Barbara Sky FC,” UCSB Director of Athletics Kelly Barsky said.
“We align in our vision to serve and support community through a world-class soccer experience and will now be able to provide that year-round.”
While also housing the UCSB Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams, Harder Stadium has welcomed its fair share of high-level and professional talent.
The stadium hosted two College Cup National Championships in 2010 and 2018 and has served as the training facility for the U.S. Women’s National Team. In late July, Wrexham FC and Bournemouth AFC will square off in an English friendly at Harder Stadium.
The Sky FC will hit the ground running at Harder Stadium next year as the newest expansion club of the USL League One.
“We are absolutely delighted to be able to call UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium home for our inaugural season and beyond,” SB Sky founding owner Peter Moore said. “There isn’t a finer soccer-specific collegiate stadium on the West Coast, and it’s a befitting venue for the Santa Barbara community to enjoy top-class professional soccer.
“We look forward to working with the university to build upon the amazing soccer legacy that the Gaucho program has built here in Santa Barbara over the past two decades.”
With the club on the campus of UC Santa Barbara, SB Sky FC plans to have opportunities available for students to intern and be involved in the world of professional sports.
The club has created a foundation named SB Fundación Cielo and will look to add a women’s franchise in the future as well.
“It’s very exciting to see Santa Barbara Sky FC join forces with UC Santa Barbara to write the next chapter in the storied history of Harder Stadium,” USL Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Real Estate Officer Justin Papadakis said.
“As the league continues to grow nationally, it’s encouraging to see clubs find their place in their respective communities. We’re confident Sky FC will truly be able to impact the entire Santa Barbara community and showcase world-class professional soccer at Harder Stadium – one of the finest soccer-specific stadiums in California.”
More information including the 2025 season schedule and ticketing details will be available closer to the start of the season. For more on the club, visit https://www.santabarbaraskyfc.com/
