Everett Business Leader Seeks Investors for USL Soccer Franchise

Everett Business Leader Seeks Investors for USL Soccer Franchise

An Everett-based entrepreneur has launched efforts to assemble an ownership team for a new professional soccer club in the city, targeting a spot in United Soccer League League One. John Carswell, who operates the APEX Everett downtown complex, home to a restaurant, bar, and live music spaces, announced the initiative last week alongside sports business consultant Fred Rivera.

The pair is seeking investors to support a franchise that would成为 the primary tenant of the city’s planned Outdoor Event Center, a multiuse stadium envisioned for downtown. According to city estimates, the project carries a price tag of $120 million, with initial capital and long-term lease income from the soccer team playing a pivotal role in financing its development.

Earlier reporting indicated that the Everett AquaSox and the USL would jointly provide $17 million in upfront construction funds, with an additional $100 million projected to be generated through lease payments over three decades. The city has already committed $23.2 million to the effort, largely drawn from its general fund and expected to be repaid via a future bond issue supported by stadium-generated revenues and possible tax adjustments. Snohomish County and state agencies are also expected to contribute financial support.

Rivera noted that the ownership group includes input from several regional soccer experts: Peter Fewing, head coach at Seattle University, and Felipe Mendez, a former executive with the Seattle Sounders.

Carswell cited a combination of local opportunity and national momentum as key motivators for spearheading the project. He pointed to the recent World Cup’s impact and the Pacific Northwest’s deep-rooted soccer culture as signs that Everett is well-positioned to host a competitive team. “Seeing what soccer is doing right now in the United States, as well as how popular that sport is in the Pacific Northwest, it just seemed like a really good fit,” he said Friday.

The USL has acknowledged the group’s expression of interest and granted it exclusive negotiating rights to finalize the ownership structure. Rivera emphasized the group’s focus on assembling like-minded investors committed to the city’s long-term success. “We are working on assembling a group of investors who are like-minded and interested in seeing this city, this region and this team succeed in the new stadium,” he said.

A USL representative echoed that sentiment, stating the league views Everett’s dedication to professional soccer as a strong indicator of future collaboration. As League One shifts toward regionalized competition, the addition of an Everett-based club would foster natural rivalries with existing Pacific Northwest teams in Spokane and Eugene.

Mayor Cassie Franklin also voiced her support, welcoming Carswell’s leadership in forming the ownership consortium and expressing optimism about the potential economic and cultural benefits for the city.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said Monday that she is enthusiastic about a proposal to bring professional soccer to the city. "John has brought new energy to our city with the transformation of the former Club Broadway into APEX Everett, now a local and regional destination for arts, culture, entertainment and dining. I'm glad to see that same passion for Everett now leading the effort to bring a soccer team to our city," Franklin wrote.

City officials have previously stated that should the proposed stadium be constructed, it will host both men's and women's professional soccer teams. A representative for the ownership group, Rivera, explained that securing franchise rights from the league would enable the creation of both a men's and a women's team.

"We're really early in this process to understand timing and launch date, but there will be that opportunity," Rivera said.

Rivera also noted that it remains too early to determine the cost of expansion rights or the amount of capital the group would need to raise to pursue the project.

"We have some ideas, but until we spend a little bit more time on this, we don't want to put a tag on it," he said.

Regarding potential team names, Rivera stated, "Not yet."

He emphasized the importance of public involvement, stating, "I think it's going to be important to all of us that the community is involved at every step of the way that it can be, so I suspect as we get further down the road that there'll be an opportunity for appropriate input by the community."