At the end of the 2017 season, organizational members of the amateur Chattanooga Football Club openly talked about the possibility of exploring the jump to a professional league.
They've started that process.
The National Independent Soccer Association - a new, independent, third-division pro men's soccer league - has announced eight markets that submitted applications to be part of the NISA's inaugural season in either 2018 or 2019, subject to U.S. Soccer sanctioning, which is part of the process to launch such a league.
In addition to Chattanooga, markets that applied are Charlotte, N.C., Connecticut, Miami, Milwaukee, Omaha, Neb., Phoenix and St. Louis.
"We are pleased with the applicants as well as the people and the vision behind each application," NISA co-founder Peter Wilt said in a release. "The critical step to fully vet each market now moves into an important phase, so we can be assured of the applicants' and the league's success. Each successful applicant will need to show us and U.S. Soccer that it has a proper venue, financial model, business plan, administration and ownership to assure sustainability."
CFC has been one of the most successful programs in the National Premier Soccer League. It has been the national runner-up on four occasions while developing what is likely the largest fan base in the NPSL.
CFC plays home matches at Finley Stadium, but with an extended season that will last beyond summer in a pro league, there could be schedule conflicts with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's football and women's soccer programs.
"It's not a no-brainer," CFC board member Tim Kelly told the Times Free Press in July. "There are some issues, and it would be a financially riskier proposition, but on the other hand we'd be a legitimate professional team, whereas right now we're a glorified adult-league team. Now, we put on a great show and it's a sustainable model in Chattanooga, so that's the tipping point for us."
There will be a presentation of the teams and leagues to the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors on Friday in Jersey City, N.Y. Once fully formed, the league expects to max out at 24 teams by the 2021 season, at which point the only avenue to entry will be purchasing an existing team or through the NISA's planned promotion and relegation structure with other independent pro leagues.
The new league is working toward a promotion and relegation structure, which is one of the five pillars of its foundation. The others are: An affordable professional Division III national soccer league with regional-based competition; an independent league with team owners controlling their franchises; a strong league office that serves its teams with quality staff supplemented by expert consultants; and commercial and competitive connections to higher and lower divisions to maximize relevance.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.