Ozark United FC was formed by co-founders Chris Martinovic and Warren Smith to bring both Men’s and Women’s professional soccer to the Northwest Arkansas region. Our goal is to build community and be a force for good in our region, leveraging the “beautiful game” as our vessel to leave an enduring positive impact to ultimately make Northwest Arkansas an even greater place to live, work, and play.
The United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing professional soccer organization in North America, possessing more than a decade of experience in bringing the world’s game to communities across the United States and Canada. The USL is built on a proven and recognized model in international football and counts more than 200 professional and amateur clubs in its membership.
There will be more information forthcoming about stadium plans and development in the coming months as we get further along in the process.
Ozark United FC’s goal is to begin play in the USL Championship prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States and in the fall of that same year for the USL Super League.
The USL Championship is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million and fueling the growth of the game across North America. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a Division II professional league, The Championship includes 24 teams throughout the US playing in the 2024 season.
The USL Super League is a new Division One professional women’s soccer league that launched in August 2024 with eight inaugural teams, and additional teams set to join in subsequent seasons.
The supporter’s group has unveiled themselves as the Ozark Hellbenders. You can find more about them on their social channels @hellbenderssg
Independent analysis shows a significant economic impact associated with the introduction of USL clubs and stadia ranging from $50M-$200M per year, depending on the market, with the potential to create hundreds of jobs.
Visit our official website, ozarkunited.com, follow our social media channels, @ozarkunitedfc, sign up for our free newsletter [link], or take our fan survey [link]