Full name | Milwaukee Bavarian Soccer Club |
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Nickname(s) | Bavarians |
Founded | 1929 |
Stadium | Heartland Value Fund Stadium Glendale, Wisconsin |
Capacity | 2,000 |
Board President | David Anzia |
Head Coach | Bob Spielmann |
League | Premier League of America |
2016 | 1st, West Division Playoffs: Champions |
Milwaukee Bavarian SC is an American soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Part of the Bavarian Soccer Club, it plays in the Premier League of America (PLA). The team plays its home games in the athletic stadium at the Heartland Value Fund Stadium. The team's colors are blue and white. Bavarian Soccer Club has won two USASA National Open Cup titles, four National Amateur Cup championships and is a frequent qualifier for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The original Milwaukee Bavarians club was formed by German immigrants in 1929 as Fussball Club Bayern (Football Club Bavaria) as a multi-sports association. Their first football match was played on September 29, 1929 against a team from nearby Sheboygan, resulting in a 3–2 victory for Bayern. The club subsequently became very strong in its area, winning many state championships. In 1956 they took their present name and bought a new field on which to play home matches. They were a charter member of the National Premier Soccer League in 2005. The team took a hiatus from the NPSL for the 2014 season to focus on completing substantial upgrades to their Heartland Value Fund Stadium. The total upgrades estimated to cost $1.1 million. At the end of that hiatus, they joined the Great Lakes Premier League, which changed its name to the Premier League of America shortly thereafter.
In their first season in the PLA, the Bavarians won both the West Division and League Championships, and had five players named to the West Division Team of the Year.
The Bavarian Soccer Club has won six national championships. In 1976 they won their first National Amateur Cup, when they beat a team from Trenton, New Jersey 3–1 in the final. They repeated this success in 2001, 2002,2003 and 2009. In 2003, they also won the National Open Cup amateur championship; they have also finished as runners-up in this tournament on several occasions, in 1983, 1994, 1999 and 2000. They competed in the 1994 U.S. Open Cup as Bavarian Leinenkugel as they were sponsored by the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company that year.