Utah Royals

Utah Royals FC

File:Utah Royals FC logo.svg Club crest
Company type	Professional sports franchise
Industry	Women's soccer
Founded	November 16, 2017 (2017-11-16)
Defunct	December 7, 2020 (2020-12-07) (first iteration)
Fate	Ceased operations in 2020; revived in 2023
Successor	Kansas City Current (2020)
Headquarters	Salt Lake City metropolitan area , United States
Area served	United States (National Women's Soccer League)
Key people	Ryan Smith, David Blitzer (owners, 2023 revival)
Products	Professional women's soccer team
Owner	Miller Sports + Entertainment (majority owner as of 2025), David Blitzer (minority owner)
Website	www.utahroyalsfc.com

The Utah Royals represent a professional women's soccer franchise located in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, participating in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion team within the NWSL, the Royals competed from 2018 until operations ceased in 2020, at which point their player contracts were transferred to the newly formed Kansas City Current. The franchise was revived in 2023 under the ownership of Real Salt Lake stakeholders Ryan Smith and David Blitzer.

Formation

On November 16, 2017, Real Salt Lake, a club in Major League Soccer, revealed its acquisition of an NWSL franchise. Shortly thereafter, four days later, the league announced that FC Kansas City would dissolve, with its player contracts, draft assets, and rights moving to the new Salt Lake City organization. By August 2017, Utah boasted six NCAA Division I women’s soccer programs, outnumbering men's teams. Additionally, the Utah Tech Trailblazers transitioned from Division II to Division I in 2020. Utah leads nationally in the proportion of female high school soccer athletes recruited by Division I programs and enjoys strong attendance at women’s soccer matches. The establishment of an NWSL team in Utah was motivated by this robust local enthusiasm for soccer and owner Dell Loy Hansen’s dedication.

The franchise appointed former Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey as its first manager on November 27, 2017.

First season

The Royals' initial goal was scored by Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir during their debut match versus the Orlando Pride on March 24, 2018, netted within three minutes of kickoff. Prior to their inaugural home game, ticket sales reached 18,500, with only club seats and standing-room options remaining. The official attendance for that home opener against the Chicago Red Stars was recorded at 19,023 spectators.

Closure

In August 2020, following accusations of racist and sexist conduct within the organization, Dell Loy Hansen declared his intention to sell Utah Soccer LLC—the parent entity of Utah Royals FC, Real Salt Lake, and Real Monarchs. The Utah Royals FC formally ceased operations on December 7, 2020. Their NWSL player contracts and franchise rights were acquired by Chris and Angie Long alongside Brittany Mahomes, who launched a new club initially known as Kansas City NWSL, later renamed Kansas City Current.

The transaction included a provision permitting any future Real Salt Lake owner to reintroduce an expansion team under the Utah Royals FC name no sooner than the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season.

Revival

On March 11, 2023, Ryan Smith and David Blitzer—co-owners of Real Salt Lake—revealed plans to establish an NWSL expansion team with backing from 42 Futbol Group investors such as Jessica Gelman, Daryl Morey, and Amy Reinhard. This team is set to commence play in the 2024 National Women's Soccer League season, alongside fellow expansion side Bay FC based in San Jose, California. The Royals’ franchise fee reportedly ranged between $2 million and $5 million, substantially less than Bay FC’s estimated $50 million fee.

Michelle Hyncik was appointed as club president while former Utah Royals and USWNT forward Amy Rodriguez was named the inaugural head coach; notably, Hyncik and Rodriguez were teammates during high school.

On April 18, 2025, Miller Sports + Entertainment—led by former Utah Jazz proprietor Gail Miller—secured majority ownership of the franchise through a $600 million acquisition that also encompassed Real Salt Lake. David Blitzer retained a minority stake in the organization.

Colors and Emblem

The organization officially commenced operations on December 1, 2017, unveiling its name, visual identity, season ticket options, and digital platforms.

The emblem displays a golden Lioness head highlighted by the colors "Claret Red," "Cobalt Blue," and "Victory Gold." Positioned beneath the text "UTAH ROYALS FC," two stylized balls signify connections to the club's MLS and United Soccer League affiliates.

Matches designated as home games take place at Rio Tinto Stadium, now known as America First Field. By the end of 2017, season ticket sales exceeded 2,000 and grew to 5,000 by April 2018.

Sponsorship

In February 2018, the Royals secured a lucrative three-year jersey sponsorship agreement with Conservice, a utility provider headquartered in Logan, Utah.<ref> The sponsor’s logo was prominently displayed on the front of the team’s kits.<ref>

On April 2, 2019, Utah announced an extended partnership with Young Living Essential Oils. This collaboration featured a 12-episode original video series titled ‘Rise up to Royalty,’ which showcased personal stories of URFC players throughout the 2019 campaign.<ref>

Stadium

Utah Royals FC host their games at America First Field (previously Rio Tinto Stadium until September 2022), situated approximately 15 minutes from Salt Lake City's downtown in Sandy, Utah. The venue is shared with the men's squad Real Salt Lake.<ref>

America First Field is a dedicated soccer stadium that opened its doors on October 9, 2008.<ref> The playing surface consists of Kentucky Bluegrass and measures 120 by 75 yards.<ref> The stadium accommodates up to 20,213 spectators for soccer events.<ref>

Current Roster

Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2Template:Fs player2

style="background:#000833; color:#FDB71A; Template:Box-shadow border;" scope="col"|No.	style="background:#000833; color:#FDB71A; Template:Box-shadow border;" scope="col"|Position	style="background:#000833; color:#FDB71A; Template:Box-shadow border;" scope="col"|Name	style="background:#000833; color:#FDB71A; Template:Box-shadow border;" scope="col"|Nationality

Technical Personnel

• Sporting Director: Kelly Cousins
• Head Coach: Jimmy Coenraets
• Assistant Coach: Sam Lismont
• Goalkeeping Coach: James White

Annual Performance

Season	NWSL									Playoff Status	Leading Scorer
	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts.	Pos.		Player	Goals
2018	24	9	8	7	22	23	-1	35	5th	Missed playoffs	Template:Left Katie Stengel	6
2019	24	10	4	10	25	25	0	34	6th	Missed playoffs	Template:Left Amy Rodriguez	9
2020	Template:Center										Template:Left Tziarra King Amy Rodriguez	2
2024	26	7	4	15	22	40	-18	25	11th	Missed playoffs	Template:Left Cloé Lacasse	4
2025	26	6	7	13	28	42
25	12th	Missed playoffs	Template:LeftTemplate:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mina Tanaka	6

Coaching Staff Performance

Data current as of October 24, 2024

Coach Name	Nationality	Period in Charge	Matches Played	Matches Won	Matches Drawn	Matches Lost	Goals Scored by Team	Goals Conceded by Team	Win Percentage
scope="row" Template:LeftTemplate:Sn	Template:LeftTemplate:Fba	December 1, 2017 – January 6, 2020
scope="row" Template:LeftTemplate:Sn (interim)	Template:LeftTemplate:Fba	January 6, 2020 – February 7, 2020

Coach Name	Nationality	Period in Charge	Matches Played	Wins Recorded	Draws Recorded	Losses Recorded	Goals For Team	Goals Against Team	Win Rate (%)

Team records

Player				Goals scored
Name	Nat.	Pos.	Royals tenure	NWSL regular season	Playoffs	Challenge Cup	Other NWSL tournaments	Total
scope=row Amy Rodriguez Template:Fba name=code USA || FW || 2018–2020 || 14 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 16
scope=row Christen Press Template:Fba name=code USA || FW || 2018–2020 || 10 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 10
scope=row Katie Stengel Template:Fba name=code USA || FW || 2018–2019 || 8 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 8
scope=row Cloé Lacasse Template:Fba name=code CAN || LW || 2024–present || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4

Player				Appearances
Name	Nat.	Pos.	Royals tenure	NWSL regular season	Playoffs	Challenge Cup	Other NWSL tournaments	Total
Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir Template:Fba name=code ISL || MF || 2018–2020 || 48 || 0 || 4 || 0 || 52
Amy Rodriguez Template:Fba name=code USA || FW ||2018–2020 ||43||0||4||4||51
Rachel Corsie Template:Fba name=code SCO || DF ||2018–2020 ||43||0||5||0||48
Katie Stengel Template:Fba name=code USA || FW ||2018–2019 ||47||0||0||0||47
Katie Bowen Template:Fba name=code NZL || DF ||2018–2020 ||38||0||5||4||47
Lo'eau LaBonta Template:Fba name=code USA || MF ||2018–2020 ||38||0||5||4||47
Desiree Scott Template:Fba name=code CAN || MF ||2018–2020 ||38||0||0||0||38
Becky Sauerbrunn Template:Fba name=code USA || DF ||2018–2019 ||34||0||0||0|||34
Nicole Barnhart Template:Fba name=code USA || GK ||2018–2020  |||32|||  |||1|||  |||33
Becca Moros Template:Fba name=code USA  |||DF|||2018–2019|||30|||  |||  |||  |||30

Broadcasting

Throughout the 2018 season, the Utah Royals' matches were primarily televised locally on KMYU My Utah TV and streamed through the KSL app, under broadcasting arrangements involving Sinclair Broadcast Group and KSL in conjunction with Real Salt Lake. An exception was six appearances on the NWSL Game of the Week broadcast on Lifetime. On radio, most Royals games were aired on KALL ESPN 700, following a similar pattern to Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs broadcasts. However, on August 17, 2018, KSL declared it would discontinue both television and radio coverage for the club's final three fixtures, opting to maintain streaming availability via its website and app.

See also

• List of top-division football clubs in CONCACAF countries
• List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
• Real Salt Lake Women