Jacksonville Armada U23's Hokey Pokey with Edward Waters University Results in a Return
Armada (apparently) Kicked Out, then Allowed Back to Venue Within 7 Days
It appears the NPSL will intervene on a club’s behalf, when they feel like it (unlike in several cases we know about, most notably that of Tulsa Athletic).
At 7:30 pm last Friday, 24 hours and 15 minutes before Jacksonville Armada U23 were due to play Club de Lyon in NPSL action, the Jacksonville Armada sent an email announcing that ‘all vendor and event contracts at EWU were cancelled for the foreseeable future’. Because of this the Jacksonville Armada would be playing their double header weekend at Patton Park. The choice of Patton Park was helped by the fact First Coast Soccer Association had a previous relationship with the Armada. First Coast Soccer Association operates today as Jacksonville FC, but from 2016-2020 they operated as Jacksonville Armada Youth Academy.
Our multiple attempts to reach out to Edward Waters University for comment went unanswered. On Thursday, we found out why. Throughout the week, it would appear that the Jacksonville Armada, the NPSL and Edward Waters were in communication that ended with an agreement to allow the Armada back. The agreement will allow the Armada to finish their season.
The statement in Thursday night’s email gives all indications the Armada were kicked out because rent was not paid on the venue. Generally, a club isn’t kicked out of a venue on 24 hours notice unless rent hasn’t been paid on the facility or the venue is about to undergo major renovations, and Edward Waters hasn’t announced any renovations were about to take place.
Club President Nathan Walter, opened a mass email to with a sentence that gives a strong indication their season was in jeopardy, “After a challenging weekend for our organization, we are pleased to share important news about the path forward for the remainder of our season.” One doesn’t open a statement with that sentence, along with thanking the league first, without one’s season being in serious peril of not being completed.
Words matter, and the phrasing of the Armada’s communication implies the NPSL had to intervene on the club’s behalf in order for the Armada to get an agreement in place to finish the season. The full letter is found below. Thank you to a generous Armada supporter for sharing this with us.
The last analogy I can compare this to was the situation with Club de Lyon and Daytona Stadium when Club de Lyon were thrown out of Daytona Stadium and NISA covered for the club, until they couldn’t cover any longer.
Eventually Club de Lyon was able to find a venue to finish their season, not before a forfeit, a 43-day delay between fixtures and a long road trip to buy additional time. The only difference would be the relationship the Armada has with First Coast Soccer Association, those who have the lease to Patton Park.
Jacksonville Armada supporter’s group Section 904 is rightfully upset at the fact the club already has approval to build and nothing has been done. Their RP Funding missing on a milk carton picture on their social media does a good job in expressing their anger at the venue change announcement and may sum up best where the Armada are right now.
In terms of the NPSL’s involvement in this matter, Armada President Walter has been an outspoken and aggressive advocate for the league’s current leadership. In fact, as many club owners expressed concern about the direction of NPSL in 2023, multiple sources told us Walter lashed out at owners who were seeking reform. It is also worth noting the Armada U23 compete in the same cobbled-together “Gulf Coast Sunshine Conference” as the New Orleans Jesters who are owned by NPSL Chairman Ken Farrell.
Between 2024 and 2025, the Gulf Coast Sunshine Conference lost three of its eight members due to defections to other leagues - Columbus United jumped to USL League Two, while 850 Cup contestants Tallahassee SC and Pensacola FC moved to The League for Clubs.
The Armada’s one saving grace in the Jacksonville front of the Soccerwarz might be that Sporting Jax continue to have delays in making announcing their stadium site. The announcement was due early in 2025, and in mid-June they still have not made on announcement on where they will build a permanent stadium.
The Armada at least have that settled, but then again given the current state of things with the club, will they even play in MLS Next Pro next season?
This is a team that has a automatic berth in the NPSL playoffs, btw. What a mess of a league. Just divy it up between USL2, TLFC, UPSL, and folding teams that are unnecessary extensions of other NPSL teams.
What the....? The other thing to talk about here is CdL (again). Their first match was a home game at St Mary's High, and they haven't played another game there. Tonight they played their third "home" game in a row away, and it was their second in a row at Patton Park in Jacksonville. Granted, it was against the Jesters, who turn around and play the Armada in Jacksonville on Saturday. CdL has one more home game left on their schedule, wherever that will end up being played. So, there was already some buzz (Battista) that CdL was going to be playing in Jacksonville last week for a home game, not to mention that even that wasn't at the Armada's home field. What a mess.