SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Loyal Soccer Club announced a goodwill partnership Thursday with Lincoln City F.C. of Lincolnshire, England.
The clubs will collaborate on "community initiatives, merchandise and storytelling content on their respective fanbases," a Loyal statement reads.
SD Loyal co-owner and Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Landon Donovan has served as a strategic advisor to Lincoln City F.C. since 2021.
"Lincoln City is a historic club deeply rooted in English soccer," Donovan said. "This collaboration will serve as a launch pad for the clubs to work together in meaningful ways on and off the field."
Lincoln City F.C. competes in the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed The Imps -- after the legend of the Lincoln Imp. The club plays at 10,120-capacity Sincil Bank Stadium.
One of three professional soccer clubs in Lincolnshire, Lincoln City F.C. has found success on the pitch in recent years.
The club made a quarterfinals run at the FA Cup in 2016-2017. At the end of the 2020-2021 season, The Imps were nearly promoted to the Championship before falling to Blackpool in the EFL League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
Entering the second half of its current 2022-2023 campaign, the club sits in the middle of the Football League One table.
"We are really excited to team up with San Diego Loyal SC and look forward to working closely with them as part of this new partnership," City Chairman Clive Nates said. "We would love to grow our international fan base over in the USA and believe that working with San Diego Loyal will help us achieve this."
The clubs will release more information on the partnership in 2023 on the respective club's social media and at sdloyal.com and weareimps.com.
