Golden City Football Club (GCFC), or simply Golden City FC, is a professional men's soccer club based in San Francisco, California. Owned by a group led by co-founders Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, the club plans to commence play in MLS Next Pro, a Division 3 league in the United States league system, in the 2026 or 2027 season. The team will play its home games at a renovated Kezar Stadium, and will be one of five professional soccer clubs based in the San Francisco Bay Area, alongside Bay FC, Oakland Roots SC, the San Jose Earthquakes, and The Town FC.
History.
Silver Lake Partners manager Geoff Oltmans, and Wells Fargo financial advisor Marc Rohrer, co-founded Golden City FC in 2025, and struck a public–private partnership with the Government of San Francisco to upgrade Kezar Stadium for use as its home ground. Oltmans and Rohrer previously played college soccer for the Dartmouth Big Green and Fresno State Bulldogs, respectively. The club's establishment was announced by the Mayor of San Francisco Daniel Lurie in May, through social media posts by the mayor's office, and interviews with local news media. Oltmans and Silver Lake Partners previously donated at least $152,000 and $275,500 respectively to a poverty reduction nonprofit founded by Lurie. The announcement also coincided with the hundredth anniversary of Kezar's opening in May 1925. Legislation co-sponsored by Lurie and supervisor Bilal Mahmood was introduced to the Board of Supervisors that would grant the club a fifteen-year permit to play at Kezar, with an option for an extension to thirty years.
San Francisco City FC, the primary tenant at Kezar, were given two days' notice of the plans, and were offered "at least one game at Kezar — possibly more" by the Recreation & Parks Department. Facing a move to a "subpar" venue, San Francisco City FC and its supporters protested the plans, criticizing them as "rushed through with limited public input and [favoring] private interests at the expense of longstanding local organizations". El Farolito SC and the San Francisco Nighthawks, who also play at Kezar, similarly expressed concerns, though were optimistic about the plan's potential to grow soccer in San Francisco, and spur desired upgrades to other venues in the city. Despite this opposition, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the permit without discussion in June. Golden City FC plans to commence play in MLS Next Pro, a Division 3 league in the United States league system, in the 2026 or 2027 season.
Organization.
Golden City FC's ownership group includes its co-founders, Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer. Neither the club's full board of owners nor its funding sources have been publicized, though it aims to have as many as twelve San Francisco Bay Area-based investors in the club's ownership group.
Stadium.
Golden City FC plans to play its home games at the 10,000-capacity Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, located on the inner, southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park, adjacent to the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood. It is currently the home of amateur club San Francisco City FC, and was previously the home of two defunct professional clubs: the California Victory and San Francisco Deltas. The club seeks to renovate the stadium prior to commencing play, providing $10 million of private funding for "capital improvements", including a new natural grass field with irrigation sprinklers, accessibility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and upgraded concession stands, press box, public address system, seating, and LED scoreboard.