San Mateo County FC is trading in its traditional blue and white stripes with the announcement that the San Mateo County youth soccer club is joining the new SF Seals network of clubs.

San Mateo County FC will rebrand as San Mateo County Seals, the first club in the Bay Area to affiliate with the SF Seals youth soccer network.

“It’s been refreshing dealing with the SMC FC leadership team,” Shani Simpson, SF Seals Executive Director, said in a news release. “It is clear to see the investment in the community to provide an affordable, player-focused, high-level soccer experience. Our mission and values have aligned from day one, and we are excited to expand the Seals brand into San Mateo County, helping the organization achieve its goals. The Club has a deep history in the community of striving for excellence, and we are excited to welcome the players, families, and coaches into the Seals Family.”

San Mateo County Seals is SF Seals' first club partnership in the Bay Area. 

“We are excited and honored to become an SF Seals affiliate club member,” Brian Mansell, Executive Director of San Mateo County Seals, said in a news release. The SF Seals Player Development Pathway includes full MLS NEXT membership (U13-U19), full MLS X2 membership (U11-U19) and future expansion into the Girls Academy on the girls' side.

Additionally, both SF Seals and SMC Seals are Full NPL Boys Clubs that compete in the NorCal Premier League.

As part of the new affiliation, SMC Seals will spearhead and run the Seals MLS X2 program that feeds players into the SF Seals MLS NEXT program. "Providing that MLS NEXT pathway to players in our community is extremely important and with the MLS X2 program, we now have that pathway for the players in San Mateo County," SMC Seals' Mansell stated. This is a great opportunity for our club and the youth in our community."

SF Seals and SMC Seals, through this local club network will bring tremendous opportunities for all SMC players, teams, and the club.”

SMC has been feeding teams and players into the SF Seals MLS NEXT for the past couple of years with great success in the 2010, 2011 & 2012 age groups. SMC is currently running the new MLS X2 platform which launched Fall 2024 and is currently in its first season with the full backing of MLS NEXT.

The SF Seals name is a link to lower-level professional soccer’s past in the U.S. The SF Seals played in the USISL, A-League and PDL leagues from 1992-2008 with a famous run in the 1997 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup that included wins over MLS teams Seattle Sounders, Kansas City Wiz (now Sporting), and San Jose Clash (now Earthquakes).