JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a unanimous 16-0 vote Tuesday by the Jacksonville City Council, the Jacksonville Armada has taken another step toward building a football stadium near the sports complex.

Team owner Robert Palmer tweeted this after the vote was taken:

Armada debuted as a North American Soccer League team in 2015, playing its first game in front of a league-record crowd of 16,164 at TIAA Bank Field. For the first two years, the team played most of its home games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. In 2017, the team moved to UNF’s Hodges Stadium.

The following year, the NASL folded, forcing the Armada to play in the lower division NPSL. After one year in that league with professionals, the Armada opted to field a team of college players – an option in the NPSL. After not playing in 2020 due to the pandemic, the club moved home games to Patton Park and The Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

Having a home stadium controlled by the team and not shared with other tenants is generally considered an important part of a football team’s plan for stability. The ability to schedule games when fans are more likely to attend, help drive attendance and own the parking and concession rights, as well as the ability to sell the naming rights to a stadium can make a big difference to the team’s bottom line.

The Armada played in the NPSL for the 2022 season, but are rumored to be eyeing a move to MLS Next Pro, a development league for Major League Soccer. MLS Next Pro is considered the third division of professional soccer in the United States and will be a step up from the NPSL.

While the Armada is making plans for a stadium, another group has been awarded a USL franchise. JAX USL has not yet announced where it intends to play, but has said it has looked at several sites for a stadium and has referred to the possibility of playing somewhere other than downtown Jacksonville, perhaps in Duval County, perhaps elsewhere.

JAX USL aims to begin play in 2025 with both a men’s and a women’s team. That would be when the Armada could also begin play, potentially making Jacksonville a two-club soccer town.