Ventura County Fusion

A professional sports franchise is finally coming to my adopted hometown of Ventura, California and unlike the last professional team to announce their arrival (the California Eagles of the ABA), this one has a chance to become wildly successful.

Ventura County, in all of it's bigness (four cities over 100,000 residents), is a wasteland for professional sports. For one season in the 80's the Ventura Gulls played baseball at Ventura College and at one point the independent Western Baseball League Pacific Suns were slated to play in Oxnard, but since then nothing has come to fruition. The simple fact that there isn't a suitable arena, baseball stadium, soccer field or jai alai court in the entire county is the main culprit.

However, with Ventura College's new, 8.1 million dollar athletic complex featuring a 3,000 seat track and field, football and soccer stadium being constructed right now, suddenly a state-of-the-art facility will finally be in place and ready for Ventura County's only professional franchise.


Enter the Ventura County Fusion, the newest entry in the United Soccer League's Premier Development League. The Fusion will play eight regular season games at the Ventura College Sports Complex starting in April to the delight of soccer fans throughout the county, and hopefully to the delight of the casual Ventura sports fan.

With season ticket prices at just above eight dollars a game for adults and under five bucks for kids, the price is right. And the way that this community supports it's youth soccer programs and how well they support Ventura College football and basketball, the only affordable family sports entertainment options in the area, if the Fusion play their cards right they could be sitting on top of a huge success. I'm rooting for them, I hope to help them in any way I can and I'm really looking forward to the season.

I even like their logo. Typically it wouldn't be my cup of tea, perhaps my excitement for local professional sports is clouding my judgment. But it's very eye catching and professional and does a great job of introducing this new team to the community. Go Fusion!