“The Vaqueros launched in January, and in a matter of months their supporters have turned them into what may be Tarrant County’s most intriguing summertime sports organization, particularly as the Texas Rangers season fades.”

– Fort Worth Weekly

“The blessings were more than we ever dreamed.”

– Olga Naranjo, regarding the Vaqueros jersey sponsorship lottery

THE FORT WORTH VAQUEROS STORY

Founded in 2014, after 6 years the Fort Worth Vaqueros have proven to be one of the most innovative clubs in American sports. In doing so the Vaqueros have filled a sports void in the nation’s 13th largest city and “blessed” the community while doing so.

The 2019 season proved to be record setting again as the Vaqueros earned a spot in the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The club set records for wins and points in a season. Under the direction of coach Nick Stavrou the Vaqueros have continued to succeed and establish themselves at the top of the table.

The onfield success led to a record setting year in merchandise sales as the coveted Sugar Skull tshirt proved the most ordered item in team history.

The Vaqueros returned to action in the summer of 2020 for the 7th season!

INNOVATIVE

• The innovation proved clear from the beginning as the club turned its identity over to the Fort Worth community, which chose both the name Vaqueros and the logo through online and in-person voting. A slew of names were submitted but ultimately it came down to Fort Worth United, Fort Worth Vaqueros FC and Panther City FC. Fans were allowed to submit their own logo designs and 84 were narrowed down to the final four images

NO TICKETS NEEDED

• The Vaqueros instituted a revolutionary concept by eliminating the need for paper tickets for their season seat holders. Instead, every season seat holder received a free jersey, which they wore on game day as their ticket into the game. This created an instant atmosphere, as the stands were flooded with Vaqueros blue.

THE JERSEY LOTTERY

• The innovation continued with the annual jersey sponsorship lottery. Knowing it would be difficult to find a singular company to invest $50,000-$75,000 in a first year start-up, the Vaqueros got creative. Thus, the sponsorship lottery was born. Each sponsor that purchased a sponsorship package had their company name put into a golden Easter egg. On April 3, 2014 Miss Fort Worth Destiny Velez pulled a singular egg from a bowl to reveal the sponsor to adorn the front of the Vaqueros jersey. Fort Worth non-profit group Hispano Exito won the lottery and the right to display its logo across the front of the players’ and fans’ jerseys. Hispano Exito founder Olga Naranjo created Hispano Exito to help provide backpacks and school supplies for needy students in Fort Worth. She said winning the sponsorship lottery brought unprecedented exposure to her organization. “The blessings were more than we ever dreamed,” Naranjo said.
• The lottery continued in 2015 as Tarrant County College won the jersey front in their first year as a sponsor of the Vaqueros. 2016 continued the lottery tradition as local pub Chimera Brewing Company, a sponsor since the first year was drawn as the 2016 jersey sponsor. In 2017 the Law Office of Jim Zadeh won the jersey front once again selected by Miss Fort Worth 2017, Adaline Bebo. Fort Worth Weekly earned the 2018 jersey front.

PANTHER CITY HELLFIRE

• Taking their name from a historic Fort Worth nickname, the Vaqueros were bolstered by the unwavering loyalty of their supporters group, the Panther City Hellfire. The chants, drums and songs of the European style supporters group provide instant atmosphere and eliminate the need for cheesy and tired sports clichés to be pumped through the stadium PA system.

KICKING & READING

• With Education as its main social platform, the Vaqueros players enter local schools and read to the students. School children who read 10 books during the year receive a voucher for two free tickets to any Vaqueros home game.

INTERNATIONAL MATCHES

• The Vaqueros have faced a wide range of international opponents. In 2014 the Vaqueros faced the El Salvador Sub-23 national team. In 2015, Japan’s RKU club took on Fort Worth. 2016 proved to be a banner year when it comes to international friendlies when two Mexican clubs Santos Laguna and Monterrey sent their Sub-21 teams to Tarrant County for a pair of games against the Vaqueros. In 2018 wildy popular Mexican club Tigres sent their reserve side to Fort Worth.

OFF THE FIELD

• In 2020 the Vaqueros returned to a partnership with PUMA and the community chose a solid blue kit.
• The 2017 kit was selected by supporters from 4 choices. The horizontal striped jerseys were custom designed to feature the Fort Worth skyline across the back and produced once again by UN1TUS.
• Thanks to 2016 jersey partner UN1TUS, a Cleveland based manufacturer, the Vaqueros sported a jersey unlike any other soccer team on the planet. True to the mantra of allowing the community to have its input, the Vaqueros let the supporters design their 2016 kits. The fan inspired designs matched up in head-to-head voting until the public including a supporter from as far away as Germany voted for the ultimate design that was custom crafted by UN1TUS.
• In 2014 the Vaqueros began the year the club garnered national media attention for their creative and cheeky “Luis Suarez” Fangs Night promotion. Playing off the now infamous bite incident during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Vaqueros passed out fangs before their game on June 29 and offered free “Chiellini” dogs in a parking lot tailgate.
• The club held its first Charity Shield match to benefit Hispano Exito and thanks to the corporate sponsors and ticket sales, the Vaqueros were able to raise enough funds to buy a backpack for 1,448 students heading to school this fall in the Fort Worth ISD.
• The Vaqueros appeared in over 100 community events and provided opportunities for young players to further their careers. With an average age of 21.9 years old, the squad is truly dedicated to providing opportunities to players who still have the ability to reach the upper levels of professional soccer. While they’re ambition to the make it to the next level as a professional, Vaqueros players embrace their role as positive role models for local kids and Fort Worth Ambassadors to help Fort Worth kids reach their potential, on and off the field.