2017 Fall Season Brings Start Of New Era In Jacksonville Armada FC History

Jacksonville Armada FC heads into the 2017 NASL Fall Season with a new leader. Florida-based entrepreneur Robert Palmer was announced as the club’s new owner on June 18. 

Palmer owns several businesses, including RP Funding, which is the club’s new jersey sponsor. He also has deep ties to the Jacksonville area.

“Jacksonville is a key market for me, I have strong ties to the city,” he told NASL.com. “My wife is from Jacksonville. This is an important community for me. I love this community.”

“It just made so much sense.”

Now, Palmer is hoping to deepen those community ties for Armada FC. During his introductory press conference, Palmer noted his desire to build the club a training facility and eventually a new stadium for Jacksonville’s NASL matches.

While those goals are more for the long term, Palmer’s first order of business was locking up coach Mark Lowry and technical director Nathan Walter through the 2021 season. Jacksonville may also look to add to the squad to bolster its efforts towards reaching The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament.

“There’s a couple of player gaps that Nathan and Mark want to fill that I will be supportive of,” Palmer said.

“Beyond that, it’s about building the brand and letting the city of Jacksonville know it’s a new era for the Armada and we’re here to stay. We’re doing the best we’ve ever done, we’re in the hunt for the playoffs, and the community needs to know that. My job now is to grab the microphone, grab the spotlight, and put it on the Armada with my advertising and marketing.”

Joining the NASL ranks as an owner became an easy decision for Palmer after meeting the other owners and board members, and he hopes his marketing approach, which will include a heavy focus on television and radio ads, can become an example to follow throughout the league,

“I’m excited to bring this unique marketing approach to the Armada,” Palmer said. “I know if I have success, the other owners will jump on board, too. If I can figure out the formula down here for advertising and building the fan base, the other owners will get on board and we’re all going to rise together.”

To accomplish his short and long-term goals, Palmer views the NASL and the Jacksonville community as the perfect launching pad.

“By being in the NASL, I can help shape the future,” he said. “I have the freedom to tackle this how I want to.”