Source: Savannah Clovers to Return to NISA for 2025
The Savannah Clovers are expected to play in NISA in 2025. This was first reported at Beyond the 90. Whatever fashion the league returns in, the Clovers will be there.
While them playing matches is confirmed, the ownership situation is still a mystery. Back in October, Commissioner Prutch told us that the club was in final negotiations with new owners. There has been no update since.
Previously, the owner was a man based in South Africa named Mario Ferreira, who was only known through interviews with the league commissioner and not publicly. At the end of 2023, he determined that the effort of owning a club was too expensive and that the club was too remote for him. After that, the league had to operate the club for the 2024 season and had multiple problems paying players throughout the season.
Back in November, I contacted Clovers founder Brian Sykes, who informed me the new ownership negotiations were progressing, but that they’d like it to be more in place before discussing and not add to any rumors. We confirmed a future interview, and will continue to work towards one, but there have been no updates since the initial discussions.
No matter who owns the club in the future, the Clovers are preparing for a new season. They have had open tryouts, as confirmed by this post by Indiana Wesleyan University Men’s Soccer, though they weren’t announced publicly. They are also accepting season ticket deposits and keep the Instagram account active. Let’s hope these signs of life lead to something substantial and Savannah’s club will continue to play professional soccer.