FC Edmonton will travel to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, April 6

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will kick off the 2013 season on Saturday, April 6, against FC Edmonton at historic Lockhart Stadium as part of the NASL Spring Championship.

“With the season’s new format it’s more important than ever to get off to a good start, and being able to begin the season on our home field in front of our fans will be critical to our success in the Spring Championship,” said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore.

The Strikers ended the 2012 season with their second consecutive playoff appearance and despite falling on the road in the first round to the Carolina RailHawks, the club averaged nearly 4,300 fans at their final four home games.

Fort Lauderdale has started their season at home the previous seven seasons with a record of two wins, two losses and three ties. Last season’s opening match ended in a 1-0 victory against FC Edmonton in front of 4,779 fans at Lockhart Stadium.

Highlights of the Strikers schedule include finishing the Spring Championship against the defending NASL Champion Tampa Bay Rowdies on Thursday, July 4 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Fort Lauderdale will host the rival Rowdies on Saturday, April 27 at Lockhart Stadium. Also of note will be the Strikers trip to Toyota Field, the new home of the San Antonio Scorpions, on Saturday, May 18.

The NASL Spring Championship will run 14 weeks from April 6 through Thursday, July 4.  Each of the seven participating teams will play the other six teams in the league once at home and once on the road for a total of 12 games. NASL member teams will then have one month before the start of the second championship with each team free to prepare as they see fit, including touring and scheduling exhibition matches. The break will occur during the international transfer window open throughout much of Europe, Latin America and North America.

The Fall Championship will commence on August 3 and conclude on November 9.  Each of the nine participating teams will play the other eight teams in the league once at home and once on the road for a total of 16 games. Subsequently, the winner of the Spring Championship will host the winner of the Fall Championship in a “winner-take-all” match in the NASL Soccer Bowl to determine the 2013 NASL Champion. The Soccer Bowl will take place the weekend of November 16-17, 2013.

2013 FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS SCHEDULE

April 6, Sat        FC Edmonton @ Fort Lauderdale

April 13, Sat      Fort Lauderdale @ Atlanta

April 20, Sat      Fort Lauderdale @ Carolina

April 27, Sat      Tampa Bay @ Fort Lauderdale

May 11, Sat      Minnesota @ Fort Lauderdale

May 18, Sat      Fort Lauderdale @ San Antonio

May 26, Sun      Fort Lauderdale @ Edmonton

June 1, Sat       Carolina @ Fort Lauderdale

June 8, Sat       Fort Lauderdale @ Minnesota

June 15, Sat      Atlanta @ Fort Lauderdale

June 29, Sat      San Antonio @ Fort Lauderdale

July 4, Thu        Fort Lauderdale @ Tampa Bay

Season tickets for the 2013 Fort Lauderdale Strikers are now on sale. Contact the Strikers ticket office by calling (954) 606-0400 or by going to www.strikers.com. Follow the Strikers on Facebook and twitter @FTLStrikers.