BAYONNE, N.J. – New Jersey Teamsters Football Club announced Wednesday that it has been accepted to play in the National Independent Soccer Association.

The team will begin competing in Bayonne in 2021.

Team’s owner Sibrena Stowe-Geraldino made history as the first female African American principal owner of a professional soccer team in the United States, and husband Alexsi Geraldino, the great-grandson of the founder and president of Dominican Republic’s Lotería Nacional (National Lottery), became the first Dominican American professional soccer club owner in the states.

NJTFC was founded in 2017 by the husband and wife duo, as the club played home matches at Don Ahern Veterans Stadium. The team played its first season with UPSL. Both the A and B teams won championship cups under the leadership of coach Javier Romero, a former professional soccer player from Jersey City, N.J.

Geraldino, a first generation American from Manhattan, N.Y. is a former NFL- European Corner Back, a USA boxing official and registered U.S. Soccer Intermediary. Chief executive officer Sibrena Stowe-Geraldino hails from Philadelphia and is a 26-year veteran in the entertainment industry, working with notable recording artists, athletes and high profile personalities.

“Alex and I are excited to bring professional soccer to Bayonne and grateful to NISA, Mayor Jimmy Davis, the City of Bayonne and Hudson County for believing in us,” Sibrena said. “We’re thankful to NISA’s Board of Governors for voting us in and we’re looking forward to meeting our milestones set in place by the league. The league shares our core values and we all are change agents in American soccer who believe in the spirit of excellence, integrity and inclusion. Our region has a tremendous amount of talent and we are looking forward to providing players with the opportunity to try out and play professional soccer!”

Starting in March, NJTFC will hold a series of tryouts and will play friendlies and scrimmages in preparation for 2021.

The Cosmos will commence playing in NISA in the 2020 fall season.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.