Our Vision
Our first priority is to be a locally owned, community-focused team. We strive to be a soccer family for our players, our fans and our surrounding community. We’re passionate about the game and we want to build a strong team where local players can continue their soccer journey and to do it with joy, pride and passion.
On a bigger scale, we believe soccer truly is the beautiful game, and America is a fertile field for the game to grow. In many parts of the world soccer is an intensely local game and with America’s broad borders there is so much more room for it to grow than just a few dozen teams at the national level. The US has huge potential for a larger thriving soccer system that starts in small towns and reaches vibrantly through neighborhoods, counties, states and the entire nation.
The Delmarva Thunder is the regions first year round semi pro team. But we aim to be more than just the first. We want to build something different. We are a team that plays with purpose. That purpose is not only to be part of the community but to represent it. We’re building more than a collection of players We strive to be a family to each other, a place for growth, a place for opportunity and a place to be a part of a team that plays not for individual glory but for excellence as a whole, becoming more than the sum of our parts.
Who is DT made for?
Delmarva Thunder is built for fans, neighbors, friends, local businesses, and the entire community. But at our core, we are a club built to expand opportunities for players.
The Thunder is a place where players can develop their skills, grow as competitors, and challenge themselves against high-level competition. For high school players with college aspirations, training and competing with the Thunder during key development years can provide a valuable edge. For players who haven’t yet received the opportunities they hoped for, we offer a platform to play, improve, and build a strong soccer résumé. The Thunder can be an excellent way to spend a gap year to help better prepare you for college soccer.
For post-college players, the Thunder provides a chance to continue competing at a high level while staying connected to the game. It offers opportunities to mentor younger players, share your experience, strengthen the local soccer community, and, for those with bigger ambitions, continue climbing the competitive ladder.
Above all the Delmarva Thunder exists to give players a place to grow, compete, and belong while helping strengthen the game of soccer across our region.
Our Values
Faith – We have faith in each other. We have faith in our players and in our team. We have faith that we are all here for a greater purpose. We have faith that part of our purpose is played out on the pitch and on the touchline.
Family – We are all in this together, we win together, we lose together, we play to encourage one another, to have joy, to fellowship and to grow as players and as people. We build into one another and we become stronger together.
Respect – We aim to show respect to each other, to our fans, to the officials and to our opponents. With respect for all we lead by example and we focus on being all that we can be. This makes better players, and better amabassdors for our team, our community and our sport.
Dedication – We work hard to make ourselves worthy of our own investment of time and resources as well as the investment others have put into us. With dedication much can be achieved and much overcome. Often victory doesn’t go to the most skilled but to those who work the hardest for it.