Sporting Club Jacksonville moves two USL Championship home dates to Fridays

Sporting Club Jacksonville pushed two late-season USL Championship home matches off Saturdays and onto Fridays, moving the Sept. 26 date to Sept. 25 and the Oct. 3 date to Oct. 2. The change affects the club’s fall run-in at UNF’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville and gives ticket holders an earlier start to both matchdays.

The shifted games keep their opponents intact. Sporting JAX will now host Loudoun United FC on Friday, Sept. 25, and Louisville City FC on Friday, Oct. 2. For supporters planning weekend travel or juggling school-night schedules, the move changes the rhythm of the final home stretch and can alter when fans arrive, park, tailgate, and head home after the match.

The club announced the adjustment on July 10, well in advance of both fixtures. That matters in a season built around a new fan base and a first-year matchday operation, especially at a venue with a listed capacity of 9,400. At Hodges Stadium, even a one-day shift can affect gate timing, staffing, transportation, and the broader cadence of a home stand.

Sporting JAX first unveiled its 2026 schedule on Dec. 16, 2025, with 17 home matches at Hodges Stadium and kickoff times to be announced later. The club’s inaugural men’s USL Championship season begins March 7, 2026, against Hartford Athletic, and the regular season runs through late October before the playoffs begin in November.

The calendar tweak also fits the realities of an expansion-year schedule. The USL Championship named Sporting Club Jacksonville and Brooklyn FC as the league’s two new entrants for 2026, and Sporting JAX’s published schedule materials said dates are subject to change. That leaves room for the kind of midstream adjustment that often accompanies venue operations, league scheduling priorities, and the first season of a pro club still building its home routine.

For Jacksonville, the practical takeaway is simple: the two fall home games moved up one day, and anyone marked for Sept. 26 or Oct. 3 now needs Friday plans instead. The broader schedule still points to a busy launch year for Sporting JAX, with home dates unfolding at Hodges Stadium from March through the late-October finish.