On Saturday, it appears the Wilmington Hammerheads of the United Soccer League (USL) will play its last game here at Legion Stadium.
 
It’s all but confirmed that the team will move to Baltimore, and become part of the Premier Development League, which is a summer league for college-aged players.
 
With a Hammerheads departure, the city will lose its only professional sports team.
 
The Hammerheads have been in Wilmington for 20 years, founded in 1996. The team won a league championship in 2003, and is an affiliate of the New York City Football Club, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. It’s currently owned by George Altirs of New Jersey, who bought the club in 2013. Altirs is the founder and owner of the clothing company Capelli New York.
 
On Friday, USL director of communications John Griffin confirmed the move to Baltimore, but could not confirm the team's future division status.

“In terms of how they transition, it is yet to be determined,” he said. “They are considering their options with us.”
 
Options include joining the developmental league, which has a shorter season, or moving into another soccer division.
 
The PDL is considered the fourth level of pro soccer in the U.S., behind Major League Soccer, the North American Soccer League and the USL.
 
Regardless of what level the team moves into, there will be no 2017 season as the team takes a year off to deal with logistics.

“The Hammerheads have been a great corporate citizen and we are very disappointed with the decision,” said Wilmington Downtown Inc. president and CEO Ed Wolverton this week. “They were an excellent sports team for people from the entire region to follow.”
 
“The Wilmington Hammerheads have been a wonderful asset to our community for many years," added Wilmington Chamber of Commerce president Mitch Lamm. “The Hammerheads youth program has a significant economic impact on our community with the various tournaments they host that bring outside visitors and their dollars to our community and that will not change.”
 
The youth program will see almost no impact from this development.

"We're two separate organizations, we're a non-profit, and we'll keep working with the kids," explained Carson Porter, executive director of Wilmington Hammerheads Youth. "We'll keep the Hammerheads name. We will miss having some Hammerhead players as coaches here, but besides that, the impact is minimal."

Attempts to reach Hammerheads team staff on Friday proved unsuccessful,.
 
The team has never been flush with revenue, as it operates in the smallest of the 29 USL markets and has always struggled with drawing a crowd.
 
This season, Wilmington has averaged 2,971 fans per game at the 6,000-capacity Legion Stadium, according to USL figures.
 
While tomorrow’s game could be the last of the Hammerheads in Wilmington, the season might not be over yet. The Hammerheads are battling for the league’s final playoff spot, and the outcome of Saturday’s season finale against the Richmond Kickers will decide who reaches the post-season.