With the Austin FC season underway, the city has slipped back into a familiar rhythm. Weekends carry stakes again, Verde and Black shirts reappear along Burnet Road, and “Listos?” pops up in group chats as fans reshape plans around kickoff. For a club only a few years old, Austin FC has moved fast, building culture, rituals, and identity in real time.
One of the most authentic traditions to emerge is Fighting Leslies DC, a grassroots group that blends humor, history, and heart without taking itself too seriously.
“First thing to clear up,” Todd “Aggie” Gardner said, “we’re a drinking club, not a supporter group.”
That distinction matters. Fighting Leslies DC has never chased official status, bylaws, or corporate polish. The “DC” isn’t a typo. It’s an intentional reminder that this is supposed to be fun.
FLDC formed before Austin FC ever kicked a ball. A small group of longtime Austinites who loved soccer and their city had one goal: sit together in the new stadium. That mission involved spreadsheets, seat strategies, and a Zoom call the night before ticket selection to practice logging in with a coordinated cadence.
When the plan worked, they needed a name.
“We threw out a lot of bad ideas,” Gardner said. “Then Jesse Proctor, owner of Burnet Go To, tossed out ‘The Fighting Leslies,’ and it immediately felt right.”
It was edgy, cool, and borderline offensive, a name that perfectly captured the group’s spirit.
The name honors Leslie Cochran, an iconic, complicated, and unmistakably local figure. For FLDC, it wasn’t just nostalgia. It anchored a brand-new club to something authentic, preserving Austin’s edge within a soccer culture being built from scratch.
Since then, the group has grown organically in Section 134. Today, Fighting Leslies occupy enough seats to be a presence without feeling institutional. Membership remains deliberately loose.
“People ask how they can join all the time,” Gardner said. “The honest answer is… the organization is kind of a figment of our imagination.” His criteria are simple: “Do you like soccer? Do you love Austin? Do you enjoy a good time? If yes, you’re basically in.”
Matchdays typically begin at Burnet Go To, where scarves hang from the rafters, before the group heads toward Turnstile Coffee and Brews before the short walk to Q2 Stadium.
Early on, the group decided that if they were going to take up space, they should use it for more than themselves. While they remain nonconformists, the group includes professionals and business owners who want to give back. Their mantra is simple: have fun and do good.
They have raised funds for Community First! Village, supported The Laundry Project, and created a custom jersey for H.O.M.E., which helps aging musicians. They’ve collaborated with other groups on Spread Verde fundraisers benefiting The Other Ones Foundation, a rare feat in a typically territorial sports culture.
As Austin FC enters another season, FLDC steps into a new chapter with a bigger impact, all without sanding off the personality that made people care. They’ve proved community doesn’t take decades to grow. It just takes the right people and the belief that soccer is better when it’s rooted in its city.