CHARLESTON, S.C. – Over the past two-plus decades, Johnathan Ace has seen pretty much everything the Charleston Battery have had to offer as one of the United States’ most historic clubs.

First, it was as a fan who attended his first game at Blackbaud Stadium on his fifth birthday. After regularly visiting the venue with his stepfather Jim and mother Nikki Ace, he became friends with many of the players who graced the club’s colors and earned the Battery their four USL titles and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup success.

Then for the past decade, it’s been as a chronicler of the team. He started on CharlestonSoccer.net and wrote for other outlets before establishing his own site, the Black and Yellow Post, that provides a fan’s-eye view of the team year-in and year-out.

As someone whose passion for the game has shone through in his words on the Battery, the site has become a conduit for the knowledge he’s accumulated. Diagnosed at an early age with cerebral palsy – which resulted in requiring the use of crutches and walkers for mobility in his everyday life – the Battery, alongside his stepfather’s longtime love Liverpool FC, have become a connection point for Ace to embrace the sport and the culture that surrounds it.

“I made friends with Terry Phelan and Seamus Donnelly right around that time as well and that’s basically been the story ever since,” said Ace recently. “The fact that we have this place in American soccer – not just Charleston, but in American soccer in general – you don’t turn on an MLS game without hearing about the Battery, and it’s a great sense of pride for us as Battery fans to know that through ups and downs, we’ve always been on the right track.”

So, how do you be a fan while still being objective about where your team is performing or coming up short? It’s a fine line to toe, according to Ace, who wants to be a straight shooter when it comes to the Battery’s performance but never wants to go overboard in criticism of individual players. That said, it’s one he’s found a good balance on according to his readers, who appreciate both the desire for the Battery to be a contender in the USL Championship and the challenges the changes the league has undergone in the past five years that have made that more of an uphill climb than a decade ago.

“The Battery in general – if we’re being honest – are in a very weird position because not unlike the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and other older sides that have been here for longer, they find themselves caught in the middle of judging what it takes to be successful and how they gauge success,” said Ace. “I think there are certain parts of the fanbase that kind of want a little bit more out of the Battery and are also accepting that the Battery aren’t challenging in a way they were five or six years ago, and that’s honestly because of a lot of the expansion that’s happened around the league. While that’s a good thing, you have to have your own seat at the table.”

Those consistent efforts to improve fan experiences and tap into the local market has paid off this season. As the venue has opened more fully, the supporters’ section has consistently been sold out as the Battery find themselves on solid footing coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with more and more fans coming to Patriots Point game-in and game-out. That’s a sign to Ace that good things are ahead for the club, which will keep the Battery a vital part of the USL Championship for many years to come.

“In the long run, I think the change of venue, the larger focus on fan engagement is going to help the Battery long-term,” said Ace. “I’m really excited to see where the club goes in the next 18 months to five years.”

As for his long-term plans, Ace is hoping to one day be a part of the Battery’s staff. This week he began college at Greenville Tech, where he’s pursuing a degree in marketing. After seeing his former colleague at CharlestonSoccer.net Dan Conover step into the club side of communications in the past, Ace is hopeful his new path and his knowledge of the Battery past and present could offer something that adds another personal link to the club in the future.

Whatever happens, though, Ace’s connection to the Battery, that was established all those years ago, is unlikely to ever fade.

“We’ve made our mark, so to speak,” said Ace. “Even though there are teams and communities that have gone to a higher level like Portland and Vancouver, Seattle and Atlanta, we’ve carved out this space for ourselves. It’s been an amazing time to think about it, honestly.”