New Hampshire Is Getting Its Own Identity — And It's About Time

Why the Push for Professional Soccer Says Everything About Living in the Granite State

If you've ever told someone you live in New Hampshire and watched them immediately think Boston or Vermont, you already understand the quiet frustration that comes with being sandwiched between states with louder personalities.

A Portsmouth couple is doing something about it.

Caleb and Samantha Ginsberg launched the New Hampshire Soccer Project with a simple but powerful goal: bring professional soccer to the only New England state that doesn't have it. According to a recent report by Katy Savage in the Granite Post, the Ginsbergs hope to field both men's and women's professional teams by 2028 or 2029, and the response from the community has been, in Caleb's words, "overwhelmingly positive."

That doesn't surprise anyone who actually lives here.

Why This Story Is About More Than Soccer

New Hampshire residents have a particular relationship with their state. They love it fiercely, choose it intentionally, and then spend the next decade explaining to out-of-staters why they didn't just move to Massachusetts.

The Ginsbergs — both New Hampshire natives who lived in New York City and Oregon before returning to the Granite State — captured something real when Samantha said: "As a NH native, I have always felt like there isn't much that's ours."

That feeling resonates with a lot of people who call southern New Hampshire home, from Hollis and Brookline to Amherst and beyond. The region consistently draws buyers who want quality of life, top-rated schools, reasonable property taxes compared to Massachusetts, and a genuine sense of community — but without the feeling of being someone else's suburb.

That's exactly the identity New Hampshire is building, and professional soccer is one more brick in that foundation.

What Makes Southern NH Worth Planting Roots

For buyers relocating from Massachusetts or elsewhere in New England, southern New Hampshire offers a lifestyle that is hard to replicate:

No income tax. No sales tax. New Hampshire's tax structure remains one of the most buyer-friendly in the region, and it's a significant factor for families comparing the cost of living across state lines.

Award-winning school districts. Towns like Hollis, Brookline, and Amherst are served by SAU 41, a district known for academic excellence and strong community involvement — the kind of environment where families put down real roots.

Access without the congestion. Southern NH sits within easy reach of Boston, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, and the Seacoast, but daily life here feels nothing like the city. You get the open land, the pace, and the quiet — and you still have options.

Community that feels earned. Whether it's youth soccer leagues, school concerts, local events, or the simple fact that your neighbors know your name, the towns of southern NH foster the kind of connection that's increasingly hard to find.

The Soccer Project and the Bigger Picture

Caleb Ginsberg made a point worth repeating: rather than announcing a team and hoping fans show up, the New Hampshire Soccer Project is building a community first. "I've seen a lot of new teams come into a market and say, 'Here we are, and you should love us,'" he told the Granite Post. "You haven't really earned anybody's fandom at that point."

That philosophy — earn it, don't assume it — mirrors something important about what draws people to live in New Hampshire. Nobody moves here by accident. They move here because they did the research, visited the towns, talked to the people, and decided this was the place they wanted to build a life.

If professional soccer comes to New Hampshire by 2028, it will be because the community showed up for it. Just like people show up for their school districts, their local businesses, and their neighbors.

That's what living here looks like.

Thinking About Making the Move?

If you're exploring southern New Hampshire real estate ,whether you're relocating from Massachusetts, upsizing, downsizing, or buying your first home in the Granite State, we would love to help you get to know this area the right way.

Christina Marmonti is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Gateway Realty, licensed in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts and deeply rooted in the communities of Hollis, Brookline, Amherst, and greater southern NH.

Ready to explore? Reach out today to start the conversation.

Source: Katy Savage, "Meet the couple who wants to bring professional soccer to NH," Granite Post, June 10, 2026. Read the full article here.

Christina Marmonti is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Gateway Realty, serving buyers and sellers throughout Hollis, Brookline, Amherst, and southern New Hampshire. Equal Housing Opportunity.