In 2001, the Calgary Storm was formed to play in the semi-professional USL Premier Development League.

[4] In their debut professional season, the Storm finished last in their division failing to qualify for the playoffs.

[9][10] For 2004, a new ownership group consisting of Storm head coach Thomas Niendorf, John Torode, and Juergen Hanne were granted the rights to the franchise, choosing to operate the franchise as a non-profit organization.

[15] The team never acquired a significant profile in the Calgary sports marketplace and never had great fan support.

The USL PDL Calgary Storm averaged 2,003 fans per game at Foothills Stadium.