Yeah... These guys have still got the best thing going when it comes to true grass roots. I'm still putting my money on Detroit City to makes its way into NASL before it's all said and done... These guys are building something special. Passion for Our City, Passion for the Game Founded in 2012, Detroit City FC has established itself as one of the most talked about soccer teams in North America. Our club motto, Passion for Our City, Passion for the Game, evokes the three ideas the grassroots organization was built upon: to satisfy the demand for soccer in downtown Detroit, represent the city in a positive light, and build community through “the beautiful game." In an era when sports teams are defined by billionaire owners and millionaire players, we are a team founded by a group of young Detroiters. Detroit City FC has developed into a minor league soccer success story, with one of the most exciting match atmospheres in North America, consistently sold-out games and passionate supporters http://home.detcityfc.com/ DETROIT CITY FC RAISES $741,250 THROUGH COMMUNITY INVESTMENT CAMPAIGN “Detroit City FC was created around the principle: for soccer to succeed in Detroit in the long-term, it needs to be done right with a grassroots focus on supporters and the community,” Detroit City FC co-owner Sean Mann said. “From the everyday supporters to household personalities, from start-up businesses to some of the region’s largest corporations, each of their investments in the Keyworth campaign has been a resounding endorsement of this approach to finding a home for soccer in Detroit.” http://home.detcityfc.com/news_article/show/607025?referrer_id=1533686-news
However more and more news seems to indicate MLS may arrive before NASL does... http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...ext-round-mls-expansion-likely-happening-2020 Sacramento wasn’t the only expansion candidate that Garber mentioned that the league was currently talking to, as the Commissioner put forth the names of five other possible cities for the next wave of new franchises. “I can say who else we’re talking to, who else publicly has shown interest with the league,” Garber said. “Many of [the conversations] are advanced. Detroit, [a] major market that has a downtown stadium project. St. Louis, an important strategic market again for us in the Midwest that has a real opportunity today with the Rams leaving town. Those are two very important markets that we’re talking to along with Sacramento. 720780176846626816 is not a valid tweet id
True... But I think that is a market that would be a fight between leagues. Detroit's not a market you are going to be able to come in with a slick investment group and use a grass roots façade to gain traction. There's just too much bad blood with the city and state government and the locals to get anything that isn't privately funded and doesn't have real grass roots support.
That makes sense, however that doesn't mean only NASL is capable of fostering such an organization. Look at Philly or Portland or even Orlando. And like the tweet said, NASL has made zero noise about Detroit. MLS has.
Austin, San Diego, Las Vegas, St Louis, San Antonio, Detroit, Miami, Sacremento... All are cities that MLS has made noise about. The Don has now announced expanding to 28. We already have 20 with 3 on deck and two in the dugout. You can do the math. At this point I think Don is trying to call dibs on everything. As for those other organizations did MLS foster them or were they already fostered? I simply think that for some cities and ownership groups the approach of MLS might be counter productive.
Didn't a Detroit group present at the last Owners meeting, it was not Detroit city, but perhaps I am thinking San Francisco. As we all know, MLS or NASL (USL), Detroit city would need to be bought out or left behind (and they may be ok with that).
A Detroit group presented at September's BOG meeting reportedly. Wasn't DCFC. Seems like it didn't get approved.
No as far as we know. The fantasy that "community" teams can play in the top divisions runs into reality much clearer now thanks to the USSF standards, that does not allow it. All pro teams need a money man behind them, the higher the level the richer he/she has to be.
No but they raised 740k for stadium renovations from roughly 500 donors. The new place to play will allow them to generate more revenue in theory. Still, they probably need to partner with someone like the Pistons owner to make a leap to NASL or MLS.
http://home.detcityfc.com/news_article/show/641562?referrer_id=1533258 Detroit City FC Statement on Major League Soccer to Detroit Developments 04/26/2016, 2:00pm EDT By Detroit City FC DETROIT, MI – While details are forthcoming, recent developments have centered on the possibility of a future bid for a Detroit Major League Soccer franchise led by a group of local investors. In light of this speculation, Detroit City FC would like to make the following statement pertaining to Detroit soccer. Detroit City FC has had initial contact with the interested parties regarding the possibility of Major League Soccer in Detroit, and we look forward to carrying on more conversations with those groups as the soccer scene evolves. We have always believed that for soccer to live up to its full potential in southeast Michigan, a team must be connected to the community and focused on soccer supporter culture. The founding of a professional team is a golden opportunity, but in an already crowded market, success is never guaranteed. As stewards of the local soccer community, our ownership group will continue to do all that we can to ensure professional soccer in Detroit stays true to the model that the supporters and fans of Detroit City FC have come to expect. Detroit City FC has proven that a soccer team can be viable and successful in downtown Detroit. We see today’s development as further proof that others around the country are taking notice of our many successes and of the potential of the Detroit market. After 40 years of teams trying to establish a presence downtown with little success, Detroit City FC has shown that, when done right, soccer has a viable future in our city.
Its all over the the place right now: http://detroitsportsnation.com/mls/ddrysdale/report-tom-gores-and-dan-gilbert-bringing-mls-team-to-detroit/69395/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Detroit Sports Nation&utm_content=Report: Tom Gores and Dan Gilbert bringing MLS team to Detroit What will happen to the money for renovations at Keystone?
Keystone is still happening. Oh and the conflict is already shaping up and the battle lines are being drawn. Some thoughts for those outside Detroit. pic.twitter.com/Cdb7ICq4CY— Sarge (@SergeantScary) April 27, 2016
Wow! I saw the original stuff from NGS on twitter when Garber just mentioned Detroit in passing and chalked it off to a few angry fans and supporters... Looking through those tweets and retweets of that account and others, it does seem a lot more toxic a situation than I originally thought: having a closed press conference and claiming to have reached out to these groups. Talk about PR spin on the part of MLS. A month or two ago I was excited to see what the 740k+ in renovations could do to a derelict stadium. Now DCFC's opening day is shaping up to be like an episode of Jerry. It will provide immediate entertainment -to say the least- for awhile but I don't know how long it will sustain itself with the 4-6 year timeline given by Garber at the presser. I've read other talk of trying to work out DCFC into the USL on some forums. <- Doesn't seem feasible/possible to me. In that 4-6 year timeline, if DCFC packs their new stadium and grows, I wonder if they'll make a push to join a fully pro league of some sort. In that amount of time (assuming complications & delays do not happen for MLSDetroit) the NPSL might even make a pro division, or the ASL might get D3 sanctioning...
It's gonna be interesting to say the least. @NGSDetroit made an important change to this. #DCTID pic.twitter.com/veRRP4YyEb— Devin Nunes’ Soccer Cow (@lunabird444) April 27, 2016
What should we make of the twitter claims that the DCFC ownership was not contacted by the MLSDetroit ownership group regarding the presser? I'm unsure how the ownership over there even works, is it entirely supporter run? Also who was the non-DCFC group who presented at the NASL BOG last year? <- have they possibly contacted DCFC or may it seem to toxic to touch by anyone right now. DCFC fans seem kind of anti-anyone-but-themselves at this point.
Failed jail project eyed for site of Detroit MLS team A pair of Detroit business giants want to build a Major League Soccer stadium at the gateway of the city’s downtown, but exactly how the nearly $1 billion field of dreams will become reality remains unknown. Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who has teamed with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, on Wednesday unveiled what he called a “better alternative” for the “front door” of Detroit’s downtown at the site of a failed Wayne County jail project at Gratiot near Interstate 375. “We feel we can move this fast as needs to be moved,” Gilbert said. “We are at a fork in the road. This is a major decision for downtown.” The vision calls for a 25,000-seat stadium as the centerpiece of a project that would feature retail and residential units, a hotel and covered parking and plazas. But the project’s cost breakdown, timetable and chance of approval from Wayne County officials are unclear. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/2016/04/27/detroit-mls-soccer-team/83597528/ Stadium Concept Video: http://www.freep.com/videos/sports/2016/04/27/83616662/
More from that article: Gilbert has been trying to buy the 15.5-acre jail site from Wayne County since 2013. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said Wednesday he’s far from signing a deal to sell the property. “My position now is consistent with what it has always been,” said Evans, who in recent weeks has said a solution for the jail project is close and the county would finish construction on the existing site. Finishing the jail at its current site, he said, continues to be the least expensive option. “The new proposal can’t cost Wayne County taxpayers any more than the completion of this project, and we can’t slow the train down,” Evans told The Detroit News. “It’s already been sitting there for three years.” And this: Evans said he’s not ruling out the possibility of a soccer stadium on the site of the unfinished jail but wants his concerns to be addressed. He made his position known to the soccer stadium’s backers, he said. “I can’t afford for Wayne County taxpayers to pay any more than what’s already on the table,” he said. “There’s clearly going to be a discrepancy. It’s going to cost more with this project than it will to finish the existing site. If someone comes up with the money to cover that gap, and we can do it in the existing time frame, we’ll certainly look at it. I mean who wouldn’t want have Major League Soccer in Detroit.” Double speak from someone involved. To me this smells of future setbacks and delays. Perhaps Beckham will come in to provide advice and save the day...
Yeah basically Detroit City FC was start up. Five Detroit residents who wanted a club of their own that would promote the city and help build community through soccer put the team together. The ownership is Sean Mann,Todd Kropp, Alex Wright, David Dwaihy and Ben Steffans... A lot of volunteers and small business sponsors is what drives the organization.
What no one talks about is how Detroit City killed off the smaller local soccer team that existed before it, with their big money owners and CORPORATE sponsors. My two cousins and I had a team in Detroit many years before these Johnny-come-lately's ever had the idea of starting a team (oh and we paid less money than they did: BUILT NOT BOUGHT). We had excellent support from my aunt Hilda, who created an incredible atmosphere that was the envy of other teams at the same level. She would wear our team colors, sing songs, and even swear (how cool is that!). She even had a bake sale and raised fifty bucks for new equipment! Now that small fanbase may not seem like much to you but that was excellent attendance for the eighteenth division, you elitist pricks. Some say Detroit City would never have existed if we hadn't paved the way by showing that the city could support a soccer team (and if "some" people say it, it must be true!)... Also this new team does not care about YOU or SOCCER the way ours did, whatever those words mean, because I say so. If they really cared they would be poorer than they are because being rich is inherently bad. Now you might say that from a utilitarian perspective the city of Detroit is better off with a higher division team and a larger fanbase, but that just means you don't understand real soccer culture! Sure a bigger team with more money and infrastructure and reach could get more locals interested in soccer, produce higher level players, and just generally do more to develop and advance the game in this country, but our team had a really cool crest. Some might also say that it's a free country and those wealthy owners with NPSL backing can start a team wherever the hell they want just like any business, but capitalism totally sucks unless it's being used to justify pro/rel something something did I mention SUM is evil... in conclusion "f*** off NPSL!"
And that is good enough for NPSL/PDL, but not for USLPRO/NASL/MLS. If they want to "move up" (and they may not want to) they will eventually have to "sell out", at least partially. Or thye can stay in NPSL/PDL, they are doing great there, so there is no need to move up.
Takers v Makers April 28, 2016 by David Keim in Local Over the past couple of days there's been a lot of talk about MLS Detroit. First the annoying puns between two ridiculously rich NBA owners, Grant Wahl's breaking of the story, and then a press conference yesterday. While the talk was at first about the potential of bringing Detroit City FC into the MLS, it has quickly becoming apparent that that's not going to happen. Why should we care? First, if you ask that question, then you need to read this Howler article on the club and its supporters. Ok, got it? Moving on. In one aspect it is about fairness. A group of passionate people worked for five years to build a club and connection with the community that is unprecedented in fourth tier American soccer. They may be dicks on twitter and worthy of mocking for their faux hooligan fashion choices (seriously, though this piece wasn't entirely about you guys) but their commitment of time and effort can't be debated. They deserve a shot on a larger stage. They've earned it. http://sixthdaysoccer.com/blog/takers-v-makers
As they say, in the world money talks bullshit walks. Unless DCFC can get someone willing to pay MLS/USL/NASL a shit lot of money, then they are not going to move to MLS (or USL/NASL).