GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Organizers behind an effort to bring a minor league soccer team to Grand Rapids have been astounded by support for the campaign and believe a local squad could begin playing in about a year.

Grand Rapids Football Club founder Matt Roberts hopes the team based here, possibly playing at Houseman Field, could join 78 other teams in The National Premier Soccer League for the 2015 summer season.

Roberts said the soccer atmosphere across West Michigan is "passionate," and that the club's potential admission would address a long-standing desire for soccer in the area.

"I've been saying for years that we need a minor league soccer team here, and now is the perfect time," he said.

Roberts, who coaches soccer as the GR Crew Juniors Director of Youth Development, said the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup has created a soccer "euphoria."

Roberts is aiming to have the team created, owned and operated by fans rather than supported by a corporate sponsor, despite the financial stability that would bring to the organization. He's branded the team with a "one city, one club," motto to show the community support.

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"We didn't want a big sponsor," he said. "We want to build loyalty and a fan base, so we thought we would do a crowd-funded project. We truly want to be community run."

GRFC has found support in several local business owners, including Gazelle Sports, 616 Dental Studio, Wordhouse Wealth Coaching and the SpeakEZ Lounge.

So far, Roberts says the response has been "unbelievable."

"We are planning to apply to the league on August 1st, but everyone I've talked to - owners, commissioners of the league, coaches - has been very positive, and they've given us a lot of pointers on what our business plan should look like," he said.

Reacting to the positive feedback it has received, the organization already has a Facebook page, a Twitter account and even a Reddit page so that West Michigan soccer fans can begin building a relationship with what could become a downtown entertainment mainstay.

"We have more Facebook likes than 80 percent of the teams already in the league," Roberts said. "We are all a little bit shocked with how quickly this has all grown."

The GRFC recently began accepting members and set a goal of 200. Just over a month later, they had hit that and had to expand their expectation to 500.

"We had to readjust based on the interest there is for this," Roberts said.

Roberts said the GRFC is considering several options for hosting games, including Houseman Field and East Grand Rapids' Memorial Field.

"We do hope to remain downtown because it is urban and it is a really different culture with soccer," he said. "Some people want to go to the bar before and then head to games. There is a lot of singing and just a great atmosphere."

While he hopes to eventually make money with the team, Roberts said reality necessitates operating on a volunteer basis for at least the first year.

"We want to have this for Grand Rapids," he said. "We want to get this going for the fans."

Roberts acknowledged that past attempts to bring a minor league soccer team to the area have failed, but he cited a lack of planning leading to the downfall. By contrast, the GRFC will apply to the league in August and then take eight months to prepare and plan for kickoff in May 2015.

A founding member of the successful Nashville Football club, Roberts believes West Michigan has what it takes to sustain a soccer team.

"We think Grand Rapids will be the perfect market," he said. "It is great for the city, the community and the kids. I want to see this happen for West Michigan.

"There is a huge passion for soccer here; I think it will work in a heartbeat."

Jonathan Van Zytveld is a writer for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jvanzytv@mlive.com, and follow him on Twitter.