Seidel: Fans go extra mile to support Detroit City FC

Before the pitch about their new pitch, about 400 fans of Detroit City FC gathered, many drinking beer, and some broke into a chant.

“This is awe-some!” they chanted, starting to clap. “This is awe-some!”

Sean Mann, co-owner of the soccer team, grabbed a microphone.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!” Mann said to the fans Thursday night at the Fowling Warehousein Hamtramck. “This is a special moment. This is a historic moment. It’s been five, six years in the making.”

Mann traced the grass-roots history of the club from the fields on Belle Isle to the 3,100-seat Cass Tech stadium, a venue it has outgrown. “We need a bigger home to keep this going,” Mann said. “This is a proud moment for us. You are awesome. Well done.”

Then, he laid out the idea. Detroit City is trying to drum up investments from its rabid fan base to renovate Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck.

“This is your club,” Mann said. “No one else in this country has done this.”

It is such a novel idea. A sports team that doesn’t rely on taxpayer money to get a stadium. “This isn’t a donation,” Mann said. “This is a legitimate investment that you guys would get a return on.”

Investors must live in Michigan and can invest $250 to $10,000. The team would then repay the investors with interest under the MILE (Michigan Invests Locally Exemption) Act, a crowd-sourcing legislation passed in 2013.

As the owners explained the $750,000 project and showed a picture of what the new stadium would look like, the crowd broke into applause.

By playing at Keyworth, the team will be able to increase attendance to 6,000 in an area that loves soccer. Hamtramck Public Schools will continue to own the stadium and hold high school and recreation events in the renovated stadium.

“One of the perks of Hamtramck is you have 20,000 people who live within walking distance of the stadium,” DCFC co-owner Alex Wright said.

Ken Butcher, a founding member of the team’s crazy fan base that is called the Northern Guard, is thrilled with the idea. “I absolutely love it,” Butcher said. “I couldn’t be happier that the supporters are going have a hand in actually raising the money. My sense is, everybody is excited about it.”

Right now, Detroit City FC plays in the National Premier Soccer League. But this is the next logical step to something bigger. Keyworth will allow DCFC to keep growing and reach the next level.

“While we are working on this, conversations continue with investors to take us to a pro level and move up to a higher professional level,” Wright said. “This stadium would meet those immediate needs. We could play at Keyworth for a few years until we get something permanent. This keeps us going in that trajectory. Our goal is to be Detroit’s soccer team. Undeniably. Unchallenged. Detroit’s soccer team. To do that, we need to play a longer season at a professional level in a venue that we have more control over. This helps address that last component.”

Investors in the project will get a special perk, a ticket to the May 28 match against FC United of Manchester at Keyworth.

“No matter what, the Northern Guard is going to be with the team no matter where they go,” Butcher said. “If we get a chance to have a longer season, we are all for it.”

This is such a fascinating team, with a fantastic fan base. And now, it’s going to get a new home after finding a creative way to fund it.

The fans were right. This is awesome. To learn more, go to MichiganFunders.com.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.

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