It is now official. Lansing will be a founding member of USL League One — the artist formerly known as USL D3. The possibility was first reported by Soc Takes via Twitter.

Is @USL_D3 coming to Lansing, Michigan?There are reasons to argue yes&no. Yes: An ad (sent to @SocTakes by a source a few days ago) was posted suggesting Lansing is hiring front office personnel for a pro ⚽️ team. Yes: @LansingUnited has previously discussed desire to go pro. pic.twitter.com/4PyLRhe8X7 — Nipun Chopra, PhD (@NipunChopra7) August 16, 2018

Lansing Ignite FC will be the ninth member of USL League One for the 2019 season and 11th including 2020-participants Penn FC and the Rochester Rhinos. We spoke with Ignite general manager Jeremy Sampson ahead of today’s announcement:

The last time we spoke, Lansing had switched from NPSL to PDL. Is this move to USL D3 the natural next step from that?

Jeremy Sampson: It was the natural step and the reason that we made the move to the PDL last season. It gave us an opportunity to learn about the league and vice versa as we continued to investigate bringing professional soccer to Lansing.

Can you briefly explain how this new team came to be?

JS: I met with 4 people in Lansing each month to work on telling our story and building our pitch to investors. Those people came from the Chamber of Commerce, a local economic group and the sports arm of the convention and visitor’s bureau. We quickly determined that Tom Dickson would be a perfect partner. I connected with his President Nick Grueser and found out that they were looking at the USL as well, so we decided to work together to bring professional soccer to Lansing.

What can you tell us about Lansing-League One’s ownership? Why are they interested in investing in Lansing soccer?

JS: Tom Dickson has been one of the preeminent entrepreneurs in the business of sports for the last two decades, launching his first professional sports team in 1996 – the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts – and spearheading the development and construction of the team’s home stadium, Cooley Law School Stadium, which will serve as Ignite FC’s home venue. A former Entrepreneur of the Year in Michigan, Dickson has additionally been responsible for the development of more than $150 million worth of new minor league ballparks in Dayton and Eastlake, Ohio, Joliet, Illinois, and Gary, Indiana, and serves as the Chair of Minor League Baseball Enterprises and is on the Board of Directors for Minor League Baseball. Since 2005, Dickson has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Professional Sports Catering, the fastest growing concessionaire in baseball, operating at over 30 ballparks around the country.

What is your role within the organization? Will you have an ownership stake?

JS: Tom has hired me to be the Vice President/General Manager and my role is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the club. Tom Dickson can speak to the makeup of the ownership group.

Fans of Lansing United have been vocal on social media about their unhappiness with how things have unfolded. Is it your goal to get them back, and if yes, how do you plan on doing that?

JS: For me that situation has been the most disappointing part of this transition. “The Ransom” have been great supporters of Lansing United. I have been very transparent with them going back to the end of our 2017 season where I met with them and explained that I was moving to the PDL and I was making that move to get to the USL in the future. They have always asked me for more games and the ability to have beer and other amenities that I couldn’t offer. I have delivered all of those. I met with them as a group a few weeks ago and it was clear that some in the group didn’t agree with this move for various reasons. I told the group that this was not some form of a hostile takeover, this is what I wanted. We would love for them to all be a part of what we are doing with Lansing Ignite and we welcome them to join what we are doing but at the end of the day, you are asking about 4-5 guys who are being most vocal on social media.

Why D3, why not D2?

JS: Looking at the requirements set forth by the US Soccer Federation Lansing’s DMA size falls perfectly into what D3 is looking for. I am also excited to be a founding member of a brand-new league. I have had the opportunity to meet with someone from every organization. There are so many good people involved with each organization. I am looking forward to being one piece of what we are all building together.

How will Lansing’s team be unique from the other League One teams?

JS: We will play our home games in Cooley Law School Stadium, playing in a baseball stadium will make us unique for sure. We have some other plans but can’t release those details at this point. I believe our ticket prices will be very reasonable, our game day experience will be fun, and we are working with a new supporter’s group for Lansing Ignite.

What are the next steps for the team? Have you started your search for a head coach?

JS: The next steps are to continue hiring for our front office and to hire a head coach. We’ve conducted a National search and feel very good about the candidates that we have interviewed. My goal is to have a coach in the next couple of weeks, so we can continue to evaluate talent and begin to build our roster.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

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