DAYTON, OH - December 11, 2014 - The Dayton Dutch Lions FC today announced that their men’s team will be playing in the PDL for the 2015 season.

“We’re transitioning back to the PDL, back to our roots in player development,” CEO Mike Mossel commented. “We have good memories of our time in PDL, averaging 1.200 spectators per game and competing for the championship. We look forward to much success there moving forward.”

This transition represents a return to the brand’s initial strategy to make Dayton a leading institution in youth development, creating a “gateway to professional soccer” while maintaining high quality soccer in the region.

After its initial start in the PDL in 2010, the club played in USL PRO from 2011 to 2014.

Some of the highlights during those four years were qualifying for the post-season in 2013 with a winning record, and advancing to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, falling short to eventual winners Sporting Kansas City in front of 17,000 people.

“After discussing this with our shareholders and management, we truly believe that we can reach our goals by playing in the PDL,” Mossel added. “We will continue to bring exciting, top-flight soccer to the area by adding several world-class players to our PDL team, like we did our first year in PDL with former Dutch National Team players like Oscar Moens and Sonny Silooy.”

Their reputation as a “gateway to professional soccer” has been developed through global partnerships and contacts at the professional level. Great success in this area has been made across the brand, most notably with the Dayton Dutch Lions FC W-League team. Brittany Persaud, Emilie Fillion, and Alex Warren have all gone on to play professionally in Holland’s BeNe League, with Fillion now competing in the German Bundesliga.

The Dutch Lions have also become known for their willingness to play against the best competition available. They brought a team of former World Cup stars to Dayton in their inaugural season followed by an exhibition with FA Cup winner Wigan Athletic in 2013. DDL also played against MLS side Columbus Crew in 2010 and again in 2014. Visits from world-class players like Brian Roy (2012) and two-time World Soccer Player of the Year Ruud Gullit (2014) have brought great recognition to the region with these opportunities continuing in the future.

The Dutch Lions have not wavered in their commitment to the community thanks to a 30-year partnership with the City of West Carrollton and West Carrollton High School. This agreement involved the installation of a new artificial turf field at the high school stadium in addition to the renovation of two grass fields at the same facility.

“This is our home,” Mossel concluded. “We furthered our commitment to the community by opening a new office right here in West Carrollton. We will continue our outreach programs that bring our players and brand to local schools and organizations. We feel that Dayton will become the leading Dutch Lions FC franchise in the coming years with a very strong youth program and two teams (PDL and W-League) competing for a national championship each and every year. We owe that to our academy people, fans and supporters, which have been our heart and soul over the past four years. We truly feel that this is a positive change and everyone is prepared to make the most of this opportunity.”

The Dutch Lions will continue to operate in both Houston and Cincinnati, giving the brand a total of three PDL franchises in the United States.

ABOUT THE DAYTON DUTCH LIONS FC

The Dayton Dutch Lions FC is a professional soccer club in Ohio with a men's team, a women's team, and a prestigious youth academy based on the Dutch development philosophy. The club was founded in November of 2009 by Mike Mossel and Erik Tammer and is currently owned by several members, the largest one being the Dutch Lions Capital Group USA LLC.

The club started in the PDL in 2010 and was awarded the 2010 USL Progress Award. The next year the club made the jump to USL PRO and made the playoffs in 2013. The club also reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, losing against Cup winners Sporting Kansas City in front of a crowd of 17,000. The W-League team won the conference championship in 2013 in addition to being awarded the 2013 Organization of the Year Award. In 2015 the men’s team transitions back to the PDL. All of the club’s teams train and play home matches at the newly renovated DOC Stadium at West Carrollton High School.