Detroit City Football Club is getting new artificial turf this spring.

Up to $450,000 out of an $807,200 Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation grant can be used for replacement of 20-year-old turf at Hamtramck's Keyworth Stadium, the team's home field.

The stadium is within the bounds of Hamtramck's 26-acre Veteran's Memorial Park. The Wilson foundation grant goes toward both the turf replacement and the creation of a wider plan to fix up the large swath of public space to attract more business and visitors.

The city of Hamtramck, Hamtramck Public Schools, the Michigan Municipal League, DCFC and other stakeholders were expected to officially announce the grant and turf replacement Wednesday afternoon at an event at Keyworth.

The stadium isn't just used by the popular Detroit soccer club — it also serves student leagues and other events. But Detroit City FC drew an average of 5,946 fans per home match this past season, making it a huge draw for the city's businesses. DCFC leases from Hamtramck Public Schools.

"It's one of the main public spaces in Hamtramck," DCFC CEO Sean Mann said.

The team has also renovated the stadium over the past several years, including fixing up grandstands, plumbing and lighting; restoring concrete, replacing bleachers and installing a new speaker system.

A request for proposals went out last week for companies to replace the turf. Installation is expected to begin around March and end in May, ahead of games to be played this summer and fall in a new regional competition that precedes DCFC's anticipated first pro season in 2020.

New turf is needed, Mann said. The current artificial turf was installed around two decades ago with a life expectancy of six years or so. Better turf will also help DCFC draw in bigger national and international teams to play against, he said.

"We see our role as somebody who brings tens of thousands of people to that neighborhood every summer and, hopefully, raising the profile of this public space across the region and beyond," Mann said. "Hopefully that's spurred on investment (and will bring more)."