Tampa, FL – Lansing Ignite FC announced today that it has ceased operations, effective immediately, and will not continue beyond the 2019 season.

“While we’re disappointed that Lansing Ignite FC will not return for the league’s second season, we want to thank the City of Lansing, club ownership, staff, players, supporters, and the community as a whole for their support of the club over the past year," said USL Senior Vice President Steven Short. “We wish everyone involved nothing but success going forward and will continue our mission to grow the sport of soccer at all levels across North America.”

“We are extremely disappointed to make this announcement—and we know our fans will be disappointed too," said Tom Dickson, owner of Lansing Ignite. "We brought the team to Lansing with high hopes for success, but due to business realities, we simply have no option other than to discontinue the operation. Rest assured, we left no stone unturned looking for ways to continue beyond 2019 but simply could not find a viable path forward.”

Dickson went on to say, “We are incredibly thankful to this community for the support shown to our club over the past year. While this was an extremely difficult decision to make, we will cherish the memories we’ve made together this past season. In addition to the loyal fans and supporters, we particularly want to single out Coach Miller and our wonderful players for a terrific and electrifying season; Jeremy Sampson, our team General Manager who created the passion for soccer in Lansing from the very beginning; Mayor Schor and the Lansing City Council for the support they have given us; our wonderful and supportive sponsors and of course, our dedicated employees”.

Nick Grueser, President of Lansing Ignite echoed the comments by Dickson. “This was a very tough decision. We gave this effort every ounce of energy we had, but it wasn’t quite enough. My sincere thanks to Coach Miller, the players, The City of Lansing, our staff, sponsors and fans. We also wish the very best to the USL, and other member clubs going forward.”