LANSING, Mich. – USL League One welcomed Lansing Ignite FC on Thursday as a founding member of the new professional league, which will kick off play in 2019. Led by Majority Owner Tom Dickson, President Nick Grueser and Vice President and General Manager Jeremy Sampson, the club becomes the only professional outdoor soccer team in Michigan.

"We are very pleased to welcome Lansing Ignite FC to the USL family," said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. "This is a club whose tremendous ownership group, led by Tom Dickson, is deeply dedicated to growing the sport of soccer and representing its community with pride and authenticity. As one of the founding members of USL League One, the future is very bright for soccer fans across the region."

The Lansing-East Lansing market boasts a population of over 500,000 and is a center for education and government in the state. The capital of Michigan, Lansing is home to Michigan State University, as well as the headquarters for major companies, including Fortune 500 company Auto-Owners Insurance, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Delta Dental, Jackson and two major General Motors plants.

"With the Lansing Ignite Football Club, the City of Lansing’s second professional franchise, we’re putting the Capital City on the map in the national sports landscape," said Ignite Owner Dickson. "A little over two decades ago, the nation saw how great of a sports city this is, drawing over a million fans in the Lansing Lugnuts’ first two record-setting seasons and going strong ever since. The soccer fans of Mid-Michigan have shown that there’s a huge appetite for the sport in the region."