Stories of Hope Part #4: Detroit City FC (United States of America)

When soccer fans from around the world think of America, they usually refer to MLS and the many European and South American stars that have found their home in the young league. Not much is promoted or known outside of MLS globally however; this doesn't mean that there aren't stories of clubs in America defining the franchise model and having success in the lower divisions.

Coming from a city that has faced tough times recently due to the hallowing out of its car manufacturing plants, Detroit once America's pride and home to a strong middle class. Detroit is now trying to reinvent itself in the 21st century and at times it hasn't been easy. The city itself has fallen on extremely tough economic times especially after the 2008 recession where the city's population fell from 2 million to around 600,000 in a short number of years after the Great Recession but in times of collective despair, there is always hope for a new beginning.

Detroit City FC, the city's loan professional soccer team has become a beacon of hope representing a new generation of young people that call Detroit home. It is one of the best stories in American soccer and it is a story that isn't told enough.

The club was founded in 2012 when five Detroit residents wanted to promote and create community through soccer. They were initially based in the NPSL, an amateur American soccer league for college players. In the NPSL, which at times contains close to 100 independent clubs, Detroit played in the Great Lakes Conference.

The club has found success on and off the pitch with an emphasis on the power of community. The club's home is Keyworth Stadium, located in the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck. Volunteers in 2016 have helped refurbish this old American football stadium into a proper soccer stadium that has intimate atmosphere while at the same time preserving the history of the neighborhood.

Keyworth Stadium on matchday.

In an era of new extravagant soccer stadiums being built in America, the Keyworth Stadium is a classic stadium built from the 1940s, meaning it still has old town charm to it. Something not usually seen in modern day American soccer.

Just as the stadium isn't adjusted to the norms of the modern day sporting experience nor is Detroit City FC. Since its founding, the club has been building community through its own partnerships and philanthropic missions. These include the Detroit City Futbol League, a recreational community driven adult soccer league, a Hooligans for Heroes non profit founded by the Northern Guard Supporters (Detroit City FC supporter's groups) which was a program that was tied in with the Wounded Warrior Project.

The club has shown continue support in the LGBTQ community and has helped refugees seeking asylum through a partnership with Freedom House. The club's motto is "Passion for our city. Passion for our game" and the club's supporters The Northern Guard embody it with amazing tifos and pyro often displayed at Keyworth. The North Guard's undying passion for the game regardless of where the club is professionally just shows the power of football and its use as a tool to build community.

The Northern Guard proudly show their support for the LGBTQ community during a match.

The Northern Guard aren't at all interested in MLS and proudly stand against the corporatization of the game. This was displayed in their protest of MLS's potential expansion bid to Detroit in 2017 and 2018. The Northern Guard specifically strongly believes in pro-rel for American soccer and an emphasis on a club over league system in American soccer.

To the outsider who isn't familiar with lower league American soccer this may seem odd but what these supporters and the club have built is incredible given the circumstances that most clubs find themselves in outside MLS's closed system.

Detroit City is now entering the next chapter in its history with a move from the amateur NPSL to NISA, a newly professional independent soccer league in the third tier that was founded in 2017. The club recently raised new funds by selling a 10% of its club to respective football fans around the world who want to become part owners. It allowed season ticket holders to exchange their tickets into equity. A revolutionary program for clubs seeking out long term sustainable growth. This share offering was an overnight success with soccer fans around the country buying into what this club has to offer.

Despite the headwinds that currently stand against lower league clubs in America, DCFC stands as a shining example of what American soccer can become in the next couple of decades, a community owned and run enterprise where the sport is used to revive tough areas instead of using soccer as another monetary tool for rich owners.