Grand Rapids FC

Grand Rapids FC
Full name Grand Rapids Football Club
Nickname(s) The Blues
Founded 2014
Ground Houseman Field
Grand Rapids, MI
Capacity 8,000
Manager George Moni
League Great Lakes Premier League
Website Club home page

Grand Rapids FC is an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that plays in the Great Lakes Premier League. The team was founded in 2014 and their first season was in 2015. The team is being funded by a group of supporters who purchase memberships to cover the operating expenses, as well as by local sponsors.[1]

History

Grand Rapids FC was started by a group of Grand Rapids residents as a community-funded project along the lines of Nashville FC.[2] Fundraising began on February 14, 2014 by word of mouth and was opened to the public a month later. The team had applied to the National Premier Soccer League for the 2015 season but their application was declined.[3] Instead, GRFC and AFC Ann Arbor, another team denied by the NPSL, decided to start a league of their own called the Great Lakes Premier League. [4] The new league held its inaugural league meetings on January 17, 2015.

Stadium

Houseman Field

Houseman Field in the Midtown neighborhood of Grand Rapids has been confirmed as the team's location for 2015. [5]

Current Roster

[6] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 United States GK Chase Rau
2 United States MF AJ Dufendach
3 United States DF Ryan Scott
4 England DF Tony Deakin
5 Bosnia and Herzegovina MF Anes Suhonjic
6 United States FW Tyler Fischer
7 Italy DF Mark Barone
8 Mexico MF Lito Esquivel
9 Bosnia and Herzegovina FW Elmedin Zukić
10 Italy FW Domenic Barone
11 Guatemala FW Aldony Mendez
12 United States FW Ahmad Bah
13 United States DF Kyle Haverkate
14 United States FW Noble Sullivan
15 United States MF Brandon Bye
No. Position Player
16 United States MF Jeremy Stacy
17 United States DF Cole Dehen
18 United States DF Joe Sweet
19 United States MF Nick Capisciolto
20 United States DF Sean Broekhuizen
21 United States DF Rico Padilla
22 United States MF Logan Wright
23 United States MF Nick Abdoo
24 United States DF Cam Jensen
25 United States MF Zack McCabe
27 United States DF Eli Appleby
28 Mexico MF Ruben Ornelas-Luna
29 United States GK Beau Prey
United States GK Jesse Guevara-Lehker

Head Coaches

Sponsors

References

  1. ↑ "A Soccer Club in Grand Rapids?". Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.grbj.com/articles/79703-many-pitch-in-for-hometown-soccer-franchise
  3. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/meet-grand-rapids-fc-americas-134029221--mls.html
  4. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/sports/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/12/npsl_denies_ann_arbor_semi-pro.html#incart_related_stories
  5. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/07/houseman_field_agrees_to_becom.html
  6. ↑ http://grandrapidsfc.com/team/grand-rapids-fc/

External links