Detroit City Football Club's newly-announced stadium could turn city into a home for soccer
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It's not just football that is ascending into the spotlight in Detroit after the team's semi-professional soccer club announced it had acquired land in the southwest part of the city. Its plans for the plot of land in Corktown? A new soccer pitch.
The team is ecstatic. The fans are right up there with them.
"It's fantastic," said Erik Olson, who owns Thomas Magees Sporting House.
Olson said the announcement that Detroit City Football Club would be opening a soccer-specific stadium at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 20th Street came as a surprise - but not really.
"…with the way that the team has been promoted and ascended and keeps winning and outgrowing itself," he said.
Delivered via press release, DCFC said it had bought the site where the former Southwest Detroit Hospital was located. It closed in 1991 after 17 years of operating and has been left vacant ever since.
DCFC games have been played at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck since 2016. Since then, they've attracted millions of dollars and crowds of screaming fans. Further validating their place as a growing franchise is the team's promotion to better leagues.
While the Hamtramck field has been a good home to the team, "players, staff, and supporters deserve a stadium with modern amenities that retains the best elements of Keyworth while also putting the club on firmer financial footing," said Alex Wright, a co-owner of the team said.
More details about the stadium vision will be revealed at a later date. It's expected to open in 2027.
Both Olson and Thomas Magees will be ready when they officially open.
"We’ll run shuttles to it and all that. We're the No 1 soccer bar in Michigan, stuff like that. We have a lot of fans that hang out here. So, of course, we'll run shuttles to it and I can’t wait," he said.
