Grand Rapids FC

Grand Rapids FC
Full name Grand Rapids Football Club
Nickname(s) The Blues, GRFC
Founded 2014
Ground Houseman Field
Grand Rapids, MI
Ground Capacity 8,000
Owners Matt Roberts, Chris Deiss
Manager George Moni
League National Premier Soccer League
Website Club home page

Grand Rapids FC is an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that plays in the National Premier Soccer League. The team was founded in 2014 and its first season is in 2015. It is 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.

Following a successful 2015 season where Grand Rapids FC finished the season in second place while averaging 4,509 fans per game, the team announced on September 25, 2015 that they would be leaving the Great Lakes Premier League to join the National Premier Soccer League.[5]

Stadium

Houseman Field

Houseman Field in the Midtown neighborhood of Grand Rapids is the club's home field.[6] Initially, only the south side of the stadium was opened for spectators, but on July 17, 2015 the latest record attendance forced the club to move some spectators at half-time. For the final home match on July 31, spectators were admitted to the north side right away to accommodate the expected record crowd.

Record Attendance

6,651 - July 31, 2015 vs Muskegon Risers SC

Current Roster

[7] 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 Noah Fazekas
2 Ivory Coast MF Tarwo Konbloa
3 United States DF Peter Brown
4 England DF Tony Deakin
5 England DF Jai Maw
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 New Zealand FW Scott Doney
12 United States MF Greg Timmer
13 Puerto Rico FW Gabe Mateo
14 United States MF Noble Sullivan
15 United States DF Ben Darling
16 United States DF Joe Sweet
17 England MF Samuel Barnsley
18 United States MF TJ VanSlooten
No. Position Player
19 Sierra Leone FW Ahmad Bah
20 Italy FW Hunter Barone
21 United States FW Sean Conerty
23 United States MF Nick Abdoo
24 United States DF Sean Broekhuizen
25 Jamaica DF Stephen Herdsman
26 Canada MF Isky Van Doorne
27 United States MF Cam Sipple
28 United States MF Nate Hoover
29 United States DF Alex Ruddock
30 United States MF Stephan Hooker
31 United States DF Trent Vegter
32 United States FW Anthony Bowie
33 United States GK Kyle Taalman
34 United States GK Dary Dewalt
35 United States DF Nick Groenewold
77 United States FW Joe Broekhuizen

Head Coaches

Year-by-year

Year Tier League Regular Season U.S. Open Cup Average
Attendance
2015 5 GLPL 2nd of 5 (3-3-2) Ineligible 4,509
2016 4 NPSL In progress Ineligible

Current Season

2016 NPSL Great Lakes West Conference Standings

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 AFC Ann Arbor 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3
2 Detroit City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Grand Rapids FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Kalamazoo FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Lansing United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Michigan Stars FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Dayton Dynamo 1 0 1 0 1 2 −1 0
Updated to match(es) played on May 7, 2016. Source: NPSL standings
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head to head; 3) goal differential in head to head results; 4) wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) fewest losses; 7) coin toss

Historic Record vs Opponents

Legend
0-0-0 Win-Loss-Draw
0-0 Win-Loss
* No games played
Opponent Regular Season U.S. Open Total Played Win %
Michigan AFC Ann Arbor 1-0-1 * 1-0-1 2 0.750
Wisconsin Croatian Eagles 1-0-1 * 1-0-1 2 0.750
Michigan Oakland United 1-1-0 * 1-1-0 2 0.500
Illinois RWB Adria 0-2-0 * 0-2-0 2 0.000
Total 3-3-2 * 3-3-2 8 0.500

Club Culture

The south side of Houseman Field, with members of the Grand Army supporters group in the foreground. Attendance 3,843.

Supporters

The Grand Army is the supporters group for Grand Rapids FC, largely but not exclusively made up of club members. In 2015, pre-game festivities were held at Bob's Bar and a march led through the Midtown neighborhood. In June 2015 a fanzine entitled "What if it Rains" started publication. The name of the magazine referred to one of the reasons the NPSL originally declined the club's application and celebrated the club's massive support.

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://grandrapidsfc.com/grand-rapids-football-club-joins-the-npsl/
  6. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/07/houseman_field_agrees_to_becom.html
  7. ↑ http://grandrapidsfc.com/team/grand-rapids-fc/

External links

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