DETROIT — Detroit City FC is getting a new home.
The club, formed as an amateur team out of a co-ed recreational league on Belle Isle, began playing games in 2012 at Cass Tech High School. The club would soon graduate to Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck and work its way up the ranks of semi-professional and professional soccer in the U.S.
Now, playing in the USL Championship — the second tier in the U.S. Soccer “pyramid” — DCFC is set to make another big move.
The club announced Thursday it has acquired the site of the former Southwest Detroit Hospital at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 20th Street in Corktown with plans to build a new stadium that will “serve as a permanent home for soccer in Detroit.” The price of the purchase was not immediately disclosed.
Club officials say they hope to open a new soccer-specific stadium on the site by the club’s 2027 season.
No specific details surrounding the proposed stadium were immediately released, including an exact capacity or the cost of the project. Crains Detroit, however, reported the stadium will hold 14,000.
It was not immediately clear whether the club will ask for any public money to fund the stadium, which will sit a short distance from Michigan Central, the former train station recently renovated by Ford to become a “mobility hub” for the company.
The Club will reveal more details around the stadium vision and programming after further consultation with city officials, local residents, and long-time fans, officials said. A public engagement process is anticipated to kick off later this year.
“This is a huge step for our organization to build a modern venue to serve our club and community. As longtime residents of the city, with a few of us even living within walking distance of the site, the leaders and founders of the Club view this project not only as an opportunity to grow our organization and sport, but as a civic endeavor to give back to the city we love,” said Sean Mann, CEO of Detroit City FC, according to a press release.
“We look forward to starting a process to connect with our supporters, city residents, and community leaders, among others, to craft a community-focused, grassroots professional soccer stadium that serves the City of Detroit,” Mann said.
Southwest Detroit Hospital opened in 1973 as “the first Detroit hospital to hire and accredit African American doctors and nurses, which was uncommon in the United States then,” according to the club’s press release The original hospital existed only 17 years; in 1991, it closed and declared bankruptcy. The building has been abandoned for 18 years.
Since moving to Keyworth in 2016 DCFC has become among the most-talked about soccer teams in the U.S., thanks to its grassroots supporters and a gameday atmosphere that is comparable to what is seen in European and South American soccer — albeit on a much smaller scale, with the capacity in Hamtramck at some 7,000.
“A DCFC home match is a can’t-miss stop for any true sports fan in the US, but our 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, Co-Owner and Chief Creative Officer of Detroit City FC. “The city and the people of Hamtramck were there when we needed them. Investments by our club and supporters give proof of our gratitude, and we are excited to set forth on the challenge to make our forever home just as iconic.”
Detroit City FC, currently third in the USL Championship Eastern Conference through eight games, knocked off MLS side Houston Dynamo earlier this month in the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's annual nationwide tournament.
It was DCFC's second win over an MLS team in three years after beating Columbus Crew -- last year's MLS champion -- in April of 2022. Le Rouge lost their only other matchup with an MLS team, Minnesota United, in the 2023 edition of the Open Cup.
City and their fans have formed something of a rivalry with MLS and its clubs over the years, often vocal about their preference to growing the team "the right way" as opposed to exorbitant expansion fees to join the top tier of the closed U.S. Soccer system.
DCFC faces Indy XI in the Open Cup's Round of 16 next week. The Indianapolis-based club has found itself in the middle of a stadium controversy, having gotten support previously from the city to build a new stadium, only for Mayor Joe Hogsett to eventually reject the stadium and instead pursue an MLS expansion team.