Owners of the Detroit City Football Club want to move to Hamtramck.
The team, which now plays at Cass Tech in Detroit, presented plans this week to the Hamtrack School Board for a $3-million renovation of its Keyworth Stadium, Dustin Walsh of Crain's Detroit Business reports.
The school system would still own the stadium and the team would lease it when it starts playing there in 2016.
The team issued a press release:
On the evening of September 9, 2015, in front of the Hamtramck School Board, Detroit City FC ownership presented a proposal to fund renovation work at Keyworth Stadium, with the intention that the 79-year-old structure would become the team’s home field for the 2016 season and beyond.
The following is a statement from the team giving some background on this potentially historic step in their history. An FAQ offering background on some of the key elements of the plan accompanies the statement.
Detroit City FC was started four years ago because we were looking to create a soccer club that represented our community while bringing the world’s sport to our city. What started with a shoestring budget and some lofty expectations has grown to capture the attention of the soccer world. Local, national, and international publications have reported on the phenomenal rise of Le Rouge as we have developed the most passionate supporters in American soccer and reached the point of consistently drawing sellout crowds at the stadium at Cass Tech High School.
Looking to the next chapter of Detroit City FC, we realize we have reached a point where we need a new facility to continue the growth of the organization. It is our hope that the next home of Detroit City FC be historic Keyworth Stadium. We are proposing to partner with the City of Hamtramck and Hamtramck Public Schools to lead a monumental investment in our club and the community, and to provide us an opportunity to create the best matchday atmosphere at any soccer venue in America.
If the proposal is accepted, our intention would be to complete the rehabilitation work at Keyworth Stadium by April of 2016, in time for the upcoming National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season.Keyworth Stadium is a historic sporting venue located in the middle of the city of Hamtramck, which is itself situated in the middle of Detroit. The venue was opened in 1936 as the first Works Progress Administration (WPA) project completed in Michigan. For decades, the stadium has hosted community events, the sports teams of Hamtramck Public Schools and several Catholic schools, and even hosted a match between European soccer clubs Hertha Berlin and Coventry City in the 1960’s. In recent years, use of the stadium has been limited due to its aging condition. There is little doubt that without rehabilitation work in the near future, the stadium’s future viability will be in jeopardy.
If our proposal is accepted, it is Detroit City FC’s intention that by making immediate improvements to this historic space, Keyworth Stadium will live on to serve as a focal point in the community for years to come.
