Zach Myers of Detroit is among players heading to the Midwest Conference playoffs in the National Premier Soccer League. [Photos from Detroit City Football Club]
Owners of Detroit's 10-0 minor league soccer team, Detroit City Football Club, keep their eyes on net revenue -- not just the net players are hitting.
"The team has struggled to break even," sports business writer Bill Shea reports in Crain's, just as the Detroiters extend their perfect season to 10-0 with a 3-0 victory Sunday in Zanesville, Ohio.
Shea notes an irony of securing a spot in the championship series that starts July 13:
A playoff run means a burst of travel expenses, such as possibly flying on a week's notice instead of the normal bus travel.
"At our level, there isn't a lot of incentive, from an owner's level, to keep winning," said Todd Kropp, one of Detroit City's five co-owners and its director of operations.
Adam Perry and Julia McNiven Perry cheer the hometown heroes at Cass Tech, the team's local field.
Still, backers know that going for the National Premier Soccer League title could boost the two-year-old team's long-term financial health.
"We want to see the team win -- that's more important to our longevity, to our sponsors," said Kropp, whose day job is an IT project manager at Henry Ford Health Systems.
The semi-pro players extended their unbeaten streak with a 4-0 win over Buffalo last Sunday. (A two-minute highlights video is below). That match drew 1,900 fans to Cass Tech's field, a team record.
DCFC plays this afternoon in Zanesville, Ohio, east of Columbus, and has two other road games before the first Midwest Conference semifinal game at Cass at 5 p.m. July 13. (Tickets are on sale here for $10 per adult and $5 for fans aged 6-18.)
In addition to extra gate revenues, Shea reports, the local owners hope for a merchandise sales boost. The team offers shirts for $15 to $75, along with other garments and bumper stickers. It may add beer glasses and coffee mugs, the reporter relates, plus a soccer camp to raise off-season earnngs.
There's even a locally brewed City Red pale ale, a tribute to the team and its jersey color from MillKing It Productions craft brewery in Royal Oak.
Earlier coverage: Detroit City FC Becoming Hottest Ticket in Town, June 25
