Grand Rapids FC
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| Full name | Grand Rapids Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blues, GRFC |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Ground |
Houseman Field Grand Rapids, MI |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Owners | Matt Roberts |
| Head Coach | George Moni |
| League | National Premier Soccer League |
| Website | Club home page |
Grand Rapids FC is an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan whose senior men's team plays in the National Premier Soccer League. The team was founded in 2014 and its first season was in 2015. It is funded by a group of supporters who purchase memberships to cover the operating expenses, as well as by local sponsors.
Grand Rapids FC (GRFC) was started by a group of Grand Rapids residents as a community-funded project along the lines of Nashville FC. Fundraising began on February 14, 2014 by word of mouth and was opened to the public a month later. The team applied to the National Premier Soccer League for the 2015 season but their application was denied. Instead, GRFC and AFC Ann Arbor (also denied an NPSL bid in 2015), founded the Great Lakes Premier League. The new league held its inaugural meeting on January 17, 2015 with six teams.
Following a successful 2015 season where GRFC finished the season in second place, averaging 4,509 fans per game, the team announced on September 25, 2015 that they would leave the Great Lakes Premier League to join the National Premier Soccer League.
The 2016 season resulted in a first-place position in the NPSL Great Lakes West conference and qualification for the playoffs by beating AFC Ann Arbor in a 3-1 victory in front of a club record 6,854 spectators. The club reached the final of the NPSL Midwest Regional playoffs and beat Indy Eleven NPSL in front of a record attendance of 6,912, qualifying the team for the 2017 US Open Cup. The following day GRFC lost against 2016 NPSL champions AFC Cleveland on penalties.
On November 1, 2016, the club announced they would add a women's team under the same GRFC banner, which would begin play in 2017 in a new Midwest division of the United Women's Soccer league. More details of the women's team, including their home field, are yet to be announced.
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