Lansing, Michigan’s professional soccer team, Lansing Ignite, announced Monday that the club will not continue after its inaugural 2019 season.
"We are extremely disappointed to make this announcement, and we know our fans will be disappointed too," Ignite owner Tom Dickson said in the team’s official statement. "We brought the team to Lansing with high hopes for success, but due to business realities, we simply have no option other than to discontinue the operation."
The shutdown comes due to economic issues within the club’s operations. The team averaged 2,788 fans per game at their home field of Cooley Law School Stadium, while they needed an average 4,000 in order to stay afloat, The Detroit News reported.
“This was a very tough decision,” Lansing Ignite President Nick Grueser said in the release, “We gave this effort every ounce of energy we had, but it wasn’t quite enough. My sincere thanks to Coach Miller, the players, the City of Lansing, our staff, sponsors and fans. We also wish the very best to the USL, and to other member clubs going forward.”
Jeremy Sampson, the team's Vice President and General Manager, spoke with The State News regarding the shut down but was hesitant to discuss specific reasons behind it since his role on the team dealt more with the soccer side of things than the business one. However, he did say that ultimtely the desicion to shut down came down to one person, telling the State News that “The owner of any organization is the ultimate desicion maker and in this case that was Tom Dickson.”
Dickson also owns the city’s minor league baseball team, the Lansing Lugnuts.
The team finished with a 12-10-6 record, placing second overall in the United Soccer League One. They played their final match on Saturday, Oct. 12 where they lost 1-0 to Greenville in the semifinals. The announcement of the shutdown was made to the players shortly after the loss.
Midfielder Marshall Hollingsworth shared his emotions in an Instagram post, writing, “Lansing, thank you for providing me with an incredible team for one last ride ... I’m so sad for so many people that because of 1 person this investment will no longer exist after this season. It feels like everyone did everything ‘right,’ but it wasn’t enough. After everything, all we are left with is a deep appreciation for the people who went through this year with us.”
Coach Nate Miller also shared his emotions on social media via Twitter.
"I am really proud of our phenomenal young players who represented this city so well. Thank you to our passionate supporters who I know this is such a hard time for. It was an honor to work in your city."
In a statement released by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, he said that he was disappointed to hear the club was shutting down following the months of hard work that were put in to build Michigan’s first professional soccer team.
“While this effort was unsuccessful, my administration is continuously working to bring even more vibrancy, excitement and amenities to Lansing,” Schor said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
