"We brought the team to Lansing … 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Dickson did not go into specifics regarding how much money he lost, but he said revenue came at about half of what was expected. Mine included. players and the team's supporters' group, the Assembly Line, had been told the team would fold, Why Lansing Ignite went belly-up – a look at what killed our pro soccer club, club would need an average home attendance of 4,000, lost in the semifinals, 1-0, to Greenville, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. [1], In September 2018, the Lansing State Journal reported that the owners of the Lansing Lugnuts, a local minor league baseball team, had presented plans to Lansing City Council for a professional soccer team to play at Cooley Law School Stadium, also home to the Lugnuts. Saint Joseph's University. "For Lansing Ignite, that responsibility rests with Tom Dickson, and I am devastated at the outcome. It was clearly wrong. The Lansing Ignite Football Club is no more. "The owner of the organization is the ultimate decision-maker," Sampson told the State Journal. The professional soccer club had played one season at Cooley Law School Stadium in downtown Lansing. View profile View profile badges Get a job like Lansing’s. ... About Owner + Founder of Ember Co. a boutique agency out of Idaho Springs, Colorado helping outdoor, lifestyle and breweries ignite their brands. Seeing how Lansing United folded after five seasons to create room for Ignite, and then only to have Ignite owner Tom Dickson pull the plug on … "Lansing United's move to PDL comes with new rivalries, USL dreams", "Lansing Ignite USL pro soccer team likely to begin in downtown Lansing", "Lansing Ignite, new USL soccer club, gets go-ahead to play downtown", "Lansing Ignite FC Unveiled as USL League One Founding Member", "Lansing Ignite Soccer's First Coach, Nate Miller, Ready to Bring Championships to the City", "Lansing Ignite forms alliance with Chicago Fire, will host MLS team at Cooley Stadium", "Lansing Ignite wins inaugural match, 3–2, over Richmond Kickers in USL League One", "Lansing Ignite falls to Greenville Triumph, 1–0, in USL League One semifinals", "Lansing Ignite president: 'No further updates' about club's future until next week", "LAFCU Named Official Kit Sponsor of Lansing Ignite", "LIFC to Host Livonia City FC in Final 2019 Exhibition Match", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lansing_Ignite_FC&oldid=1001245817, Association football clubs established in 2018, Association football clubs disestablished in 2019, Football team templates which use American parameter, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [4] On November 14, 2018, Lansing Ignite FC announced Nate Miller as the inaugural head coach. The team was a joint effort with the city of Lansing to revitalize the downtown area. In 2018, United moved from NPSL to the Premier Development League, another amateur league often considered the fourth tier of American soccer. The owners of the Lansing Ignite FC are stopping operations, effective immediately. The Lansing Ignite Football Club is no more. "Everyone I've spoken with has said, who would've expected a good financial outcome after year one? View profile View profile badges Get a job like Lansing’s. "I think the only way you could probably try something like this is to be prepared to lose a lot of money for a while," he said. "Most of us thought, opening night, the place was going to be sold out. It was upsetting on that aspect.". "I couldn't get anyone else to step in and say, I want to be a part of this.". The Lansing Ignite, a minor league soccer team, ceased operations this week after falling short of targeted 4,000 attendance benchmarks in its only season. While this effort was unsuccessful, my administration is continuously working to bring even more vibrancy, excitement and amenities to Lansing.". Lansing, Michigan’s professional soccer team, Lansing Ignite, announced Monday that the club will not continue after its inaugural 2019 season. "The owner of the organization is the ultimate decision-maker. Tom Dickson made one thing clear: The decision to fold Lansing Ignite Football Club after one season came down to how much money the team was losing on a month-to-month basis. In 2019, League One teams such as Lansing Ignite paid a $500,000 expansion fee while Championship teams paid $7 million, according to a Dallas News article from November 2018. "We brought the team to … Only Forward Madison FC and the Kickers drew larger crowds. USL senior vice president Steven Short said in a press release that the league was "disappointed" that Lansing would not return in 2020. Log into your account. "With the Lansing Ignite Football Club, the City of Lansing's second professional franchise, we're putting the Capital City on the map in the national sports landscape," said Ignite Owner Dickson. ^ 1. The Ignite played in USL League One, the third division of American soccer. "We are extremely disappointed to make this announcement, and we know our fans will be disappointed too," Ignite owner Tom Dickson said in a statement. © 2021 www.lansingstatejournal.com. Led by Majority Owner Tom Dickson, President Nick Grueser and Vice President and General Manager Jeremy Sampson, the club becomes the only professional outdoor soccer team in Michigan. "We were the ones grinding out the hours, putting our bodies on the line to build something for the city and we really thought we had a good product. “We are extremely disappointed to make this announcement, and we know our fans will be disappointed too,” said Tom Dickson, owner of Lansing Ignite. The city of Lansing was already home to Lansing United, an amateur soccer team in the National Premier Soccer League. [2] On October 8, the city council unanimously approved the plans, which are expected to cost the city $1 million over the course of a five-year contract. Attendance started a little slow and it didn’t get better," Dickson said. "I'm not blaming people. The move was seen as a step towards establishing a professional team, as the PDL is managed by United Soccer Leagues, the same organization that manages League One as well as the second-tier United Soccer League. The new soccer team comes after the semi-professional soccer team Lansing United played its last season this past summer. Seven representatives from numerous partnering entities took turns addressing the crowd and media members to announce the only professional soccer team for the state of Michigan, Lansing Ignite. "The owner of the organization is the ultimate decision-maker," Sampson told the State Journal. "Moneyball Sportswear" Making A Dent In Athletic Apparel Market. The Michigan-based side had an excellent season, finishing second in the 10-team league. Led by Majority Owner Tom Dickson, President Nick Grueser and Vice President and General Manager Jeremy Sampson, the club becomes the only professional outdoor soccer team in Michigan. While Lansing fell short of that attendance goal, the Ignite had the third-highest attendance in the league at 2,788 per match. your password The announced attendance was 3,369. Jeremy Sampson, the team's vice president and general manager, said the decision was Dickson's alone. This season was the first ever for Lansing Ignite FC. I am immensely proud of what we built, and immeasurably grateful to all who have supported this dream along the way. Ignite captain Brandon Fricke believes the goal of an average home attendance of 4,000 was unrealistic. For Lansing's home opener against the Richmond Kickers on April 13, Dickson said the expectation was somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 fans. The team folded after the season ended. Lansing Ignite will be looking to keep up the momentum today against North Texas, having lost just 1 game from the last 5. [6], Lansing played their first USL League One match on 30 March 2019, beating Richmond Kickers 3–2 at City Stadium, Richmond. Kirk is also a former professional soccer player, who most recently played for Lansing Ignite during their inaugural season. Co-Owner at IGNITE BASEBALL ACADEMY. I’m devastated at the outcome as this team was something I spent six years building. As difficult as it is to watch it come to an end, I am glad that we had the opportunity for a professional season in USL League One, and that we took the risk to create this organization. ... owner of Lansing Ignite. Lansing Ignite team owners told players last week in a meeting that they would stop operations this year. For Lansing Ignite, that responsibility rests with Tom Dickson, and I am devastated at the outcome. Dickson also owns the city's minor league baseball team, the Lansing Lugnuts. Lansing Ignite; 2019 season; Owner: Tom Dickson: Head coach: Nate Miller: Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium: USL League One: 2nd: USL1 Playoffs: Semifinals: U.S. Open Cup: 2nd Round: Top goalscorer: Tumi Moshobane (10) Highest home attendance: League/All: 4,818 (June 22 vs. Orlando City B) Lowest home attendance: League: 1,725 (May 11 vs. Greenville Triumph) All: 100 [7] Lansing finished their first season with a 12–6–10 record, good for second place in USL League One. This also signaled the end of the Lansing United men's team, as United owner Jeremy Sampson became the new club's general manager; however, Lansing United Women would continue to operate as planned. The Ignite declined to confirm LAHR’s assertions, which were made in a letter LAHR released to City Pulse. [10], On October 21, 2019, it was officially announced by USL League One that, despite a successful first season performance-wise, the Ignite would not be returning for the 2020 season.[11]. It's possible that we shot too high.". We put in a lot of work and effort to build this thing up," Fricke said. “I would say two months ago we started to face the reality we may not have an option here to keep it going the way it was,” Dickson said. After approaching Michigan Creative Owner and CEO, Brian Town, with a business proposition, Kirk and Town worked together … This page was last edited on 18 January 2021, at 21:34. Tampa, FL – Lansing Ignite FC announced today that it has ceased operations, effective immediately, and will not continue beyond the 2019 season. For Lansing Common FC, the new league is a crescendo of a movement gaining momentum since the abrupt shutdown of the third division United Soccer League 1 Lansing Ignite … Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Cooley Law School Stadium, which is where the team plays downtown, is owned by the City of Lansing. 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