GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A professional soccer team will call downtown Grand Rapids home, starting in 2027.
But the name of the club has not been chosen yet.
A news conference was held Tuesday morning in the GVSU Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center on Winter Avenue, across the street from the future $172-million Amway Stadium site. That is west of US-131 and north of Lake Michigan Drive.
It was announced that the team, for now, will be called West Michigan Soccer, until a permanent name and a team-color scheme are announced at a future date.
The team's primary owner, Dave Van Andel, said he has high expectations.
"This team and this sport will put Grand Rapids, I believe, on the map. This is a game-changer for us, and we believe for the entire State of Michigan, as well. This puts us onto a world stage, and it gives us an opportunity to compete at the highest levels," he said.
Dan DeVos also talked today about the professional men's team that will be playing in the downtown stadium as a member of the MLS Next Pro League.
"We're excited with the support that the MLS Next Pro has shown us and the partnership we've had with them," he said.
Construction of the 8,500-seat Amway Stadium in Grand Rapids is scheduled to be finished in time for a professional soccer team to begin playing there in 2027.
An 18-story mixed-use building will be constructed on the site, as well.
"This really has been a journey," Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said, expressing joy that the announcement comes before she is term-limited out of office later this month. Mayor-elect David LaGrand was in attendance.
Bliss credited the project to "an incredible group of fans, and community leaders and sponsors who continue to step up and put our city on the map."
Kent County Board of Commissioners Chairman Stan Stek talked about the partnership between the City of Grand Rapids and Kent County in moving the project forward. And he noted that voters in the August 2024 primary election approved a 3-percent increase in the county lodging excise tax for hotel and motel visitors that takes effect January 1, 2025.
"In order to invite all of our guests to come and help contribute to the cost of running these operations and making them a reality," Stek said.
MLS Next Pro League President Charles Altchek also spoke at the news conference.
"On behalf of our league and its clubs, I'm thrilled to celebrate all of the public officials for this momentous achievement. As we work hard to build the sport of soccer in this country, your public-private partnership is a shining example of what is possible when leaders come together with a common goal," Altchek said.
Van Andel noted that the team name and color schemes have not been chosen yet for the franchise.
"We're working on all that," he said. "We're working on all the relationships that go with that, and we believe this is going to be a game-changer for our city and for our region."
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The primary owner of the pro soccer franchise in Grand Rapids, Dave Van Andel, speaks at a news conference Dec. 17, 2024, at the GVSU Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center on Winter Avenue, across from the Amway Stadium site.Photo: Source: Seyferth PR/MLS Next Pro screen capture.