FC United announce international friendly match with Detroit City FC in May 2016

FC United will visit Detroit, Michigan, in the USA next year to play an international friendly match against Detroit City FC on Saturday 28 May 2016. The match has been organised to celebrate the Michigan club’s ground-breaking campaign to refurbish the city’s historic Keyworth Stadium with a community investment scheme.

The link with Detroit City FC has come about through an FC United member who opened up a dialogue with DCFC about FC United and our values as a supporter-owned club. Detroit City FC are long-term admirers of FC United and the club’s community ownership model and were very keen to host a supporter owned club on their home turf to mark the opening of their refurbished ground.

While not a traditional supporter-owned club in the FC United sense, Detroit City are very much a fans’ club with a strong community focus. Founded in 2012, Detroit City currently play in the National Premier Soccer League (US 4th Division, no promotion/relegation in American soccer) and finished runners up this season to Madison 56ers. The full league standings can be viewed at http://www.detcityfc.com/page/show/1570943-standings

Unlike the majority of sports teams in the US (and the UK) that are owned by billionaire owners and millionaire players, Detroit City FC are a team founded by a group of young Detroiters .The club was started by five regular supporters in their early 30s who lived in Detroit and were adamant that Detroit not only needed a football club (or soccer club as they’d term it), but it needed to be done the right way - focused on supporters, embody the resurgence going on in Detroit; accessible to the city’s residents, and situated in the urban core of the city.

The club has grown each season to the point of selling out nearly all their home matches in 2015 through an almost entirely word of mouth campaign. Detroit City FC is a community-oriented club and provides free clinics and season tickets to inner city children that participate in youth football. They have a commitment to inclusivity that was underlined by the club being the first American sports team to wear a LGBTQ inclusion jersey in a competitive match and they also host an annual charity match each year.

Detroit City FC has established itself as one of the most talked about football teams in North America. Their club motto, “Passion for Our City, Passion for the Game???, evokes the three ideas the grassroots organisation was built upon - to satisfy the demand for football in downtown Detroit, represent the city in a positive light, and build community through ‘the beautiful game’.

For more information about the club and its formation see “The locals bringing soccer back to Detroit??? from The Guardian and also “Detroit City FC proposes venue move to Hamtramck’s Keyworth Stadium??? from mLIVE which includes some brilliant photos of the DCFC supporters at a match.

You can also view an archive of streamed matches from Detroit City FC’s most recent season at https://vimeo.com/detroitcityfc The Detroit City FC website is at http://www.detcityfc.com/

What started with a shoestring budget and some lofty expectations has grown to capture the attention of the football world. Local, national, and international media have reported on the phenomenal rise of ‘Le Rouge’, who are generally regarded as having one of the most exciting match atmospheres in North America and extremely passionate supporters.

In a parallel with the development of FC United, the club has reached a point where it needs a new facility to continue the growth of the organisation. They hope that the next home of Detroit City FC will be the historic Keyworth Stadium where they have partnered with the City of Hamtramck and Hamtramck Public Schools to lead a big investment in the club and the community, and to provide DCFC with an opportunity to create the best matchday atmosphere at any football venue in America.

The rehabilitation work to Keyworth Stadium is to be funded through a combination of club funds, traditional small business loans, as well as through a ground-breaking community investment campaign, echoing FC United’s own community shares scheme, that would allow supporters to directly loan money to DCFC and earn interest on that loan as a way to grow their club and community. If all goes to plan, DCFC’s intention would be to complete the rehabilitation work at Keyworth Stadium by April 2016, in time for the upcoming National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season and the match with FC United.

See how the newly refurbished Keyworth Stadium should look below.



The FC United squad will travel to Detroit on Thursday 26 May 2016 and play the match against Detroit City FC on Saturday 28 May at DCFC’s Keyworth Stadium arriving back in the UK on Monday 30 May.

We acknowledge that this will be a long and potentially expensive trip for our fans and we are looking at ways of enabling supporters to better manage the cost of the trip. There are undoubted advantages in visiting Detroit, which is one of America’s most vibrant cities with a rich and diverse cultural history as the home of Motown and the US motor industry. We are sure that those FC supporters who make the trip will have a fantastic time in one of America’s most vibrant cities with a rich tradition.

Detroit City FC v FC United of Manchester
Saturday 28 May 2016, kick off 3pm EST (8pm GMT)
Keyworth Stadium
3201 Roosevelt St
Hamtramck
MI 48212
United States

The match will be pay on the gate for FC United supporters.



Useful links to help supporters who plan to make the trip are shown below.

Accommodation
Hotel Rooms will be in high demand around the time of the match and it is recommended that accommodation is lined up as soon as possible. The match will be taking place during a holiday weekend in Detroit, and is also the same weekend that the Motor City hosts the Movement Electronic Festival, one of the world’s largest annual techno music festivals.

Motor City Casino (where the team will be staying)
http://www.motorcitycasino.com/Home

Hostel Detroit
clihttp://www.hosteldetroit.com

Holiday Inn Express
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/detroit/dttwb/hoteldetail

Ten best cheap hotels in Detroit (Tripadvisor)
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/HotelsList-Detroit-Cheap-Hotels-zfp231035.html

Flights
Detroit is serviced by Detroit Metropolitan Airport(DTW), which is 20 miles from the city centre. It is one the largest airports in the North America and a major international hub for Delta but has no direct flights to Manchester. Delta and Virgin Atlantic have direct flights to London

For travellers with more flexible schedules, direct flights from Manchester can be found to Chicago(ORD or MDW) or Toronto(YYZ). Both cities are roughly a 4 to 5 hour drive to Detroit. Cheaper flights can regularly found to Windsor, Ontario, Canada(YQG), which neighbours Detroit on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. Any travel to Canada requires an additional customs and immigration process to all necessary approvals to enter the United States.

Visa information
United States: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa

Canada: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/canada/entry-requirements

Tourist Attractions while visiting
Motown Museum: A must for any music lover. Long known as Hitsville USA, the museum is home of the world-famous Studio A, where all of Motown-Tamla’s great artist, including The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops and countless others, recorded hit after hit that still moves the world. https://www.motownmuseum.org

Detroit Institute of Arts: The DIA, among the top 10 museums in the country, offers over 100 galleries with art from ancient to modern times. Among the DIA’s renowned works are French Impressionist, German Expressionist, American and Flemish paintings. http://www.dia.org

The Henry Ford: The World’s largest indoor/outdoor museum and one of America’s great historical attractions. The Henry Ford brings the American historical experience to life. See JFK’s limo, Rosa Parks’ bus and thousands of uniquely American innovations at the museum. The museum includes Greenfield Village, which features 90 historic buildings from across America relocated and preserved by Henry Ford, with period presenters and artisans. You can also experience the Ford Rouge Factory Tour and watch the F-150 truck being assembled in a cutting edge "green" friendly plant. http://www.TheHenryFord.org

The Movement Electronic Festival: Movement Electronic Music Festival is an internationally recognized music marathon that delivers three days and three nights of non-stop performances from more than 100 artists across five stages. Situated in the middle of downtown Detroit, it is one of the premier techno and electronic music festivals in the world. http://www.movement.us

More Around Detroit: http://www.visitdetroit.com

Recent Articles about visiting Detroit
In Detroit, Cheap Eats, D.I.Y. Art and the Charm of Locals(NY Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/travel/detroit-budget-travel.html?_r=0

The Music Geeks Travel Guide to Detroit (Paste) http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/11/the-music-geeks-travel-guide-to-detroit.html

The 48 Hours in Detroit (The Independent) http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/detroit-travel-tips-where-to-go-and-what-to-see-in-48-hours-10299455.html

Motown Revival (The Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/mar/02/detroit-michigan-first-steps-urban-renewal

In the region:
Michigan, Detroit is situated in the state of Michigan, the Great Lakes State. Michigan is home to 20 million acres of woodlands, 20 percent of the world’s fresh water, and great cities to explore beyond Detroit. More info can be found at http://www.puremichigan.com
Chicago: One of America’s great cities, it situated just 4.5 hours west of Detroit and can be easily accessed by train, flight or car. http://www.choosechicago.com

Toronto: Canada’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Toronto is just 4 hours east of Detroit by car. http://www.seetorontonow.com

Niagara Falls: Just two hours from Toronto and 4 hours from Detroit by car, Niagara Falls, while very touristy, is one of North America’s most famous natural wonders. http://www.niagaraparks.com