GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — City leaders are drumming up excitement for the next professional sports team to call Grand Rapids home.
Right across the street from the location of the soon-to-be Amway Stadium Tuesday morning, organizers announced the Grand Rapids professional soccer team will join the MLS Next Pro league, with the inaugural season beginning in 2027.
The Van Andel and DeVos families, owners of the yet-to-be-officially named team, have plenty of team management experience.
The Grand Rapids Griffins, an AHL team; the Grand Rapids Gold, an NBA G League team; and the Grand Rapids Rise, a Pro Volleyball Federation team, all play home games at Van Andel Arena.
The city's new professional soccer team will play home games at Amway Stadium.
What's the team name?
For now, the owners are calling the team West Michigan Soccer.
David Van Andel said they're still working on an official team name.
"Before the flood of questions comes all right, no, we don't have a name for the team yet. No, we don't have the colors for the team yet. We're working on all that temporarily. We're calling it West Michigan Soccer, and we will call the 8,500-seat arena the new home for that team. 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," Van Andel said.
"We'll have an official announcement for the name, an official unveiling of the colors, and all of that with a future announcement. We have to have a few more of these, you know. But I want you to understand that we took great care in choosing MLS Next Pro as the league that we wish to play in."
What is MLS Next Pro?
This league is relatively new—it began in 2022—and is considered a tier-three pro league.
MLS Next Pro, launched by Major League Soccer, is designed to be a pathway for players to get more experience before they get called up to more senior sides.
The league entered its fourth season in 2024 with 29 teams, 27 of them affiliated with the MSL and two of them independent.
"We feel the best choice for West Michigan. This team is going to be more than just a club. This team will have roots that extend out into the region and extend out into the local communities," Van Andel said.
What's next?
Now that the team has a league to play in, they need a home base.
Work is underway to bring Amway Stadium to life in Grand Rapids.
Grand Action 2.0—the economic development organization behind the new stadium—announced that Amway had secured the naming rights for the stadium. It will be known as Amway Stadium. The naming rights were secured by a $33 million gift from Amway.
Set to be located at 230 Winter Avenue NW, the outdoor stadium will have 8,500 seats and act as a multi-purpose venue. It will be just blocks from the Grand River and downtown Grand Rapids.
City officials say the stadium will bring 17 national and international competitions to Beer City, along with offering over 50 community events.
Construction is expected to take about two years, with the groundbreaking possibly as early as spring 2025. Officials hope to hold the first match in the spring of 2027.
The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority will own and operate the facility.
Didn't Grand Rapids already have a soccer team?
Yes, Grand Rapids FC was founded in 2014 but folded in 2021. The club made the decision based on financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men's team played in USL League 2, a development league for the United Soccer League (USL).