Local investor announces initiative to launch professional soccer team

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Ersal Ozdemir, president and CEO of Keystone Construction Corp., a member of Current Publishing’s board of directors and a Carmel resident, announced at a press conference last week that he planned to bring a professional soccer team to Indianapolis.The currently unnamed team will be formed as a member of the North American Soccer League, a Division II Professional League including 12 teams across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The team is slated to play its first season in 2014.

(on the web)“I believe the world is getting global,” Ozdemir said. “In the United States, soccer has evolved significantly over the last 15 years. I have seen the improvements in my short lifetime, and at some point as it continues to grow, we feel that the sport is going to even catch on in a bigger way at both a spectator and a professional level. We are trying to be a part of that growth.”

Ozdemir has hired Peter Wilt, former president and general manager of the Chicago Fire, to lead the team building initiative. In addition to his work with the Fire, Wilt previously led an effort to bring a Major League Soccer team to Milwaukee, Wisc.

The team is slated to play its first two seasons at IUPUI’s Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium in downtown Indianapolis with plans for a standalone, permanent stadium coming sometime in the future. The venue was consistently voted as the best location for the team by local fans of the initiative. A number of renovations are planned for the stadium in hopes of creating a more intimate and soccer-specific atmosphere.

Ozdemir emphasized the importance of Hamilton County facilities and residents as part of the team’s success during the next several years. “Carmel and other Hamilton County communities are the core strength of soccer in the state. If you are going to put a target in the Midwest, Carmel and Hamilton County is ground zero for youth soccer support,” Wilt said.

Youth soccer families are one of three major demographics the team is hoping to embrace, including Indiana’s ethnic population and Millennials. Soccer fandom has been found to be much higher amongst Millennials and those with cultural backgrounds in countries outside of the United States, where soccer is already well established.

Both Ozdemir and Wilt expressed an interest in creating a grassroots campaign around the team. Part of the campaign will be allowing fans to vote on a team name, logo and colors sometime during the next two months. For more information regarding the plan and the team, visit www.indyprosoccer.com.


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