It's a special day for sports in Lansing, as well as the state of Michigan. The city officially welcomed the Ignite, Lansing's newest soccer team, who will play at Cooley Law School Stadium.
Vice President and General Manager Jeremy Sampson has been in this position before. Back in 2014, he helped kickstart Lansing United, the amateur team that generated around 800 fans per home game.
"I made sure in talking about this next move and this next step, of going from an amateur team, to a professional team, that there was going to be enough interest for that," Sampson said.
And there is. The Ignite will be the only professional soccer team in the state of Michigan.
"I still have to pinch myself," said Sampson. "It's been a lot of fun and I'm just excited to dig in and do my part to bring the best coaches and players that we can find to bring a championship to Lansing."
Sampson says that the team will join the Lansing Lugnuts in making the city more vibrant. During the summer months, there will rarely be a weekend at Cooley Law School Stadium without action, whether it's baseball or soccer.
"As people are looking for things to do and entertainment in this city, they're going to know that they're going to be able to go downtown and find something to do," he said.
This coming spring, expect this team to Ignite the city of Lansing, sparking the beginning of something new.
