For most of its existence, Detroit City Football Club has never had a place to call its own.
Not in the traditional sense.
The club began in 2012 at Cass Technical High School, and quickly outgrew the space. It then moved to Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, where it found something more than a home – a community that showed up, loudly and consistently, and helped define what the club would become. But even there, as the team grew into a professional organization with men’s and women’s teams, youth programs, and a fieldhouse, the question of permanence remained.
There was always a sense – as Chief of Soccer Development David Dwaihy puts it – of “is this going to last?”
CASS TECH FIELD
That question is beginning to answer itself, and it’s playing out in real time.
Detroit City FC is now developing a 15,000-seat stadium – AlumniFi Field – on the former Southwest Detroit Hospital site at Michigan Avenue and 20th Street in Corktown. The $200 million project, which includes housing, retail, and community space across 11 acres, is slated to open in 2027, and for many, it feels foundational.
“The key word here is permanent,” Dwaihy says. “We’ve always felt like we were building something, but now we’re setting roots.”
That permanence carries weight for a club that has grown step by step. Detroit City FC wasn’t built with the backing of a major league or a corporate ownership group. It emerged from a small group of founders who believed that Detroit deserved a soccer club that reflected the city itself.
“We had humble beginnings,” Dwaihy says. “We didn’t think it would grow as quickly as it has. But there was always this passion for the city and for the game.”
From the start, the club has operated as more of a grassroots movement than a traditional sports franchise. That distinction has shaped everything – from the way matches feel to the way decisions are made – and it has been sustained by the people who show up for it.
“The supporters are the lifeblood,” Dwaihy says. “It’s everything. Even down to player recruitment – people want to play for us because of the community.”
That community has carried the club through uncertain times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, just as Detroit City FC had transitioned to a fully professional model, its entire revenue stream – matchday attendance – disappeared almost overnight. The future of the club was in question.
KEYWORTH STADIUM
They turned, says Dwaihy, to their supporters.
“They stepped up,” he says. “We offered club shares, and people bought in. That’s what got us through.”
The location adds another level of what it represents.
On a micro level, it’s deeply personal. Several members of the club’s ownership group have lived in Corktown for more than a decade, making the project not just an investment in the city, but in their own neighborhood.
“To bring this into their backyard is really special,” Dwaihy says. “To see the fruits of their labor manifesting in something that will be meaningful for that community.”
In a broader sense, the choice of Corktown reflects what’s already happening in that part of the city. The area has seen a steady influx of small businesses, restaurants, and retail, creating a kind of momentum that feels both organic and intentional.
“Every couple of months, there’s something new opening,” Dwaihy says. “There’s this energy there. And adding a professional sports venue feels like it is in the spirit of that growth.”
The stadium itself is designed to feel less like a standalone destination and more like an extension of the neighborhood. Plans include ground-floor retail, residential units, and public-facing spaces meant to integrate into the surrounding community.
“We’re thinking about it as neighborhood-scaled,” he says. “Something that brings life and activity, not just on game days.”
That philosophy extends to how the club envisions the experience inside the stadium as well. One of the defining features of Detroit City FC matches has always been the presence of its supporters – positioned not behind the goal, as is typical, but at midfield, visible and central to the action.
“That’s something we’re maintaining,” Dwaihy says. “They’re front and center. That’s part of who we are.”
KEYWORTH STADIUM
There’s also an effort to carry forward traditions that have developed over time. Dwaihy’s hoping the grassroots “march to the match” will continue – where supporters gather and walk together to the stadium.
At the same time, the club is thinking carefully about what kind of space this new stadium should be.
“Having played at Cass Tech and Keyworth, we want to maintain that feel,” Dwaihy says. “We don’t want it to be cookie-cutter.”
For players and staff, the impact of a permanent, purpose-built home will be immediate. But for the club more broadly, it represents something longer-term: a chance to solidify its place in a crowded and competitive soccer landscape.
“We’ve always been a bit David versus Goliath,” Dwaihy says. “This helps us establish ourselves in a different way.”
It also opens up new possibilities for community engagement, particularly through the club’s youth programs and outreach efforts.
“We think about camps, clinics, developing the next generation of players and coaches,” he says. “There’s a lot of synergy there.”
Even with that forward momentum, there’s an awareness of what came before, and what the site itself represents. The former hospital that once stood there was, for many, a place of care and significance.
KEYWORTH STADIUM
“We don’t take that lightly,” Dwaihy says. “We understand the impact this will have, and we’re committed to being here for the long term and bringing something positive to the area.”
Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, the stadium will mark a new chapter. But it won’t redefine what Detroit City FC is.
“In a lot of ways, it’s still surreal,” Dwaihy says. “But this is an opportunity to create something lasting.”
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