More than a game, Detroit and Louisville MASL W fans raise over $5,000 for charity

TAMPA, Florida – Sometimes, it's about more than just soccer.

When Detroit City FC and the Louisville Triumph met in back-to-back weekends recently, the two Major Arena Soccer League Women teams made sure of that.

They both knew that bragging rights to being one of the best teams in MASL W would be on the line. After all, Louisville started the season with seven straight regular season wins, and before this past Sunday, Detroit had only one regular season loss in the past two years.

But when representatives of the two teams started talking – it was members of Detroit's supporter group the Northern Guard and Triumph team volunteer Braeden Downey who really got the ball rolling – everyone decided to up the stakes in the two-game series they dubbed “Les Jeux des Fleur”.

“We felt like it could be a fun opportunity to add a charitable component to this series because our two cities are both symbolized by the Fleur-de-lis,” explained Triumph player and team co-owner Kaela Dickerman. “That connection also inspired the series name, Les Jeux De Fleur, which translates to the flower games.”

Since they are two of the most community minded and well supported teams in the league, fans jumped in quickly to be part of the excitement.

“For the series, fans could pledge a certain amount of money per goal for their favorite team or for both teams, and the amount raised per team would be donated to their chosen charitable organization,” Dickerman explained. “ As it turned out, a fun outcome of this series was the game scores were inverted, (9-7 DCFC win at Detroit, 9-7 Triumph win at Louisville), so even if fans pledged for one specific team, each side has 16 goals to donate for.”

“Massive props to Kaela and the great people at Louisville for this wonderful idea and for reaching out and inviting our supporters to join forces for good. We take great pride in the outcomes both on the field and off , and we are honored to be a part of a league encourages these types of collaborations and furthermore boasts forward-thinking, philanthropic organizations such as Louisville Triumph FC,” added Detroit City's David Dwaihy. 

While pledges are still being counted, she said over $5,200 will be collected for the teams' chosen charity. For Detroit City, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center will get their cut, while WaterStep will see a donation coming their way courtesy of the Triumph.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) is a legal resource center for Michigan's immigrant communities, working to build a thriving Michigan where immigrant communities experience equity and belonging. WaterStep, which is headquartered in Louisville, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 that has grown to be a global leader in safe water solutions and innovation, often responding to national and international crises to allow access to clean drinking water.

“These two clubs are first-class organizations both on and off the field. They have deep community roots, so this effort is just an extension of who they are and what they believe in,” noted MASL W Commissioner Chris Economides. “Honestly, it's almost humbling how dedicated all our MASL W owners, players and fans have been to growing the indoor game and the league not only locally, but nationally and this year internationally. It's very exciting, and a testament to all involved  who made what was already going to be a highlight of the MASL W season even more special.”

Both clubs are headed to the MASL W playoffs, Detroit will serve as the championship weekend host set for March 20-22 at the Detroit City Fieldhouse. For more information on the league, visit www.maslw.com.