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Local developer Ersal Ozdemir announces initiative to bring professional soccer to Indiana By Christian Sorrell • christian@youarecurrent.com
12 | January 22, 2013
NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson, Wilt and Ozdemir on stage at last week's press conference. (Photo by Christian Sorrell)
young,) we played a lot, and we would put two shoes down as the goal or some players would lay down their shirts as the goal, and we played. Obviously, you would argue about whether a shot was too high or too low when you scored because you didn’t have a post!” In the last year, Ozdemir hired Peter Wilt, former president and general manager of the Chicago Fire, to lead the Wilt team’s initiative. On the day of
the press conference, Wilt was formally brought on as team president, a popular move amongst many American soccer fans. 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 thereafter. The downtown venue consistently was voted as the best location for the team by local fans of the professional soccer initiative. A number of renovations are planned for the stadium in hopes of creating a more intimate and soccer-specific atmosphere.
Photos by Zach Ross
Starting in spring of 2014, Indianapolis soccer fans will have another reason to cheer when the city’s professional soccer team kicks off its inaugural season. News of the team came at a press conference last week at which Ersal Ozdemir, president and CEO of Keystone Construction Corp., a member of Current Publishing’s board of directors and a Carmel resident, announced his ownership. “I believe the world is getOzdemir ting global. In the United States, soccer has evolved significantly during 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,” Ozdemir said. “We are trying to be a part of that growth.” The currently unnamed team will be formed as a member of the North American Soccer League, a Division II Professional League including 12 other teams – the Atlanta Silverbacks, the Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota Stars FC, NASL Virginia, New York Cosmos, Ottawa, Puerto Rico Islanders and the San Antonio Scorpions. Although Ozdemir did say a franchise fee was required to become part of the NASL, he declined to comment on any of the franchising details. The new team is slated to play its first season in 2014 and will play host 15 home games. “In the rest of the world, soccer is extremely popular, almost to the point of being a fanatic passion. Everybody plays soccer. It doesn’t matter how good you are,” Ozdemir said. “I played through middle school, high school and played in college (at Purdue University) at the club level. I still play occasionally.” Ozdemir, a native of Turkey and lifelong soccer fan, has been looking to invest in a professional soccer team for the last 10 years. “Soccer is not an elite sport. You see people in parts of Africa making balls out of nothing. Many people do not have balls or jerseys or cleats. In South America, people take rubber tree leaves and make balls. It is a very accessible sport. It doesn’t require anything besides something that looks like a ball,” Ozdemir said. “(When I was
Hometown: Mersin, Turkey Residence: Carmel Age: 38 Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Purdue University Involved with: Children’s Bureau, Current Publishing, the Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Indiana
Historical Society, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Purdue University School of Civil Engineering, Indianapolis Sister City Committee, Rotary Club, Columbia Club, American Society of Civil Engineers, Building Owners and Managers Association, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, American Turkish Association of Indiana Hobbies: art, traveling, spending time with family and playing soccer
Current in Carmel
Retrofitting Carroll Stadium – Professional soccer team organizers Ersal Ozdemir and Peter Wilt have planned a number of changes to be made between now and the beginning of the 2014 season. Changes include the removal of roughly 5,000 seats, moving seating behind the goals and adding wind screens, tents and other amenities in certain areas of the facility. According to Wilt, these changes are aimed at creating a more intimate and soccer-specific atmosphere with roughly 7,000 seats remaining. Funding for the retrofit has yet to be determined. Ozdemir emphasized the importance of Hamilton County facilities and residents as part of the team’s success during the next several years. Wilt said the team was brainstorming ideas to make use of Westfield’s Grand Park sports campus as well as ways to embrace youth soccer teams and families throughout all of Central Indiana. Grand Park, which Ozdemir referred to as “a Mecca,” could play host to several of the team’s exhibition games and training sessions after its completion in 2014. “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 is ground zero for that type of youth soccer support,” Wilt said. “The only development academy for youth soccer in the state of Indiana is in Carmel.” According to Wilt, the team will be looking to create as many connections as possible with local youth soccer teams. While specific programs still are being discussed, Wilt gave theoretical examples including an adopt-a-player program and soccer camps coached by the team’s players. Both Ozdemir and Wilt expressed interest in creating a grassroots campaign for the team. Part of that campaign allows fans to vote on a team name, team logo and team colors on the team’s newly launched website. For more information regarding the plan and the team, visit www.indyprosoccer.com. Are you excited or skeptical about a professional soccer team coming to Indianapolis? Are you looking forward to attending games or would you have preferred to see a different sport take root in Indiana? Leave a comment online or e-mail your thoughts to christian@youarecurrent.com. www.currentincarmel.com