New social distancing features will help soccer fans return to the stands safely this spring
DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Passage, a cutting-edge event ticketing company based in Detroit, and the Detroit City Football Club (DCFC), Detroit’s professional soccer team, announced today a new five-year partnership which names Passage as the Official Ticketing Provider of DCFC.
Passage has provided ticketing for DCFC’s previous three seasons. But the announcement marks a significant expansion into the world of professional sports. DCFC made a historic move in 2019 by joining the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a third-division professional league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), as well as launching a women’s side in the United Women’s Soccer (UWS) league.
DCFC and NISA recently announced their Spring 2021 NISA slate, with the women’s season starting two weeks later. Supporters will be back in the stands at reduced capacities based on each club’s respective state guidelines.
“We’re very excited to be working with DCFC and to help grow the world’s largest sport right here in our hometown,” said Alex Linebrink, CEO of Passage. “Right from the start, DCFC has maintained an enthusiastic and loyal following. For us, it’s all about helping create a seamless experience for the fans, from the moment they buy their tickets until they enter the stadium.”
“We chose to partner with Passage because they’ve consistently delivered support above and beyond our expectations,” said Sean Mann, Co-Owner of DCFC. “Our fans count on us to deliver an excellent matchday experience, so it’s important to us to have partners who understand our vision and care as much about our fans’ experiences as we do.”
In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sporting events around the world, the Passage team started working on solutions to help teams reopen safely. One of the first features Passage introduced was Social Distance Seat Selection.
“Social Distance Seat Selection allows venues like Keyworth Stadium to designate a given number of seats, rows, or aisle space which must be left open in between guest parties” said Linebrink. “This will provide fans with peace of mind when selecting their seats, and help ensure that a minimum six-foot distance can be kept between unfamiliar parties.”
Virtual Events and Virtual Queuing are also new to the Passage platform in response to COVID-19.
The partnership with DCFC is one of several professional sports alliances Passage announced over the past two years. Passage is also the official ticketing provider of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), United Women’s Soccer (UWS), USL League Two, and the only ticketing partner to work with SportsEngine, part of the NBC Sports Group family.
“Partnering with Passage means we don’t have to worry about ticketing and payments,” said Mann. “We can focus on building an exceptional team and providing fans with a safe and fun matchday experience.”
“We’re excited to be part of this big step forward for Detroit sports,” said Linebrink.
Season passes for the DCFC 2021 season are currently sold out. Single game tickets will be available beginning Thursday, April 22, 2021 at tickets.detcityfc.com.
The DCFC men’s team opener will be held at Keyworth Stadium on Saturday, May 1, with an evening matchup against the Maryland Bobcats FC who are entering their first season in the league. The DCFC women’s teams starts at home at Keyworth on Saturday May 15.
Passage is a ticketing and payments for events and attractions. Passage Sports combines the power of the Passage ticketing platform with features built specifically for the needs of sports teams and leagues. The all-in-one mobile box office technology allows owners and managers to take control of all their ticket, merchandise, and concession sales both online and at-the-door, all while reaching more fans and making more money.
Since 2014, Passage has completed millions of dollars in ticket and product sales for thousands of events around the world. For more information about Passage, please visit gopassage.com or contact CEO Alex Linebrink at alex@gopassage.com.
Founded in 2012, Detroit City FC has established itself as one of the most talked about soccer teams in North America. Our club motto, Passion for Our City, Passion for the Game, evokes the three ideas the grassroots organization was built upon: to satisfy the demand for soccer in downtown Detroit, represent the city in a positive light, and build community through “the beautiful game.”
In an era when sports teams are defined by billionaire owners and millionaire players, we are a team founded by a group of young Detroiters. Detroit City FC has developed into a minor league soccer success story, with one of the most exciting match atmospheres in North America, consistently sold-out games and passionate supporters.
The seed of DCFC was planted in 2010, on the soccer pitch at Belle Isle in downtown Detroit. That grass – the very same that was transported from the Pontiac Silverdome after the 1994 World Cup – was the original home of the Detroit City Futbol League (DCFL), a co-ed, recreational league that pitted players from teams representing the many historic neighborhoods of Detroit.
Founded as a community organizing endeavor aiming to bring city residents together, the league was wildly successful, quickly drawing over 1000 players a week to the games and after parties at bars across the city. Inspired by the success, DCFL founder Sean Mann pitched four friends an idea to further tap into the growing interest in the sport by founding a minor league soccer team to play in downtown Detroit.
For more information about DCFC please visit detcityfc.com.
