Serial entrepreneur Keefe Ammons gained notability using his swing on the baseball field, but he may have just hit his biggest home run off of it. On Friday, Ammons, 25, finalized a minority ownership stake in the Detroit City Football Club of the National Independent Soccer Association, with the option to purchase additional percentages. The amount Ammons paid for the stake has not been disclosed.
Detroit City FC is Detroit’s soccer team. Since being founded in 2012 DCFC has achieved tremendous growth. The yearly attendance total has jumped from 9,948 in 2012 to 111,578 in 2019. Last year’s total revenue was a whopping $1,838,944. The company is currently valued at $10.8 million, according to a July, 30th filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It reported long-term debt of $338,315 in the most recent fiscal year-end.
Ammons admits that he isn’t the biggest soccer fan, but COVID-19 has given him some time to get a better understanding of the game.
“The only time I had been exposed to soccer was my time at Jackson State [when] me and some of the guys played a game with the Women’s team,” he said.
“They beat us so bad that I became intrigued with the sport. Quarantine obviously left me with a bunch of free time and YouTube is full of games and highlights.”
Moving past sports
Ammons was born and raised in Chicago, but his ties to Detroit goes back 10 years.
“My sister went to college in Detroit so I spent a lot of time there,” Ammons said. “The inner city as a whole is comparable to what I experienced growing up in Chicago. I look at this as an opportunity to positively impact another midwestern city through the work of the my [Kam Cares] Foundation”
Launched in 2016, the Kam Cares Foundation set out to add quality experiences to youth from low-income backgrounds. Holiday toy drives and baseball camps for low-income families have made up the bulk of these initiatives thus far in both Chicago and Louisville.
“I’m excited to connect with the youth of Detroit. Working with kids who share similar backgrounds is something I’ve always prioritized,” he continued. “If I can make a difference for only one student for one moment, I consider that a win.”
Ammons joins legendary US rock star Iggy Pop as owners of the Detroit based professional soccer team.
Happy to be apart of the @DetroitCityFC ownership group! Also looking forward to expanding the work of my foundation into the Detroit area. ⚽️🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/ANwItxsVVb
— Keefe A. (@xKam3x) August 23, 2020
