GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It’s a name West Michigan knows well: Amway was announced Monday as the naming sponsor of the soccer stadium proposed for Grand Rapids’ West Side.
“(Amway) has and continues to be committed to investing in (West Michigan) — in its people and its success. And today, we are proud to announce the Amway Stadium,” Amway President and CEO Michael Nelson said at a morning announcement event at New Holland Brewing.
“It’s truly an honor for us to continue the legacy of community partnership and to have our name associated with this new Grand Rapids landmark,” he added.
The Ada-based multilevel-marketing health and beauty product company promised a donation of $33 million for the development of the $175 million stadium, Carol Van Andel, co-chair of economic development nonprofit Grand Action 2.0, said.
Van Andel said that Amway “epitomizes the giving spirit” of the region’s business community.
“They are willing to say yes, and perhaps more importantly, they get other businesses to say yes, as well,” to public-private partnerships, she said.
The plan is to build the stadium an 8.2-acre site along US-131 near the YMCA. With 8,500 seats and an 18-story tower with restaurants, shops, apartments and offices, the development is expected to draw some 160,000 people downtown each year and have a $408 million economic impact for the city in its first 30 years.
“Transformative projects like the Amway Stadium are visible displays of the pride and purposeful intent we have for Grand Rapids and this region,” Nelson said. “While this stadium will be the home of a new professional soccer club, we see the stadium as so much more: a hub for community interaction and for healthy activity, making Amway Stadium and Grand Rapids a destination in Michigan and beyond.”
The stadium will be run by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority.
Grand Action 2.0 says all the public money funding the project has been lined up and that it has secured about 80% of the private donations it was seeking.
That public money includes dollars from the increase in Kent County’s hotel tax, which was approved by voters in August and is expected to generate about $8 million in revenue annually. The new tax goes into effect Jan. 1. Also in August, the state approved $252 million worth of tax incentives for the proposed Amway Stadium, the Acrisure Ampitheater now under construction and two other mixed-use projects nearby.
“We all know that it’s more than just a stadium. It’s more than just a team. It’s about building that stronger community together, more vibrant community,” Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said. “It’s about attracting talent. It’s about the jobs that are created not just during the construction, but long-term jobs in our community. It’s about the businesses … who are going to benefit, who are going to feel that additional support from people coming in to go to the soccer stadium. It’s the new business opportunities, where people are going to look at opportunities in this area, the west side of our city, and say, ‘I want to open a new business over there.'”
ANTICIPATION BUILDS
Local youth and semiprofessional soccer clubs are excited about what a pro team would do for soccer culture in West Michigan and how it will help their young players develop.
“I think it is massive,” said Lewis Robinson, club executive director of Grand Rapids-based youth program Midwest United FC. “You learn so much in this game and all games from going to watch on a Friday or Saturday night. I know I have a bunch of players that will be future professionals. So to hear the buzz from them there will be a world where in five or 10 years they can play professionally here in Grand Rapids for their hometown — now, that’s a dream for anyone.”
“Many of our kids are aspiring to that,” agreed Bre Brendsel, executive director of youth program Rapids FC. “To place a player in a stadium of that size and allow them to experience what they are working toward, it’s exciting for them. It just grows their passion.”
Brendsel is also a board member with the Grand Valley Soccer Association. The youth league has been in communication with the stadium’s development team about making the pitch available for players.
“As a board and as a league, we have really focused on inclusion and access,” she said. “There’s going to be high schools, youth teams, state cup games. To have the opportunity to play in a venue like that just inspires players.”
However it is used, hopes are high for Amway Stadium among the growing soccer community in West Michigan.
“I’m sure the team will be similar to the way the (Grand Rapids) Griffins (hockey team) have been downtown,” Robinson said. “Done with the highest levels of quality and professionalism and truly one of the top minor league soccer locations in the country. I’ve been here almost 20 years. It used to be hard to find a game on television. Now, there are a number of bars downtown you can find packed on a Saturday morning. There are so many clubs. Any open field or space and you see kids playing. There are leagues on the weekends. It has certainly grown a lot and it’s only going to get bigger.”
Construction on Amway Stadium is set to start next year, possibly as early as spring. The goal is for it to open in the spring of 2027.
“The thing that’s most important to me about this soccer facility and the soccer stadium is going to be the memories,” Dick DeVos, co-chair of the Amway Board of Directors and of Grand Action 2.0, said. “(The DeVos family has) been involved in the basketball business in Orlando for many years, and when I go to a game, the most thrilling part to me is to sit there inside that arena and look around and see families and children building memories together.”