The Soccer Rebellion, a local grassroots soccer movement working to bring American street soccer culture to Grand Rapids through community building, brings back Friday nights at Las Canchas as the Bridge Street League returns for its second season of competitive street soccer.
Located in the refurbished and updated Dash Lot Area at 250 Seward Ave. NW, Las Canchas de Futbol Comunitarias (community soccer fields) opened in 2022 as a designated three-court park, free and open to the public, for futsal competitions and as a local spot for community members.
Futsal, similar to soccer or futbol, is played on a smaller court instead of a traditional soccer field. While it is typically an indoor sport, Las Canchas de Futbol Communitarias offers outdoor courts. Additionally, futsal features fewer players on the court compared to traditional soccer.
CEO of The Soccer Rebellion, Michael Dublis, launched the inaugural season of the Bridge Street League in 2023 with the hopes of increasing neighborhood engagement in Grand Rapids.
“I wanted this to feel like a front porch community where everyone kind of knows each other — kind of Grand Rapids out in the open," Dublis said when discussing the league’s origin.
While hosting tournament events around the country this past year, The Soccer Rebellion found there were few opportunities for women to play other women in a designated league. This lack of opportunity led The Soccer Rebellion CFO Danielle Dublis to head up this new six-team women's league.
In addition to the launch of the women’s league, the men’s league roster has grown to add a new 12th team in 2024.
The league hosts matches every Friday evening from 6-8 p.m., which started Friday and will run for six weeks, ending June 14. Each Friday night will present a unique theme for attendees to enjoy along with the matches.
Season themes:
May 10: Media Day
May 17: Homage to Hip Hop - Featuring rap battles and performances from local artists
May 24: Skateboard night - Freestyle performances from local street skaters
May 31: Ladies Night
June 7: Family Night - Kids can play at half time and family-themed vendors
June 14: Bridge Street League Finals
Friday nights at Las Canchas are free to the public and will feature vendors from the team sponsors, team merch apparel for sale, food trucks and concessions sold on-site.
All of the Bridge Street League teams are sponsored by businesses local to Grand Rapids and West Michigan, with some new sponsors entering the mix for the 2024 season.
“Our mission was really to get sponsors that accurately represent the Grand Rapids culture or organizations that stand out within Grand Rapids,” Michael Dublis said. “So we got sponsors like Madcap Coffee, McCoy Bakery, Kusterer Brauhaus and Garage Bar to have a more accurate representation of Grand Rapids and celebrate the culture on Friday Nights.”
The Soccer Rebellion also made an effort in its launch season to bring in community members by having team jerseys designed by local artists.
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