Akron Vulcans (Akron, OH) are proud to announce that the club has joined the National Futsal Premier League (NFPL). The club joins Ann Arbor Mudpuppies, Columbus Futsal, FC Tryzub, Futsal Indy, Grand Rapids ABK, Lansing City Futsal, Cadence and Bari 91of Chicago and Mit West Futsal Club in the league.
“We could not be more excited to announce the Akron Vulcans as the first expansion team for the NFPL 2019-2020 season,” NFPL Staff Member Drew Ducker said. “The Akron/Cleveland area has a long, rich history of indoor soccer and Futsal. With Otto’s background in Futsal and indoor soccer, we are confident that his group will quickly become one of the NFPL’s leaders. We believe they will not only add another layer of professionalism to the league, but also attract more teams and new markets in the future. Welcome Akron Vulcans!”
The Vulcans are led by the ownership group of former professional soccer player Nick DiCello and attorney Michael DeJohn. The coaching staff consists of head coach and Director of Futsal Operations Otto Orf, Brazilian Assistant Coach Yan Brener, and Goalkeeper Coach and Assistant General Manager Nick Miletti.
“This is an opportunity to give back to the sport that has given me an identity and livelihood for the past 40 years,” Orf added. “This is our chance to pioneer a sport that has taken the rest of the world by storm and the ‘Vulcan Futsal’ team is focused on making Akron, Ohio the epicenter of futsal development in the United States. I invite the entire community to join us in this sporting revolution, to come out and see what ‘Vulcan Futsal’ is all about and once again fill the Goodyear Hall with the fans of Akron’s newest sports team.”
The club takes its name from Akron’s rubber history and the process of vulcanization which Charles Goodyear pioneered in the 1850’s. The Vulcans will play home matches at the historic Goodyear Hall in Akron’s newly renovated East End District. The venue has seating for 1,500 with 60 VIP behind the bench floor seats, 50 front row floor seats opposite the player benches and 100 second and third row floor seats. The mezzanine seating will have 180 prime seats, five sections of 50 seats for not-for-profit groups, and the remainder will be general admission and standing room only.
“The local Great Lakes Futsal League and Heart and Sole Futsal Academy have grown one of the largest youth futsal communities and some of the very best young futsal talent in the country over the past 15 years,” Orf concluded. “We have developed high-level futsal relationships both nationally and internationally in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe over the past decade. And now we will make use of these assets, combining them to provide affordable, high-quality entertainment for the soccer and futsal playing community of Northeast Ohio while simultaneously developing the first true generation of adult American futsal players. Our goal is to provide an avenue for those players who would like to continue pursuing the sport as a career at the professional or national team level.”
More information about the club can be found at www.vulcanfutsal.com or by following the club on Facebook (@FutsalVulcan), Instagram (@vulcanfutsal), and Twitter (@vulcanfutsal).
