FC Michigan
EIN: 82-2613618 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legal name: Michigan Futball Club, dba “Michigan FC”)
Overview
FC Michigan (legal name Michigan Futball Club) is a community-driven youth soccer nonprofit serving the Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, and Allen Park area. The club was established in 2015 as a summer soccer camp provider and expanded into year-round youth-association and recreation-department programming. It received IRS 501(c)(3) determination in 2020. In Spring 2016, the organization launched its competitive premier club arm with one team; for the 2022-23 season the club fielded 32 boys and girls competitive teams from U8 to U19. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2728, Dearborn, MI 48123.
The club identifies as part of the broader Dearborn Arab-American soccer ecosystem, alongside Dearborn Soccer Club and other community-rooted programs.
Financials
ProPublica indicates the organization files Form 990-N (the e-postcard for nonprofits with under $50K in gross receipts) — no full Form 990 financial detail is available on file (LOW confidence on revenue scale; the 990-N filing requirement implies the formal nonprofit entity is small, but actual program economics may be larger if revenue flows through a related entity, partner organization, or fee-pass-through structure).
For a 32-team club, total program-fee revenue would typically run in the $300K-$800K range; the absence of full 990 data suggests either (a) the entity collects modest direct revenue with most family payments going to partner leagues/facilities, or (b) the nonprofit was operating at sub-$50K scale through its most recent filing year. The discrepancy between a 32-team competitive footprint and 990-N status is notable and warrants further verification.
Teams & Players
- 32 boys and girls competitive teams, U8-U19 (HIGH; club website 2022-23)
- Year-round soccer school for K-5 (Grade) youth since 2015 (community development arm)
- Youth academy and competitive premier club teams
- Improved playing formats: 5v5, 7v7, 9v9, 11v11
League Affiliations
- IMPACT National Premier League (NPL) — boys and girls competitive teams
- EDP League — competitive teams
- New England Club Soccer League (NECSL) — competitive teams
- MSPSL (Michigan State Premier Soccer League) — youngest age groups (U6-U9)
- MSYSA — state association affiliation
- ECNL Regional League — Greater Michigan Alliance, founding member (2025-26)
The combination of NPL (US Club), EDP, NECSL, and now ECNL-RL is unusual and reflects an opportunistic, multi-pathway league strategy rather than franchise alignment with any single national platform.
Facilities
The club uses partner facilities across Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, and Allen Park — town youth soccer associations and municipal recreation departments. No club-owned facility is identified.
Leadership
- Captain Abbas Alwishah — U12 to U19 Director (current); previously U6-U12 Youth Development. Wayne State University B.S./M.S. Electrical Engineering; USSF C License. Former Dearborn Soccer Youth Development coach (2013-14). Former Michigan Premier Soccer League player. Originally from Iraq.
- Abraham Mezaael — MSPSL U6/U7 Coach
- Maria Albiraihy — Mentor (also FRC robotics team 8623 mentor)
- Luke Lass — Coach, trainer, mentor
- John Kirb — Volunteer Program Coordinator
The leadership and coaching staff is heavily Arab-American, reflecting the club’s community roots. Major corporate sponsors include TE Connectivity, Caterpillar, CNH, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Microchip, NXP, Ford, DTE Energy, Bosch, Dassault Systèmes, Altair, and Molex — a sponsor base that skews toward engineering and automotive employers tied to the Dearborn/Detroit industrial corridor.
Competitive Position
FC Michigan occupies a distinctive position in metro Detroit youth soccer: a community-rooted Dearborn-area nonprofit that has progressively built up to ECNL-RL franchise access while retaining a recreation-and-development character at the K-5 level. Primary local peers are Dearborn Soccer Club (Arab-American community heritage), DCFC West (Wayne County, Canton), and Bavarian United SC (multi-cultural community model). FC Michigan is the smaller of these by team count and revenue, but its multi-league competitive strategy (NPL + EDP + NECSL + ECNL-RL) gives it broader pathway exposure than peers focused on a single league family.
Industry Context
The Dearborn area’s Arab-American soccer ecosystem — anchored by Dearborn Soccer Club, FC Michigan, and a handful of smaller community programs — represents one of the more distinctive cultural-community soccer clusters in U.S. youth soccer. The 2025-26 ECNL-RL Greater Michigan Alliance launch brought several of these community clubs (FC Michigan included) into the formal national-pathway pyramid for the first time, marking a structural shift in how the elite-pathway pyramid in southeastern Michigan is composed. Whether the community-rooted clubs can sustain ECNL-RL operating standards (coaching certifications, travel commitments, family fees) at scale will be a defining question for the alliance’s first 2-3 seasons.
Open Questions
- Actual program revenue (990-N status implies <$50K formal revenue but 32-team operation suggests higher activity through partner entities)
- Player count across the K-5 development arm vs the U8-U19 competitive program
- Founding leadership and current board composition (no formal board roster published)
- Long-term financial sustainability of multi-league competitive strategy
- Relationship structure with Dearborn youth-soccer associations and rec departments (FC Michigan as a programming overlay vs an independent pathway)