Franchise burns bright

Soccer gets hotter every year, and Fort Wayne is feeling the Fever.

The professional men’s soccer team was on fire its first year, finishing 10-6-2 and missing the playoffs by only one game. This year things heat up even more with the addition of a women’s team, the first professional female team in Fort Wayne since the Daisies played softball in the 1940s.

Former Fort Wayne Flames pro and current Fever head coach Bobby Poursanidis teamed up with Tom Lapsley and Michael Khorshid to kick-start the venture.

“There was a demand for it with the local talent,” says Lee Crawford, director of operations and a member of the team. College players can maintain eligibility and amateur status, “so they come back home here to Fort Wayne to play in the summer,” Crawford says. The Fever also features recent graduates of Indiana University, Purdue University and other top-notch programs, as well as the cream of the local high school crop.

The Fever plays in the Central Division, Great Lakes Conference of the Premier Development League. It feeds players up to the Pro-Select, A League and MLS. Already some fast feet from Fort Wayne have made their mark: Gerardo Quiroz has moved to the A League in Atlanta, and Phil Presser plays pro indoor soccer in Kansas City.

“It’s the highest level of soccer they’ll see in northeast Indiana,” Crawford says of PDL competition.

The Fever has spread beyond Hefner Fields. Players and staff conduct National Pro Soccer School camps all summer at sites as far as Berwyn, Penn. Former local high school stars and current MLS standouts DaMarcus and Jamar Beasley have assisted. The Fever also maintains a relationship with area youth travel teams through its Fever Academy.

The women’s team will extend the Fever’s reach even further. Coached by Ben Waldrum, a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame, it is a top-notch venue for familiar local talent such as Jennie Moppert of Bishop Luers.

“Soccer in Fort Wayne has really grown over the past 20 years,” Crawford says. “The teams should be well-supported. Fort Wayne is a big sports town.”

Fort Wayne Fever

The men’s first home game is 7:30 May 20 against Toledo. The women’s first game is 7:30 May 22 vs. Windy City. Hefner Fields are near The Plex, just west of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne off Coliseum Boulevard. See www.fwfever.com for more information or to purchase tickets.