A total of $23,218 was raised to combat cancer through the inaugural John Bellio Tribute Night at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
The monies raised benefit Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana.
Bellio, one of the original owners of Fort Wayne Football Club, died in 2025 from cancer and didn’t get to see the club’s ascension to professional soccer or the opening of Ruoff Mortgage Stadium at 6411 Bass Road.
John Bellio Tribute Night was July 18 and Fort Wayne FC defeated Greenville Triumph SC 3-0 on an emotional night.
The match was preceded by a ceremony in which a plaque honoring Bellio was unveiled with his wife, Terri, and other family and friends on hand. The plaque will be a permanent fixture at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, and the club plans to make John Bellio Tribute Night an annual event.
Ruoff Mortgage pledged to donate $5,000 for every goal scored by Fort Wayne FC against Greenville and that amounted to $15,000, thanks to goals by Ryan Becher, Lilian Ricol and Kabiru Gafar.
Fort Wayne FC also donated $1 for every ticket sold, which amounted to $3,299, an amount matched by the Bellio family.
Additionally, $1,620 was raised through donations directly to an online link set up by Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana and Fort Wayne FC.
Fort Wayne FC plays 11 p.m. Saturday in Lancaster, California, against AV Alta FC. The Autumn Gold & Black are back at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Aug. 15, when they play host to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
About Fort Wayne Football Club
Fort Wayne Football Club, founded in 2019, is a professional soccer club playing its first season in USL League One in 2026. The club plays home matches at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, which opened May 2, 2026, and is a soccer-specific venue. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit FortWayneFC.com.
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.