Mike Avery, who has coached Fort Wayne Football Club since its inception, will be inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame on Feb. 28. He was chosen for his decades of coaching, mentorship and community building in soccer within the state.
Avery, 57, is preparing to guide Fort Wayne FC into its first season of professional soccer in USL League One. The season begins March 7 against FC Naples in Naples, Florida.
Fort Wayne FC’s Director of Football Operations and Co-owner, DaMarcus Beasley, was inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame in 2018.
In USL League Two, a pre-professional level, Avery guided Fort Wayne Football Club to Valley Division championships in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and appearances in the Central Conference Semifinals the past two seasons. Avery has compiled a 39-18-12 record with the club, including a 38-10-7 record the past four years.
Under Avery’s guidance, a multitude of players advanced from USL League Two to professional soccer, including Seth Antwi and Forster Ajago, who have played in Major League Soccer. From last season’s team, defender Tiago Dias and goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe were selected to the All-Conference Team and Dias was named Valley Division Player of the Year. Defender Reid Sproat made the All-League team in 2023 and Briscoe won the Golden Glove Award the same year.
Prior to joining Fort Wayne Football Club in 2020, Avery was the head coach at Valparaiso University (2007-2020), an assistant coach at the University of Louisville (2006-2007), an assistant at the University of Notre Dame (2000-2006), head coach at Cal State San Bernardino (1997-1999), and head coach at Bethel University (1994-1996). He also served as the interim head coach at Trine University in 2024.
As a player, he followed a standout career at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, with professional play for Real Santa Barbara, in Sweden for Askims IK, and with the Indiana Invaders in South Bend.
Also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year is Carla Baker, who played for the Canadian National Team, and has coached at Notre Dame, Carmel High School, Park Tudor High School, and has impacted soccer as a referee, mentor and administrator.
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 is building a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium, Fort Wayne FC Park, that will open at Bass Road and I-69 in 2026. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit FortWayneFC.com.