Fort Wayne Football Club has finalized a partnership with Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), which will serve as the club’s Official Training Grounds beginning this season and until such time the club builds its own training facilities.
Fort Wayne FC and CTSFW made the announcement jointly today and the agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2028.
“A team’s training ground is pivotal to its long-term success in player development, and we’re delighted to partner with Concordia Theological Seminary,” Fort Wayne FC Sporting Director Oliver Gage said. “Their facilities offer us a professional and private setting where we can empower the staff and players to improve daily.
“As we set out to make Fort Wayne a destination of choice for USL players and staff, we know calling the Seminary home for the next few years will provide us with one of the best facilities in USL League One.”
Fort Wayne FC, founded in 2019, is preparing for its first season in USL League One, a fully professional soccer league with teams across the nation. Season tickets are currently on sale.
The club will have use of the CTSFW soccer field, locker rooms, weight room, training room, coaches’ offices and other facilities. As part of the agreement, Fort Wayne FC will assist in upgrades to the CTSFW facilities, including improvements to the soccer field. Once field renovations are completed, Fort Wayne FC will begin training on the seminary grounds.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Fort Wayne Football Club,” said Lance Hoffman, Chief Operating Officer at CTSFW. “We are so pleased that this could be worked out, and we look forward to seeing USL League One players on our campus this spring.
“What a wonderful opportunity to partner with Fort Wayne FC,” Hoffman continued. “From the very beginnings of our dialogue, there have been just so many benefits for both FWFC & CTSFW that this partnership just makes sense.”
Fort Wayne FC’s first USL League One training camp will open Jan. 26. A full training camp schedule, including the site(s) of practices, will be announced at a later date.
The club’s regular season opens March 7 against FC Naples at Naples, Florida, with Fort Wayne FC’s first home match at Fort Wayne FC Park on May 2 against the Charlotte Independence.
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.
About Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Founded in 1846, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, forms servants of Jesus Christ in a vibrant, Christ-centered theological community that engages and resources the church and the world, domestically and internationally, with distinctively Lutheran teaching, practice, and worship. To learn more, visit ctsfw.edu.
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.