When was your club founded, by whom, and what is the mission?
Athletico Michigan was officially founded on January 1, 2021. Unofficially, our first group of guys began playing friendlies in the summer of 2018. They then began to formally compete as the Over 30 team of Livonia City Football Club in December of 2018 during a winter holiday tournament hosted by Ultimate Soccer Arena (now UWM Sports Complex) in Pontiac, MI. The team was formed by LCFC board member Dan Fick and supported by another LCFC board member, Tyler Frisbie. This Livonia City Over 30s team played its inaugural season in the Michigan United Soccer League (MUSL) the following summer.

Protagonist readers are no doubt familiar with Livonia City and their ever-expanding trophy case. Our 5-1-8 season didn't exactly meet club expectations and goals. There were a handful of LCFC open players that were aging into the Over 30 division and a general sense that the team could use an injection of outside talent. The leadership group within our team grappled with the difficult decision to either keep the roster intact and place culture over competition or focus on bringing in new talent to align with club competition standards.

Covid struck in early 2020 and cancelled the MUSL season, so the decision for the future of the team did not have to be made right away. We played some friendlies and a makeshift tournament throughout the summer and fall. The team became closer as acquaintances turned into friends, and then friends turned into brothers. It was clear that this group wanted to stay together. In late 2020, we let the parent club know that we would be forming a new club and on the first day of the new year Athletico Michigan was born.

Dan still diligently serves as Club Manager. After 3 years as Captain, Tyler has now moved into an Assistant Manager role for the 2023 campaign. Club members vote each off-season on Captains for the next season and this year Alex Oroszi was voted to lead after 2 seasons as a vice captain. Nate Janulis returns in 2023 for a second year as vice captain and Ralph Valenzuela joins the Athletico Michigan leadership group for the first time as the second vice captain.

Our mission is twofold: family and football. We want to strike the balance between being competitive in Over 30 soccer and creating a culture where guys want to spend time with each other off the field. We value our team’s mental fitness as much as our physical fitness. We’ve been able to be present for each other during both difficult and enjoyable moments. We are our own supporter group and would do anything for one of our own.

Tell us about your badge and colors – what inspired the choice, or did it just fall into place?
Everything is Michigan themed – from the deep green/blue of our many lakes, to the state animal white-tailed deer, to the state tree white pine. The five stars below the stag represent each of the Great Lakes. The State of Michigan flag was the inspiration for the shape of our crest and the inclusion of “Tuebimur”, which is Latin for “We shall defend”. We floated around dozens of design ideas and drafts in our group chats, but it was a local graphic designer Matt Rosenbach that really brought it to life.

We also partnered with Icarus FC to create kits that are unique to Michigan. Our home whites are sublimated with the Michigan State Stone, the Petoskey Stone. Our away greens are sublimated with the Michigan State Gem, the Chlorastrolite (aka the Isle Royale Gemstone).

We have had players from all over the state, all over the country, and all over the world wear these jerseys into competition. What brings us together is the place we all happen to find ourselves living and playing at the same time: Michigan.

What league do you play in? Why did you choose that league?
We play in the Michigan United Soccer League’s 3rd division for Over 30 Men. The decision to play in and support this league is an absolute no-brainer for us. With nearly 3,000 athletes competing across a range of age groups and divisions, the MUSL is one of the largest adult soccer leagues in the nation. There is truly no better competitive Over 30 Men’s league. The league also supports a league cup (all teams within the division) and a state cup (all teams within the age group) to add to the 14-game regular season.

Do you sell merch or have plans to?
We have created merchandise for our players such as warm-up tees, sweatshirts, and hats. At this point, nothing has been made publicly available. We are cooking something up with Icarus and another partner that will be big news for the club. Stay tuned for more information about that in the next couple of months.

How did you finish last season? How do you plan on improving for next year?
Each year we have shown improvement in play and in league standings. Last year we finished with 19 points (5-4-5) which was good enough for a 4th place finish. It was also the first time in team history that we finished with a positive goal differential. We see our team as poised to take the next step and would be disappointed with anything less than Top 3. We’ve added some talented new players (announced on our Twitter) which have bumped up our competitiveness in our off-season leagues and friendlies. We expect to compete for the league title as well as the league cup. And never count us out of the state cup either. Everyone loves a Cinderella story.

If there were one or two teams, within 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
We’ve been talking about getting out of town to do some tournaments. There isn’t necessarily a team we are circling, but the Michigan winters get cold, so we are looking at maybe getting down to warmer weather next winter. The Michigan Bullets take their Over 40 and Over 50 teams down to Florida each year for the Florida Classic and have historically been very successful against teams from around the country. We’ve also been bugging Icarus FC to include an Over 30 division in their yearly 7v7 Icarus Cup in Philly.

We won’t shy away from a challenge! DM us on Twitter or Instagram if you are an Over 30 team looking for a new opponent.

Give Athletico Michigan a follow on Facebook HERE
And see what they’re up to on Twitter HERE