A little over a year ago we introduced you to Matt Schmitt and his club, Muskegon Risers READ HERE and we thought there was no time like the present to catch up with them; see what they’ve been up to and what we might have missed the first time round.

For some of our brand-new readers, can you take a second to explain the origins of Muskegon Risers?

The Muskegon Risers organization was established in January of 2014 to help facilitate positive social and economic change along the Muskegon Lakeshore through the game of soccer. A Riser is someone who understands our community’s potential and who pushes themselves and others to realize that potential. Our ‘Risers’ name was inspired by the ‘Muskegon, Together Rising’ sculpture that stands in the heart of downtown Muskegon. Risers are not limited to an era, industry or ethnicity. The Muskegon Risers to represent the spirit of our area’s people in past, present and future tense.

MKG fields a men’s outdoor team (National Premier Soccer League), men’s arena team (Major Arena Soccer League II), women’s outdoor team (United Women’s Soccer), women’s arena team (Independent) and eSports team (eNPSL/VPG). The Risers play all home outdoor games at historic Monsignor Kehren Stadium, and all arena games in downtown Muskegon’s Mercy Health Arena.

It looks like you've updated your badge since last we spoke; can you walk us through it? What are the elements and what do they mean?

“Muskegon” originates from the word “mashkig” of the area’s indigenous Ojibwe tribe, and our arrow-shaped crest recognizes this history. Geographically, the City is positioned on Lake Michigan and has the only deep-water port, Muskegon Lake, on Michigan’s west coast. As a Port City, shipping, boating and beach-going help shape Muskegon’s modern industry and culture. The crest’s blue and green colors are a reflection of Muskegon’s natural beauty as a lakeside community, particularly during the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the Muskegon Risers winter arena season, our crest colors change to black and white as Muskegon Lake freezes and lake effect snow blankets the community. The unique symbol located at the crest’s top – layered over iconic sun and waves – is derived from the sculpture at the heart of Downtown Muskegon named “Muskegon, Together Rising”.

Indoors, Outdoors... and even on ice. It looks like your club is willing to play soccer anywhere; why is that and do the players from the NPSL and UWS players participate in all levels of competition or do you have recreation and co-ed squads?

Our purpose is centered around creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer. As such, we're able to adapt with different variations in which the game is played and will compete if we feel confident in our ability to deliver a quality experience for everyone involved. We focus on elite performance and do not delve into the realm of recreational soccer through the Risers brand.

As mentioned, you have teams in both a men's and women's league, why is it important to provide a similar opportunity to the women of your community? Do they have a totally separate set of coaches? Budget?

Every decision we make is derived from our core mission of creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer, and the addition of a women's team effectively doubles the force with which we are able to serve that purpose. The women's outdoor team does operate within its own business model, as does our women's arena team. Our relentless commitment to a clear organizational purpose has allowed us to create opportunities for men's and women's outdoor and indoor players, and most recently eSports players.

With the NPSL cancelling the season, are you still holding out hope for local competitions and regional cups or have you decided to just put the whole men's team on hold for 2020? What about the UWS and the women's squad - what's the word?

In late March, the NPSL cancelled its season on a national level and we completely understood the decision. Locally, we continued to evaluate our landscape until early April when it was clear that moving forward with a men's and women's outdoor season in 2020 was not in the organization's best interest. We've embraced the mantra "The Obstacle is the Way" and are using this opportunity to build an eSports program, which just started its inaugural eNPSL season last week https://virtualprogaming.com/league/enpsl

What do we have to look forward to in the Fall / Winter? Rec leagues? More indoor? What do you have up your sleeve?

Assuming the public health data and local policies are favorable, we plan to re-activate our men's and women's arena teams who would start competition in January of 2021. The question for all of our teams is when, not if, they will return to full competition which is a position we are very grateful to be in.

To keep up with Muskegon Risers: https://muskegonrisers.com/