How USL club Detroit City balance driving social change with brand partnerships

The USL club was founded by a group of five Detroit residents who had previously been instrumental in forming a Detroit ‘beer league’ which was created to bring local communities together.

Since then, the club has had a strong social purpose and in 2014 became the first American sports team to wear a uniform in support of LGBTQ inclusion in a regulation match.

What at the time was a show of support for equal marriage has since grown into an annual campaign called Prideraiser. Managed by independent supporters at the Northern Guard Supporters Group, the campaign raises money for the Ruth Ellis Centre, a shelter for at-risk, runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth.

While the club's support of LGBTQ charities and other social causes in the city has earned them plaudits, such support isn't always a winner with brands, especially those who are risk averse.

Speaking to the Footballco Business Podcast, Mann said: "It's kind of a core feature of our club now that every June, our supporters do this campaign called Prideraiser, where they donate money based on the number of goals we score over the course of the year, which is just a kind of fun way. I mean, they donate regardless of how well we do, but we've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars now over the last eight or nine years for this homeless shelter.

"On top of that our supporters and other supporters around the country have now grown this across this country. But we're still the leaders in it. And that's something we look to build on every year.

"I think we've gotten to and we're developing a sweet spot of partners who recognise who we are and what we're doing, and they want to be a part of it and support it. And also they recognize it doesn't make sense to invest their limited marketing dollars in a club if they feel like they're going to get pushback for it. We're not of a size and clout that people are going to take that risk.

"But we've developed really great partners. Ally Bank, who's based here in Detroit, one of the main sponsors of women's soccer in America... they're one of our main partners. They saw what the Prideraiser campaign is and they match what the supporters raise and they've helped exponentially grow the donations to the homeless shelter here.

"I think that's a very organic way that our corporate partners have been helping. We live our values. And I think those are the type of relationships that we are increasingly trying to cultivate."

To hear more from Mann on the club’s roots, its role in the community and his views on Lionel Messi in MLS, listen to the full show below or click here.