Indy Eleven Tryouts & Club Guide: History, Stadium, Players, and More!
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Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium, with plans for a new stadium in the city’s downtown district.
Indy Eleven Youth Development System
Open Tryouts
Registration for MID-SEASON OPEN TRYOUTS is now OPEN for registration. Click here for more info.
For any questions regarding the 2021 Open Tryout or upcoming tryouts, please contact Josh Kremers, Indy Eleven Director, Youth Development. joshk@Indyeleven.com
Video Submission & Review
Are you a player looking for a team not during the designated tryout or preseason time frame with Indy Eleven (DEC & JAN)? You can submit your video at the link below for the coaching staff to review and provide feedback. We do charge $25.00 (USD) for this service as to ensure you are serious about the opportunity. At Indy Eleven, we have high expectations for performance on and off the field, so be mindful and open to honest feedback. The submission link can be found by clicking here.
Youth Soccer Program
Indy Eleven is proud to announce the launch of the Indy Eleven Youth Soccer Program, a grass roots initiative that will grow accessibility to the sport across Indiana by supporting recreational soccer programs at partnering youth soccer clubs.
The new program will grow to provide support for more than 15,000 rec-level players from programs across the Hoosier State. Current Indy Eleven Youth Soccer Program member clubs as of Spring 2021 include:
- The Canterbury Football Club (Allen County)
- Circle City Futbol Club (Marion County)
- Cutters Soccer Club (Monroe County) (Founding Member Club)
- Danville Optimist Youth Soccer League (Hendricks County)
- Glendale Soccer Association (Marion County)
- Impact Soccer Club (Hancock County) (Founding Member Club)
- Jasper Youth Soccer (Dubois County)
- South Central Soccer Academy (Johnson County) (Founding Member Club)
- Westfield Youth Soccer Association/Indiana Fire Juniors (Hamilton County) (Founding Member Club)
Indy Eleven Soccer Camps
Do you want to get your young soccer players training from Indiana’s professional club? Then register your child for an upcoming Indy Eleven Camp by clicking here.
Indy Eleven Soccer Clinics
Can’t make a week-long Indy Eleven Camp series, but still want a chance to get your young soccer players training from Indiana’s professional club? Then register your child for an upcoming Indy Eleven Clinic! Participants receive:
- Two hours of technical and small group training
- One hour post-clinic Q&A/autograph/photo session with Indy Eleven players in attendance
- An Indy Eleven tee-shirt
- 1 ticket to an Indy Eleven game (and a discount code for additional tickets)
- Indy Eleven giveaway promo items
Click here to register for a clinic near you today, and continue to visit the page as more dates are announced throughout the year!
Indy Eleven Small Group Training
The Indy Eleven Youth Development team is adapting to the “new normal” in 2020 with its Small Group Training Session program, coupling its quality instruction with social distancing guidelines to keep participants safe.
Each Small Group Training opportunity can be catered to your organization, with flexible days and times available for scheduling.
All sessions will adhere to the health and safety guidelines for instruction that have been established by Indiana Soccer and will comply with each location’s respective city and county health & safety measures.
Along with the amount of hours of technical training your group wishes to set the program for, session participants will also receive:
- an Indy Eleven tee-shirt
- 1 ticket to an Indy Eleven game (and a discount code for additional tickets)
- Indy Eleven giveaway promo items
Click here to register for a Small Group Training session near you today, and continue to visit the page as more dates are announced throughout the year!
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History
The NASL announced on January 16, 2013, that an Indianapolis expansion team owned by Ersal Ozdemir, CEO of Keystone Group LLC, will join the league in 2014. After serving as a consultant to investigate the possibility of professional soccer in Indianapolis for three months before to the January 2013 announcement, Ozdemir chose Peter Wilt as the team’s inaugural President and General Manager. A ceremony was held on April 25, 2013, at Indianapolis’ Soldiers and Sailors Monument, where the club’s name and colors were officially unveiled to the public.
The regiment that inspired the team’s name was the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which saw action in the American Civil War and achieved recognition for its valor. The regiment was formed on April 25, 1861, under the command of Colonel Lew Wallace. The name of the team pays reference to the state’s history as well as the game’s culture. A team’s full roster is represented by the number of players on the pitch. The Indianapolis 500, the world’s most prestigious automobile race, has included eleven rows of vehicles and drivers since its inception in 1911, giving the number a special significance.
It was on June 11, 2013, that Indy Eleven named former Indiana University star, U.S. international and English Premier League and Major League Soccer veteran Juergen Sommer as its first head coach/director of soccer operations. Kristian Nicht became the team’s first signing on October 1, 2013. Season ticket sales were capped at 7,000 in November 2013, and although though the team didn’t begin play until the spring of 2014, it was the first in NASL history to have an official wait list for season tickets. On April 12, 2014, in front of 11,048 people at Carroll Stadium, the team made its NASL regular-season debut, drawing 1-1 with the Carolina Railhawks. Juergen Sommer was fired as manager on June 2, 2015, and Tim Regan was appointed as an interim replacement.
On December 2, Tim Hankinson was hired as the club’s manager, ending Regan’s interim role. After an unbeaten season, Indy Eleven claimed the 2016 Spring Championship. The squad won its first championship after coming back from a three-goal deficit in a game dubbed “The Miracle at the Mike.” The Eleven declared on January 31st, 2017, that they would apply to join Major League Soccer as part of the league’s 2020 expansion plans. There was no bid for the Eleven in the first round of bidding in 2017.
For 2018, Tim Hankinson will not be manager of the Eleven, the team confirmed on November 28, 2017. For the 2018 season, the Eleven announced that they will be leaving the NASL and joining the United Soccer League.
On January 16, the Eleven announced the appointment of Martin Rennie as their new head coach. The Shop Indy and Indy Eleven partnered together on March 27th, 2020, to begin selling “Indy Eleven Cares” t-shirts. The 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic is the reason for the t-shirts’ sale. Lisa Borinstein Caregiver Assistance Fund: The Community Health Network Foundation’s Lisa Borinstein Caregiver Assistance Fund will receive the proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts.
MLS
As of January 31, 2017, Indianapolis was the 12th franchise to submit an application for one of the four expansion places in the Major League Soccer (MLS). There were four finalist locations for the expansion phase, but Indianapolis was not one of them, MLS Commissioner Don Garber revealed on November 29, 2017. Subsequently, “We are planning to be a finalist for the next round of MLS expansion prospects” was announced by Indy Eleven.
Other cities outperformed Indy Eleven’s attempts to secure a stadium contract with the city and a location for the stadium and received franchises. A new team was added in Austin to this list, as well as Cincinnati, Nashville, Sacramento, St. Louis and Charlotte. Greg Stremlaw reaffirmed that Indy Eleven’s candidacy for MLS expansion is still alive and well after Charlotte was recognized as the league’s 30th team in December, 2019.
To paraphrase Stremlaw’s words, “I believe we have a very solid application.” He also insisted that his company and the bid will follow the same procedure they’ve used throughout the expansion talks.
Colors and Crest
As a nod to both Indianapolis’ motor racing heritage and the Brickyard Battalion supporters group, the name “Eleven” refers to the eleven men who represent Indiana on the field and also pays respect to Indiana’s 11th Regiment Indiana Infantry from the American Civil War. The crest features Lady Victory from the Soldiers and Sailors’ memorial.
The flag of Indianapolis is flown in the same colors as this design. It was revealed on October 1, 2013 that the jerseys would be predominantly red, white and blue with a sublimated checkerboard pattern to pay homage to Indianapolis’ strong auto racing history centered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to Honda, Diadora created the jerseys. Adidas is the manufacturer of the jerseys, which have been in use since the 2017 season, and Honda is the sponsor.
Supporters
Brickyard Battalion
The Brickyard Battalion is the major support group for the Indianapolis Eleven and was founded on August 3, 2011. It all started with a grassroots push to bring professional soccer to Indianapolis, which led to the formation of the supporters’ group. Our supporters are in the thousands across Indiana, with chapters like Slaughterhouse-19 BYB and Battery 37 BYB as well as Cologne – Germany BYB in the greater Indianapolis area and beyond, among others (an affiliate chapter based in Cologne, Germany).
Rivalries
LIPAFC
During the third round of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup, Indy Eleven faced Louisville City FC, a match that the Cardinals won by a score of 2–0. Friendlies between the two teams were scheduled for the following two seasons, and they also met in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup third round, with Indy coming out on top 2–1. It was a divisional rivalry that was dubbed the “Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest,” or “LIPAFC,” by both teams during the season as a result of the Eleven joining the United Soccer League in 2018.
Stadium
Indy Eleven’s home games are held at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is located in the city’s downtown. The Eleven’s home games were held at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium from 2014 to 2017. There was no political backing for the Indy Eleven’s intention to build a new $87 million stadium with 18,500 seats in early 2014. House Bill 1273, introduced to the Indiana General Assembly on January 13th, 2015, proposes to extend the stadium’s ticket taxes through 2045 rather than expiring in 2023, with an estimated $5 million in annual revenue. At Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, they announced in 2018 that they would play their home games. Due to possible scheduling difficulties with Lucas Oil Stadium, IU’s home games will continue to be played at IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium. With a $550 million mixed-use development planned for Eleven Park, the club hopes to build a 20,000-seat stadium.
The project was unveiled in 2019. A 200-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail space, and 600 housing units are all part of the site’s future plans. According to Ersal Ozdemir, this is “the potential to develop a thriving community that will draw individuals and families from near and far to live, work and play” The remaining $150 million will be provided by a public-private partnership in addition to the $400 million proposed by the club. Indy Eleven’s ownership requested $150 million in funding for a city soccer stadium from lawmakers in February of this year.
The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee approved overwhelmingly on April 8th to allow Indy Eleven to negotiate a stadium regardless of whether the team is accepted into the MLS. After that, it was approved by the Senate and signed off on by Governor Eric Holcomb.
It was reported on January 31, 2020 that the stadium, which was initially designed to hold 20,000 people, may be reduced to a significantly lower number of 12,000 people. While the stadium would not be fewer than 12,000 seats, Stremlaw said that it will be built to meet the needs of both the USL Championship league and MLS as a whole if and when the need arises.
