Northern Michigan Football Club (NMFC) began to take shape in late 2021. Co-Founders Kyle Lieberman and Jeff Suffolk began their efforts to reshape the landscape for soccer in Northern Michigan in 2020 by creating Petoskey Field House, the only indoor turf training facility in the region. Since that time, over 400 young athletes have participated in the Northern Michigan Elite (NME) soccer training provided at Petoskey Field House, demonstrating just how strong the demand is for high quality soccer opportunities in this area.
NME was created to provide supplementary training for young players looking to improve their game. However, Lieberman & Suffolk ultimately realized that players who were advancing their abilities through NME did not have adequate opportunities to utilize their newly sharpened skills in a competitive club environment. The decision was made to start NMFC to provide the premier soccer opportunities Northern Michigan players deserve.
The mission of NMFC is to provide a pathway in youth soccer for maximum player development, while instilling habits of success in our athletes for life on and off the field.
To achieve our mission, NMFC promises to provide all available and necessary resources to allow our players to reach their full potential as players and people. Our program is dedicated to helping young athletes advance as far as their talent and commitment will take them.
This page shares just a few examples of the unique resources NMFC provides to local athletes to help them develop. From our exceptional coaching staff, to our state and national club partnerships, to our exclusive access to Petoskey Field House, NMFC truly is a premier club without equal in Northern Michigan. If you and your young athlete are committed to reaching your full potential, we at NMFC would like the opportunity to help guide that journey!
NMFC is an unapologetically competitive, merit-based, win-focused youth soccer program. We encourage competition and want our athletes to strive to be the very best they can be. We aim to be elite. However, we welcome ALL players looking to push themselves to be their best. No matter a player's hometown, financial status, social status, or any other characteristic, NMFC has a place for him or her on one simple condition. NMFC players must be committed to becoming the best they can be. Beyond that, our doors are open to all of Northern Michigan.
Nobody wants to see Northern Michigan soccer thrive more than those at NMFC. While some may try to say that a premier club undermines smaller local rec teams, we can assure you this is the furthest thing from the truth. In reality, NMFC is here simply to provide the premier playing opportunities our peers throughout the state and nation enjoy in larger markets. You the customer deserve the opportunity to choose the best path for your young soccer player(s). If recreational play and minimum obligations are better for you and/or your player, there are lots of wonderful playing opportunities still available in Northern Michigan. If your player wants to compete and develop at a high level, NMFC is here to provide a pathway for those opportunities.
Did you know NMFC is 100% locally owned and operated? While we are proud to partner with Vardar Soccer to provide upward mobility opporutnities for our top players and teams, NMFC is actually owned and operated from Petoskey. Co-Founder Kyle Lieberman is a lifelong 4th generation resident of the area, while Co-Founder Jeff Suffolk made Northern Michigan his permanent home in 2018. NMFC is built with the full sensibilities of local residents and soccer minds, and it is here for the long haul!
NMFC promotes maximum soccer opportunities. We want our athletes to have the opportunity to play and develop as much as they desire. That is very different from forcing athletes to "specialize". In reality, NMFC encourages multi-sport athletes and works with member families to accommodate schedules whenever possible. We encourage some amount of soccer training year-round to ensure competitive development, but will always support our players exploring other sports and recreational opportunities. For players who want to dedicate to soccer year-round, we have the solutions for them. For players who want to compete in soccer but also thrive in other sports, we have opportunities as well. The one consistent demand we have of our players is commitment of effort. So long as he or she is consistently working to improve, we will always do all we can to accommodate for life off the field as well.
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