The Ultimate For Indoor Soccer
212,000 square feet of special turf

Courtesy of The Oakland Press
Written by Stephen Frye
October 26, 2007

PONTIAC Soccer moms have nothing on George Derderian Jr. As a soccer dad, the Bloomfield Hills father of two took his love of a sport to a whole new level, leading a group of businessmen to dream up and create what they hope will be the new home for area soccer fanatics.

At 867 South Blvd. on Pontiac's south side, the new facility - the Ultimate Soccer Arenas - is poised to open Nov. 1. On Thursday, the building's open areas and muddy landscaping were bustling with construction workers.

Among the hammers, saws and bulldozers, workers were laying down 212,000 square feet of AstroTurf, designed to fight the infections that have caused schools to close across the county for two weeks.

The $16.5 million project will include three indoor soccer fields, a 1,600-square-foot banquet center, a 130-seat restaurant, a coffee shop and a 3,600-square-foot Strength, Speed and Agility training center, which will be partnered with the rehabilitation program at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital about a mile down the road on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac.

One field will have 2,000 seats for fans and spectators, and it will be the home of the Michigan Bucks, a professional team that is within the premier developmental league for Major League Soccer. Last year, the Bucks lost in the finals, and the year before they were national champions.

Derderian said he envisions a spot where parents and children, teenagers, coaches and soccer players of all ages and skills can gather in an atmosphere where they can share in their love of the game.

The work to create it has been done with an emphasis on Michigan employment and investment, environmentally efficient heating and cooling and health on and off the field.

The highlight Thursday was the arrival of the TurfAidetreated AstroTurf, which has an eight-year guarantee to fight staph infections. The turf came from the Rochesterbased General Sports Venue company.

"It is totally germ-free," Derderian said.

Costing more than $1 million, the turf for the three fields will sit atop crushed limestone and feature 3.2 pounds of recycled tire rubber per square foot - rubber from nearly 34,000 tires.

The facility is on what was a vacant field purchased from General Motors.

Richard Tapper, managing partner, gazed at the dozens of workers Thursday morning and said the 5,000-square foot mezzanine overlooking all three fields will be a sight to behold. He said that juvenile leagues can play six games at a time as the regulation-sized fields can hold two youth games at once.

Also, director of food operations Lou Kyriakoza of West Bloomfield Township said the restaurant will have a full menu.

Conceived in July 2006, ground was broken in July and the first pieces of steel were put up in August.

"We've been very diligent in only using Michigan companies and workers," Derderian said.

The facility will feature coffee provided by The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, a Bloomfield Hillsbased business that roasts its coffee beans just a couple of miles from the soccer fields.

There also will be stateof-the-art heating and air conditioning units keeping the field's temperature at 65 degrees all year.

"We've made the building as energy efficient as possible," Derderian said. "You will never have to wear your coat inside these buildings."

Partnered with LaSalle Bank, the ownership group includes Derderian as president, Tapper of West Bloomfield Township, John Murad of Shelby Township and Thomas Korpela of Bloomfield Hills.

The Nov. 1 opening will feature lacrosse. Because that requires a net around the field, only one field will be used for lacrosse.

On Nov. 2, soccer kicks off with juvenile and adult league play.

With soccer as the goal, the Ultimate Soccer Arenas leadership is planning on an extensive schedule. They will host a training and playing review for high schoolers to display their skills to college recruiters in February.

"We've got lots of colleges expressing interest in having their games here," Derderian said.

He said his interest in this business was spurred by his family, especially his daughters, 15 and 13.

"I'm a soccer dad," he said. "Both my girls play travel soccer."