A blank page is rare in football.
AC Grand Rapids is building a professional club from the ground up. That gives them the opportunity to decide early how recruitment, squad planning and performance analysis should work - instead of trying to fix the process later.
That is why we are very happy to welcome AC Grand Rapids to Fokus.
The club will begin playing in MLS NEXT Pro in 2027 at the new Amway Stadium in downtown Grand Rapids. Their sporting department is led by B.J. Snow, Vice President of Sporting Operations & Strategy, together with Eric Laurie, Head of Scouting, Recruitment and Performance Analysis. Both bring experience from the highest levels of international football with the U.S. Women's and Men's National Teams.
Through Fokus, the team will have one shared place to define player profiles, monitor the market, structure evaluations and plan the squad over time.
The goal is not technology for technology's sake.
It is to help an ambitious sporting department cover more ground, work consistently and make better decisions together.
"Entering into a partnership with Fokus aligns perfectly with our data-centered sporting strategy."
For us, AC Grand Rapids is exactly the kind of project we love.
They are not waiting until the first transfer window to decide how recruitment should work. They are building the profiles, processes and technology before the first player is signed.
Fokus originally grew out of our work with Bodø/Glimt and the same basic question: How can a club compete with bigger budgets by working smarter and more consistently?
AC Grand Rapids shares that mindset.
"We are really excited to work with B.J., Eric and the rest of the team. They have a clear ambition to build something modern, smart and sustainable from day one. Our job is to help them turn that ambition into a recruitment and squad-building process they can use every day."
We are proud to become part of the project and look forward to supporting AC Grand Rapids as they build their first squad and prepare for the club's inaugural season.
