Fordson High School Stadium Becomes Home Venue for Cedar Stars Lower-League Soccer

This summer, Fordson High School's 5,000-seat stadium is doing more than hosting school athletics: Cedars FC, a Dearborn-based semi-professional soccer club, has made it its home venue for Midwest Premier League play. Fordson's stadium hosted home matches June 21, June 25, July 11 and July 20, 2026. The concrete stadium on the north side of the school includes a varsity field resurfaced with AstroTurf during a 2007 renovation.

For Dearborn families, neighbors and Fordson alumni, the arrangement puts a private club on a taxpayer-funded public campus—raising a straightforward question: What does it return to Fordson students, local youth players and the community around the stadium?

Cedars FC was founded in 1982 as Dearborn Stars FC and competes in the Midwest Premier League's Great Lakes East Division, the Midwest's top-tier amateur regional competition. The club won the 2024 Great Lakes Conference Championship and the 2025 Great Lakes East Division Championship. Its leadership has deep roots in the area's business and soccer communities. Dr. Ned Fawaz, the club's owner, is also founder and CEO of Energy International Corporation and founder of PowerOne Corporation. Club founder Haidar Bazzi and club director Mohamed Salman lead the organization. Hesham Alyafai is the team's head coach for the 2026 season.

Dearborn Public Schools has a process for renting facilities to outside groups. Applicants must go through permits, contracts and insurance certificates. District policy says those rentals cannot interfere with instruction, student athletics or school-related groups. But the public does not know the specific terms of the Cedars FC arrangement: the fees paid, the agreement's length, how revenue flows back to Fordson athletics or other district programs, or whether the district has negotiated community benefit provisions.

Those unanswered questions matter because Cedars FC is more than an adult team that comes in for match day. The club operates a youth program, with youth-system players regularly joining the senior team. Its mission promises elite training and competition while describing the club as a generous and benevolent pillar of the local community. Dearborn Public Schools does not run its own youth soccer programs; community organizations use district fields through the same paid rental and permit system.

Neither the district nor the club has publicly disclosed whether the deal reserves field time for local youth teams, includes free or discounted coaching clinics for Dearborn kids, establishes a player development pathway from Fordson High School to the semi-pro team, offers reduced ticket prices for district families, or provides in-kind contributions such as field maintenance or facility upgrades. It also remains unclear whether the school's own teams or community youth organizations experience scheduling conflicts or reduced access during the club's season.

Cedars FC has strong ties to Dearborn's Arab-American community. Its history reaching back to 1982 and its stated community mission position it as a potentially authentic partner for Dearborn rather than an outside operator simply renting space. If the arrangement includes meaningful youth development pathways, community access and transparent financial terms, it could serve both the club's competitive goals and the district's responsibility to maximize public benefit from taxpayer-funded facilities.

Mike Esseily has served as superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools since July 1, 2026. Jamal Aljahmi has served as president of the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education since January 2026.

A possible championship match is tentatively scheduled for July 27 at Fordson High School, located at 13800 Ford Road. Residents can attend to see firsthand what kind of event the district is hosting and whether it feels like a community asset or a private enterprise using public space.

Community members seeking answers about the rental agreement, revenue allocation, youth programming ties or field access policies can contact Superintendent Esseily, Board President Aljahmi or the Dearborn Public Schools Facility Use Team at 313-317-5701; registration questions can be directed to 313-827-1912. Parents and residents can also ask Cedars FC leadership—including Fawaz and Salman—what commitments the club is making to serve Dearborn youth and justify its use of a public school stadium.

The fundamental question for both the district and the club is whether this partnership delivers measurable community benefit or simply converts taxpayer-funded athletic space into a revenue-generating rental with no strings attached.