Celebrate Life

A soccer night for kids in treatment for cancer and blood disorders, simultaneous with the Detroit City FC Trunk or Treat event! For one evening the second field at the Detroit City Fieldhouse belongs to them: a real game, professional players as coaches, families on the sideline, and a Halloween party going on next door. It is free, and you don't need to sign up to come.

• WhenSaturday, October 24, 2026 · kickoff 6:45 PM. Plan on about an hour of soccer, and stay for the Trunk or Treat after.
• WhereDetroit City Fieldhouse
  3401 E Lafayette St, Detroit, MI 48207
  Field 2, the outdoor turf field, is reserved for us. Free parking on site.
• Who playsEvery pediatric hematology and oncology patient under 18. Siblings and friends are welcome to play too. No experience needed; nobody keeps score.
• Who coachesProfessional soccer players from Southeast Michigan, on the field with the kids for the whole game.
• CostFree. The field, the coaches, dinner, drinks and the candy are covered.
• RegisterSign up here (two minutes). We use the list for two things: ordering enough food and drinks, and splitting the kids into teams by age. Not required. If you decide late, just show up and we will find you a plate and a team.
• BringSneakers or cleats, a water bottle, a costume if you want one, and anything your care team says you need. Shin guards if you have them; we'll have spares.

Register, so we can feed you and pick teams

Scan or tap

Registration takes about two minutes and asks for the player's name and age, jersey size, who is coming with them, what everyone will eat and drink, and any allergies or diet rules from the care team. That is how we order the right amount of food and set up teams by age so the six-year-olds are not chasing the sixteen-year-olds. You can also just show up.

Register a player

Or type the link: forms.gle/v2NbizhJ8TpBdVi66

What this is

Kids going through chemotherapy, transplant or treatment for a blood disorder spend a lot of their year in clinics and hospital rooms. Celebrate Life is one evening built around the opposite of that: a soccer field with their name on it, a game where the only thing anyone is watching is the ball, and coaches who play the sport for a living cheering for them. Parents, grandparents and siblings watch from the sideline, meet other families, and then everyone heads to the parking lot for the Trunk or Treat.

Kids who are tired, on crutches, or on precautions from their care team can still come. There will be a spot on the bench, a ball to kick from the sideline, and a coach who will come to them. Bring whatever your team needs to be comfortable and we will work around it.

What a Trunk or Treat is

A Trunk or Treat is Halloween without the walking. Cars park in a lot, families decorate the open trunks, and kids go car to car in costume collecting candy, all in one well-lit place with adults everywhere. It started as a safer, closer-together version of door-to-door trick-or-treating, and it works especially well for kids who tire easily or who need to stay near a parent. Detroit City FC's youth club runs its Trunk or Treat in the Fieldhouse parking lot with its players, families and staff, and this year it opens its field to our kids for the game first. Costumes are encouraged for players and families.

Why we're doing it

The medical side of this comes from the general surgery residents at the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University, who care for these kids and their families through surgeries, ports, biopsies and long admissions. We see how much of childhood treatment takes away, and how rarely there is a room full of people celebrating the kid instead of managing the illness. Detroit City FC's "Scare to Care" initiative is the club's way of giving back to the community that fills its stands, and this game is the first thing we're doing together. We want every child in treatment in Southeast Michigan to know about it, so please share this page with any family it could reach.

Where it is

The Detroit City Fieldhouse is Detroit City FC's home for youth soccer on the east side, at 3401 E Lafayette St, a few minutes from downtown and from the Detroit Medical Center campus. It sits on the site of the old Red Wings practice arena. Field 2 is the outdoor turf field; the Trunk or Treat is in the parking lot right beside it, and the Fieldhouse building has restrooms and a place to warm up if the weather turns. Parking is free.

Questions? Please ask.

Not sure your child is well enough to play? Wondering whether a sibling can join, whether a wheelchair works on the turf, or what time to actually show up? Call or text. There is no question too small, and we would much rather answer it than have a family stay home because they weren't sure. Email works too if calling is hard.

Follow along on Instagram at @detroitcityfootballclub and @openspineconsortium.

The flyer is sized for Letter paper. This page will be updated if anything about the time or the field changes, so check back the week of the game.