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Every supporters’ group has an origin story. Ours starts with a handful of fans, a high school field on Main Street, and a club that was brand new. A lot has changed since 2015: leagues, stadiums, players, even a pandemic. But we’re still here, still loud, and still singing for the Mighty Oak.

The beginning

Three early Main Street Hooligans pose together in matching T-shirts
One of the first photos of the Main Street Hooligans, February 2015

AFC Ann Arbor kicked off its first season in 2015, and the Main Street Hooligans were there from the start. Sean Michaels and Stephen Robinson were the original founding members, along with a few other early regulars, and the group grew one match at a time.

Where the name comes from

The name is a double meaning. AFC Ann Arbor’s first home was Hollway Field at Pioneer High School, right on Main Street, Ann Arbor’s most famous street. It’s also a nod to Green Street Hooligans: club co-owner Bilal’s family is from Green Street in London, home of West Ham’s old Upton Park ground.

The first match

Main Street Hooligans fill the bleachers at AFC Ann Arbor’s first match
AFC Ann Arbor's very first match, May 1, 2015

AFC Ann Arbor played its first match on May 1, 2015, a friendly against San Marino FC. We lost 2-1, but the stands were full of scarves, and the first chants of the Main Street Hooligans rang out over Hollway Field.

We did a little wandering

Main Street Hooligans march into the stadium with a drum, flags, and the MSH banner
Marching in before a 3-0 win over Lansing United, June 7, 2015

Our tagline is a line from one of our chants, and it’s earned. Over the years AFC Ann Arbor has called a lot of places home, and we’ve followed the club to every one of them:

  • 2015-2017: Hollway Field at Pioneer High School
  • 2018: Skyline High School
  • 2019: Cardinal Stadium at Concordia
  • 2020-2021: no seasons, because of COVID
  • 2022: Hornet Stadium at Saline High School
  • 2023-today: back home at Hollway Field

Along the way we’ve also cheered at Saline High School for many early friendlies, Huron High School’s Riverbank Stadium (a friendly and the 2018 playoffs), Eastern Michigan University (a U.S. Open Cup game and a league match in 2018), and Concordia again for the 2019 playoffs and two league matches in 2024.

Coming back from COVID

The two seasons lost to COVID were hard on the group. With no matches to gather around, a lot of our members drifted away, and our numbers have been rebuilding ever since. Getting back to Hollway Field in 2023 felt like coming home, and we’re working to bring back some of the traditions from the early years.

Our traditions

Most of our traditions started with one person and caught on. A few we know the history of:

  • #COYMO: Brian Marolf started the “Come On You Mighty Oak” chant in 2018. Now it’s the rallying cry for the club and its fans, and you’ll hear it around the 66th minute of every match. (Learn it here.)
  • Player of the Match: we started voting on, and presenting a medal to, our Player of the Match in 2019, the year the AFC Ann Arbor Women’s team was formed.
  • The march: in the early years we marched into the stadium together from the parking lot. We’re bringing it back in 2027.

You can read about the rest of our match-day traditions on MSH 101.

Matches we’ll never forget

Main Street Hooligans and AFC Ann Arbor players celebrate a late winner at the fence
Celebrating Héctor Morales's 89th-minute winner in “The Comeback,” June 17, 2016

Every hooligan has their favorite, but two always come up:

  • “The Comeback” (2016): against Lansing United on June 17, 2016, AFC Ann Arbor scored three goals in 11 minutes to win 3-2, capped by Héctor Morales’s 89th-minute winner.
  • “Treeworth” (2018): any win over Detroit City FC is a good day, but the 1-0 win at their home, Keyworth Stadium, is one we still talk about.

Giving back

MSH members plant a tree on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor
Planting a tree on Liberty Street, April 23, 2015

We’re proud to give back to the city we cheer for.

Our Prideraiser fundraiser for Ozone House began around 2018. After a few quiet years it came back in 2022, and it’s run every June since, with fans pledging money for every goal our teams score.

Goals for Trees started with AFC Ann Arbor in 2024, for the city’s Bicentennial season, with trees donated for every goal scored. When it ended after one year, members of MSH decided to bring it back ourselves, partnering with A²ZERO for the 2027 season.

Read more on Who We Support.

What’s next

Main Street Hooligans celebrate with AFC Ann Arbor players after a last-minute goal
A come-from-behind win over Lansing City Football, May 23, 2026

Today Brian Hinz, who’s been with the group since the very beginning, leads the Main Street Hooligans, and there’s a lot coming up:

  • October 2026: this website launches.
  • November 2026: our first newsletter goes out.
  • January 2027: The Mighty Blokes, our podcast with Brian & Brian, starts.
  • 2027 season: Goals for Trees returns, and so does the march into the stadium.

Want to be part of the next chapter? Here’s how to join us.

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