St. Paul, MN October 2007-The Minnesota Thunder and Lightning confirmed that both franchises were acquired by a new ownership group, WingField Corporation N.V..  WingField is headed by St. Paul, Minnesota, native Dean Johnson and Dutch national Henk Habers, and is based in Brussels, Belgium. With a vision of creating a long-term home for both teams the new ownership group is committed to bringing championship soccer back to Minnesota. 

“We are extremely excited about where these two franchises are heading under the new ownership,” said director of soccer operations, Manny Lagos.  “Dean and Henk are passionate about Minnesota, the sport of soccer, and expanding on our 18 year tradition of community involvement in the Twin Cities.  They are also committed to putting together an entertaining, competitive team with an emphasis on winning USL championships as well as playing top international soccer.”

On August 29, 2007, WingField purchased the Thunder and Lightning from previous owners Saeed Kadkhodaian and Jim Froslid who had assumed ownership of the club in the spring of 2005. 

“This is the perfect time to hand the franchises off to a new ownership group,” said Kadkhodaian.  “With the vision of a permanent home and taking these teams to a new level, it is with great pleasure that I give the reigns to Mr. Johnson and Mr. Habers.  The teams are in great hands moving forward.”

WingField Corporation is a real estate development and investment firm based in Brussels, Belgium, with U.S. offices planned for St. Paul.  Through WingField’s experience and expertise, Johnson and Habers will bring a new mentality and attitude to the Thunder and Lightning.  A significant contribution to this end is their plans to develop a soccer specific stadium within four years. 

“We want a to have one of the most successful professional soccer franchises in North America and want to give the Thunder and Lightning the resources to achieve this,” said Dean Johnson.  “Currently, we are evaluating various options and sites in the Twin Cities for a permanent home for the Thunder and Lightning.”

In the interim, the Thunder continues to search for a new venue.  Discussions are ongoing with respect to several sites and a decision will be made in early November on where the team will play in 2008.     

“The Thunder has already established a rich tradition of success on the field and in the community,” said Johnson.  “We expect to build on this long-tradition of success through a continued and expanded presence among youth soccer players in Minnesota.  In fact, it is this strong integration and identification with the community that attracted Henk and me to the USL instead of exploring an MLS association.” 

Henk Habers explained, “As in the past the club will develop the young soccer players and the USL ‘pyramid’ structure, which is a great way to lead them to the top of soccer with our Club. They will love the game and lifestyle of the Thunder and Lightning which we will introduce as well as the international opportunities we intend to develop”

“The 76,000 plus youth soccer players in Minnesota are very fortunate to have a professional men’s and top level women’s soccer team in the state and the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association is excited about the new ownership of these teams,” said Candace Daley, executive director of MYSA.  “We look forward to seeing the level of play and attendance at these games continue to grow.”

“We appreciate immensely the loyalty and support of our Thunder and Lightning fans over the past years and are extremely pleased to be able to bring back the prospect of quality soccer they deserve.”  Johnson concluded.