About the Fort Wayne Defender

Fort Wayne has always had a soccer story worth telling. For a long time, nobody was telling it.

The Fort Wayne Defender exists to change that. We are the only independent publication covering Fort Wayne Football Club in USL League One. We cover the club, the tactics, the culture, and the community around it.

What We Publish

The Defender’s Verdict is our post-match analysis, your coffee companion the morning after match day. Mid-week, The Opposition Report breaks down our next opponent and what we’ll be up against. Our companion series, The Brief, explains the structures and competitions you’ll run into following Fort Wayne FC. The Away Days Guide is our curated travel series to every city in USL League One, for the supporter making a weekend out of every road trip. It has its own subscription option.

Who We Are

The Fort Wayne Defender was founded by Justin Hein, a Fort Wayne native, Purdue Fort Wayne graduate in Business & Communication Studies, and lifelong soccer fan. This publication grew out of something personal: years of playing and watching matches, caring about this city, and believing that Fort Wayne FC can be the spark that connects our community in ways other sports cannot.

We are building a small, focused team of contributors who bring complementary skills: analytical reporting, photography, and community perspective. If you are a writer, photographer, or soccer thinker who wants a real editorial home and real access to cover professional soccer in Fort Wayne, we want to hear from you.

Our Standard

We publish independently. We have no advertisers to answer to and no special interest groups telling us what matters. Every piece we publish is held to one standard: does this serve the Fort Wayne FC reader? That’s one we intend to put in the back of the net.

For contributor inquiries and general questions, reach out to justin@thefortwaynedefender.com