Since its inaugural season in 2015, Louisville City FC has soared to new heights in both fandom and success on the field. The club claimed two USL Championship titles while parlaying its popularity into construction of Lynn Family Stadium and continues to set a standard across the league.
Amid LouCity’s decade of growth, public address announcer Lance McGarvey had a front row seat.
His thundering voice has boomed over the speakers at both Slugger Field and Lynn Family Stadium for 10 seasons — a run that’s coming to an end. McGarvey recently announced that this will be his final year at the mic for LouCity. It all follows an adventure for someone who decided to step outside his comfort zone a little over 20 years ago.
Lance’s father, Dr. Michael McGarvey, passed away in January of 2003. It felt like losing a best friend and role model all at once. In an effort to make his dad proud and set an example for his kids, he started to announce games to show that he could conquer his extreme fear of public speaking.
“You may not find your passion in your vocation, but maybe you can find it in your avocation,” McGarvey recalls his father saying. “It really made me reflect on my life.”
McGarvey began his journey in 2003 by announcing the Christmas Tournament at St. Francis of Assisi, where his children attended school. Three years into announcing the tournament, IU Southeast basketball player Clay Ryan inquired about filling the same role for his college team.
Since then, McGarvey has gone on to voice countless games for the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Spalding University and IUS. Along the way, another door unexpectedly opened.
McGarvey was approached in 2014 about an opportunity to announce for Louisville’s newly formed professional soccer team. As a longtime Louisville resident, McGarvey understandably had concerns over both the club’s sustainability and his own knowledge of the game. But remembering his father’s words, Lance took a leap — and here we are, 10 seasons later.
Anyone who’s been to a LouCity game recognizes his voice and that call:
LOUUUUUU CITYYYYYYY GOALLLLLLLLL!!!!
McGarvey has watched the fanbase grow and the stadium change. It has been quite the journey not only for the club but the sport of soccer in Louisville, as his duties also included announcing for LouCity’s sister club, Racing Louisville, in 2021 and 2022.
“The Coopers had such a great, strong, passionate base and core”, McGarvey said of LouCity’s beginnings. “They really created an atmosphere that was hard to explain.
“…It always has been family-friendly, but it is much more family-centric now,” McGarvey continued. “But what that does is bode so well for the future of soccer in this country, because kids have access to games in nearly every city at this caliber. It is growing in popularity among the kids.”
McGarvey brings a brilliant mixture of professionalism coupled with enthusiasm and excitement to any microphone in front of him. His tone might change for an iffy yellow card on the home side, for instance.
“I want to make sure it’s fun for everybody,” he said. “If I can give a little bit of an advantage by being more enthusiastic on certain calls or introductions, then that’s what I want to do. That said, you can’t forsake professionalism for the sake of being entertaining. You have to maintain that level first and foremost.”
McGarvey’s parting thoughts to LouCity fans?
“I just say thank you for accepting me,” he said. “Most public address announcers don’t get to have that kind of engagement with the fans. We started Soccer City radio in 2016, and I expressed a lot of opinions and rants and acted silly sometimes on the show. You really were very kind to me and accepted me knowing I wasn’t really a soccer guy.
“So I would say thank you to all the Louisville City and Racing Louisville fans that were very patient with and kind to me. Thank you for letting me be a part of your experience and letting me be who I am. It worked really well. It was very genuine.
“Keep supporting this club and both teams in the future as much as possible. I think the best is yet to come and, frankly, I’ll be right there with you. I will just happen to have my wife and family by my side instead of being up in the press box.
“Certainly from the very bottom of my heart, I’m very thankful for you accepting me for who I am.”
As someone who has grown close to Lance in the announcing world, I can tell you that he is the same person in the spotlight as he is behind closed doors. His love for the club has made him a beloved public figure in this community. From an extreme fear of public speaking to announcing in some of the largest venues in the city, I think it’s safe to say that Lance’s father would be proud of this journey.
The playoffs are still to go in a record-breaking 2024 season — hopefully with many more of these to come:
LOUUUUUU CITYYYYYYY GOALLLLLLLLL!!!!
Oh, how we’re going to miss that. Thank you, Lance.
