Minnesota United FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) announced plans to build a soccer specific stadium centrally located between St. Paul and Minneapolis as the organization will join Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2017 or 2018 as an expansion franchise.
The stadium will be completed in 2018 with 20,000 seats and an all-natural grass surface. The US$120 million project will be built on vacant property owned by the Metropolitan Council, and stadium construction will be privately funded and then publicly owned after construction is complete.
“We have waited years for the right stimulus to help drive redevelopment of this area into a more vibrant part of a highly progressive community,” said Richard Birdoff of RK Midway, the owner of the 25-acres that surround the historic bus barn site where the stadium will be centered. “The MLS stadium provides us the catalyst to move ahead and help create something that will further enhance this area in ways that will be a source of pride for everyone.”
New soccer specific stadiums have now been announced in Washington, D.C.; Minnesota; and Los Angeles in recent weeks in addition to Orlando’s soccer stadium that is already under construction. Don’t be surprised to read about David Beckham’s plan in Miami in the near future, as well.
Smaller soccer specific stadiums with estimated seating capacities in the 5,000 – 10,000 range will also be developed in the coming years as the United Soccer League (USL) launched a stadium development initiatives with HOK to have all USL clubs in soccer specific stadiums by 2020. Click here to read more about that initiative.
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