Green Light For Houston Stadium

The Houston Dynamo pro soccer team and majority owner AEG, in the person of chief exec Tim Leiweke, announced they expect to break ground on a new stadium by the end of the year.

The club is nearing the completion of lease negotiations with Harris County/Houston Sports Authority and closing deals with private financing partners, according to a team statement.

“We are in the midst of negotiations with the Sports Authority and working closely with our banking partners to finalize our agreements,” Leiweke said. “Substantial progress had been made over recent weeks, and we are confident that those partnerships will be finalized soon. Our timeline is aggressive, and our focus is clear.”

AEG has hired architects Populous to design the new stadium and Icon Venue Services has been hired as project manager.

The stadium will seat about 22,000 fans and host Texas Southern University football as well as the Dynamo. It will be available to host numerous other events, including concerts, international soccer matches, U.S. national team matches, NCAA’s College Cup, high school soccer and football playoff games.