Louisville Wants Soccer Stadium

The mayor of Louisville, Ky., announced Sept. 22 that the city wants to spend $30 million to help build a 10,000-seat soccer stadium.

YouTube – Mayor Greg Fischer

Mayor Greg Fischer hopes the $200 million project will revitalize downtown neighborhoods and attract a Major League Soccer franchise. The stadium would be home to Louisville City FC soccer team, which plays in the second-tier Untied Soccer League.

Fischer announced the city will spend $25 million to purchase land for the stadium, plus $5 million for infrastructure improvements. Louisville City FC would repay the city over the next 20 years.

The team currently plays at the Louisville Slugger Field baseball stadium, which also houses the city’s Louisville Bats AAA team. The deal requires the team to begin construction by Jan. 1, 2019, and city officials hope the stadium will be complete in time for the 2020 season, according to the Courier-Journal.

Mike Mountjoy, a member of the Louisville FC board of directors, said the project is part of a plan to make the Louisville FC into a MLS team.

– Louisville Soccer Stadium

“We don’t have a professional basketball team – my opinion, never will have one – we don’t have a professional football team and the same thing goes there,” he told the paper. “But we do have the opportunity to have a professional soccer team; we have the opportunity to have a major league soccer team.”

The deal still needs to be approved by the Louisville City Metro Council