With Louisville City considering its next step, the results of a study for a new stadium will be released within the next several weeks.
As we detailed a few weeks ago, the case of Louisville City is an interesting one. While the team is drawing extremely well for a USL franchise, there is some question as to whether Louisville is too small of a market to enter the fray for MLS expansion. Meanwhile, despite the team’s attendance, a move out of Lousiville Slugger Field–where it obtains gates receipts, but yields concessions revenue to MiLB’s Louisville Bats–is likely needed to keep Louisville City afloat, as owner Wayne Estopinal contends that the arrangement is not feasible for the team’s longterm viability.
The study in Louisville is looking at a fairly broad range of solutions, including stadiums with capacities that range from 8,000 to 20,000 seats. For local and team officials, the study–conducted by Convention Sports and Leisure–will bring some clarity to the situation. More from 89.3 WFpL:
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced the study following the Louisville City FC soccer club’s inaugural year. He praised the team’s success for qualifying for the post-season and recording one of the league’s highest average attendance rates.
This year, the team is ranked atop the United Soccer League’s Eastern Conference with just one loss thus far.
And Wayne Estopinal, the soccer team’s owner, has repeatedly said the team will need its own stadium as interest in the franchise grows. In addition, the United Soccer League requires teams to have their own stadiums, and Louisville City FC would need one by 2020 to continue to be a part of the league.
Estopinal has said playing games at Slugger Field costs too much to be viable moving forward. And if the city is serious about one day being home to a Major League Soccer team, a standalone stadium is a necessity, he said.
The study is expected to consider a variety of sites around Louisville, though city officials have been tight lipped about which locations are a top priority.