Ground was broken Wednesday on a new Austin Bold FC stadium, a major step toward the USL Championship club’s launch in 2019.
Backed by Circuit of the Americas chariman Bobby Epstein, Austin Bold FC is joining USL Championship (as Division II USL will soon be known) as an expansion club. The team will play at a new 5,000-seat stadium located at the Circuit of the Americas.
Construction of the stadium took a step forward on Wednesday, when ground was broken at its site. The stadium will feature a main grandstand and additional seating areas, along with permanent team locker rooms and other amenities. More from the Austin American-Statesman:
“We are really kicking off on construction,” Bold FC general manager Roberto Silva said.
Located northwest of the Austin360 Amphitheater and tucked between sections of the race track, the stadium will consist of a main grandstand backing up to the circuit’s Grand Plaza, with smaller sections of seats along the opposite touch line and southwest end line. All seats will have chair backs, and 60 percent of the stadium will be covered by a steel-framed roof.
The facility will also have permanent locker rooms and restrooms underneath the main grandstand. Silva said the cost of the stadium will be $5 million, not including infrastructure that is already in place at COTA, such as concession stands and parking lots.
“We want something we can fill up from the start with an electric atmosphere of about 5,000 people and also have the ability to grow,” said Bobby Epstein, the majority owner of the team and COTA chairman. “We’ve left ourselves some of that flexibility.”
Austin Bold FC is one of seven clubs that will begin USL Championship play in 2019, joining Loudoun United FC, Hartford Athletic, New Mexico United (to play at Albuquerque’s Isotopes Park in 2019), Birmingham Legion FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, and Memphis 901 FC. Bold is preparing to launch as separate discussions concerning the potential Austin MLS club, which would be backed by current Columbus Crew SC investor-operator Anthony Precourt and play in a new stadium at the city-owned McKalla Place, continue.
Rendering courtesy Austin Bold FC.
RELATED STORIES: New for 2019: Austin Bold FC; USL Austin to Reveal Branding, Other Details August 3; USL Austin Will Push for 2019 Launch; USL Austin Plans Affected By Ongoing MLS Discussions; Epstein: Work on USL Austin at “Dead Stop”; City Council Approves Austin MLS Resolution;Austin MLS Team in Works? Columbus Crew SC Owner Threatens Move; USL Austin Still Considering Branding Options; Concerns Raised About New USL Austin Stadium Location; Austin USL Team Returns in 2019