Now that Sacramento Republic FC has been approved as an MLS expansion team, attention is turning toward construction on an upcoming new stadium.
On Monday, MLS announced that it had approved Sacramento as its 29th team. At the center of Sacramento’s bid–which is led by billionaire Ron Burkle, backed by a contingent that includes entertainment executive and producer Matt Alavarez and local business leader Kevin Nagle–are plans for a new $300 million soccer-specific stadium that will anchor the redevelopment of Sacramento’s downtown rail yards.
Over time, it is expected that new development over the 244-acre site could have considerable economic implications for the area, and the stadium is seen as a major part of that goal. Club officials will work to complete the new stadium by the first season of MLS play in 2022, and say that there will be considerable signs of progress in the coming months. More from KCRA:
The railyards will one day be home to 20,000 new residents. But first, the soccer stadium must begin ramping up construction to open in 2022.
“We are already at work,” said Ben Gumpert, Sacramento Republic FC president. “And we will continue to be at work. It’s certainly a day to celebrate. But rest assured, we were at it yesterday, we’ll be at it tomorrow — and all the days ahead.”…
It won’t be long before city residents notice a dramatic uptick in construction activity.
“You’re going to start to see very material changes, I believe, in the next six months,” Nagle said.
Sacramento was approved as MLS’s 29th team. It is one of two expansion teams expected to launch in the 2022 season, as MLS announced in August that it had approved a bid from St. Louis that includes plans for a new downtown stadium that will anchor surrounding development.
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