A group aiming to bring a professional women's soccer team to Cleveland unveiled a rendering Thursday of a $150 million, 12,500-fan soccer-only stadium south of Interstate 90 downtown. announced that it is seeking $90 million in support from taxpayers. — from the city, county, and state — to build it.
Public subsidies for professional sports as the same three groups continue negotiations with the Cleveland Browns over a $1 billion renovation of their lakefront stadium or a possible $2.4 billion new construction at Brook Park. While it's probably not the ideal time to seek a new team, the Cleveland Soccer Group remains steadfast in its vision of bringing an NWSL team to Cleveland and Ohio State and what that means for fans in the region. I am.
“We think this is the best women's sports league in the world. If we build a stadium, If you have to, that's good news,” he told Sheen. . “This will be the 16th team in arguably the hottest women's professional league in the world.”
However, they are working on tight schedules and in a tough economic environment.
Bids for the National Women's Soccer League's 2026 expansion round are expected in about a month, and it's unlikely the league will award one of its next teams to a city without solid plans for a home stadium. Without a concrete financial commitment, Cleveland will likely face strong headwinds against other competitors.
Murphy said Cleveland Soccer Group and its investors have committed $193 million of their own money to not only build the stadium, but also the team, facilities and Cleveland's already acquired MLS Next PRO men's soccer team. He said he would spend it. The team was scheduled to kick off in 2025, but Murphy told The Scene that that is unlikely to happen as the group focuses on its NWSL bid and proposed stadium.
The stadium, now called publicly owned South Gateway Stadium, will host NWSL and MLS Next Pro games, as well as high school and college sports, concerts and events, the ownership group said.
Thursday's press release included projected economic impact statistics that are not worth quoting here. The study was commissioned by the organization, and economists have widely asserted that public investment in professional sports facilities is poor.
As negotiations with the Browns continue, Mayor Justin Bibb has publicly addressed what Cleveland has offered so far, other than to say he wants the team to remain in Cleveland and that the city's position is competitive. refuses to publish. Meanwhile, the Haslams want to raise money from the city (Cleveland/Brook Park), county and state, and have the stadium plan split 50/50 by taxpayers. (Ohio House Speaker Jason Stevens, during a recent discussion about the state's possible role in contributing $600 million to the project, said the state has $600 million in funding to spend on such projects.) (No, he said flatly.)
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has been cautious about what the county can offer the Browns, and when he told Scene earlier this year that it was too early to talk numbers, he talked about football stadiums. was similarly ambiguous. Support for the idea of bringing an NWSL team to Cleveland. A similar general enthusiasm exists at City Hall, but the question has always been: how much is required to contribute, and by what means?
Murphy told Scene that conversations with Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are ongoing and productive, but any bids will require a firm commitment in the near term, and the state of Ohio will be asked to do this when the budget is finalized. He emphasized the need to demonstrate that support for the project exists locally. The group is proposing a combination of admissions taxes and bonds to pay for the project's general share.
“The bottom line is this is an important part of the bid,” Murphy said. “In addition to ownership, the reason the league is choosing Cleveland over other teams this round is because we offer what the league needs to continue to grow. Surrounded by leagues around the world, the team We're going to play in a venue that they control. We've got to do everything we have to do.'' It would be very helpful and concrete to provide a concrete funding source, whether it's the city or the county. ”
Murphy said the relatively low total amount should make him an attractive prospect when it comes to requests that come at the same time as the Browns.
“It’s much smaller than other things we consider civilly in terms of sports.”
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