Yeah let Denver have it. USL fiscally is much easier to stomach and for the mens at least I think a Cleveland team would be capable of five figure average attendance. 

32 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

What Denver did was make it tougher for Cleveland and other similarly sized markets to buy in. If they offered $100-$120 Million for an expansion fee, double what was JUST offered, that means in 5-10 years that number may be at $150-$200 Million. That number is MUCH more unattainable. 

 

The buy-in is now ridiculous. Just build the facilities organically and don't overspend on the league. That kind of crazy money is better invested here in the teams, programs and the community. 

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

Without a primary tenant this project doesn't make sense

There's already a primary tenant.  Cleveland has pro team (even if it's second tier) in need of a stadium.  Plus, Cleveland Crunch play at the IX Center, which kind of stinks.

 

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

The Metroparks should not get into the stadium building business.

I acknowledge that the Metroparks wasn't planning to build it, but I'm suggesting they could.  Building a public athletic facility doesn't seem like too big a stretch for a county institution specifically funded for and dedicated to parks and recreation.

 

1 hour ago, Ethan said:

And regardless of who builds it a roof is also not a justifiable expense for this project.

Maybe, maybe not.  Force Sports, Lost Nation Sports Parks, and Spire Academy are just a few examples of businesses marketing year-round sports facilities.  Is it a stretch to think that a much bigger version, located downtown and not in the suburbs, could succeed?  Plus, as a tax payer funded entity, providing a tax payer benefit, the Metroparks wouldn't necessarily have to make a profit.  None of their parks make a profit.  It just as to reasonably cover operating expenses.  But to your point, it doesn't have to be enclosed.  It could still be an outdoor facility.

 

I realize this isn't likely, and it's a much different version than the stadium that's currently proposed, but is it so crazy?

14 minutes ago, Dino said:

Plus, Cleveland Crunch play at the IX Center, which kind of stinks.

I believe the Crunch has gone back to the soccer facility in North Olmsted and no longer playing at the IX Center.  

^Ah...North Olmsted.  The Brookpark of the professional indoor soccer world!  Did they get state funding for the move?  Hahaha.

A couple years ago, the Crunch was considering a downtown venue, either Public Hall or Wolstein, but apparently couldn't work out a deal.

10 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said:

A couple years ago, the Crunch was considering a downtown venue, either Public Hall or Wolstein, but apparently couldn't work out a deal.

They were looking at Public Hall BUT Public Hall DID NOT have any locker rooms and the Crunch would have to put them in so they passed on it. 

The Cleveland Charge as part or their agreement INSTALLED locker rooms at Public Hall as part of their 6 year agreement. Now i do not know if those locker rooms that the Charge put in if they can be used by another tam such as the crunch AND/OR if the WNBA Rockers come back and possibly use Public Hall.

I think The Major League Indoor Soccer Cleveland Crunch should go to the Wolstein.

 

Also, Cleveland has a second indoor soccer team starting this year  - Cleveland Samba - they play in the Major Arena Soccer League 3   - Both teams play at the Sportsplex in North Olmsted which seats 600.   

Google MLIS   &  MASL3  

2025 is shaping up to be an eventful year for soccer in Cleveland between the Messi coming to play The Crew in CBS and now MLIS championships. Nice that at least some of these games will be held downtown at Wolstein. Still disappointed about the NESL bid but hopefully this is momentum we can build in.

 

Cleveland to host Major League Indoor Soccer postseason, championship games

Published: Dec. 20, 2024

By Marc Bona, cleveland.com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The men’s semi-finals and finals and women’s finals of Major League Indoor Soccer will be held in Cleveland in 2025, the Cleveland Crunch announced.

 

...

 

A site to be determined will host a wild-card match Thursday, April 10, with the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds. The winner will face the No. 1 seed in a semi-final match at the Wolstein Center. The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds will meet in the other semi; both of those games will be Friday, April 11. The championship is Sunday, April 13.

 

For the WMLIS, the top two teams will face each other in the championship Saturday, April 12.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/12/cleveland-to-host-major-league-indoor-soccer-postseason-championship-games.html

Edited December 20, 2024Dec 20 by Luke_S

Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS) and the reigning league champion Cleveland Crunch are partnering on a plan to bring the MLIS men’s and women’s playoff weekend to the Wolstein Center from April 11-13, 2025. 

If all goes well, the 33-year-old arena could again be the home site for Crunch games as early as the 2026 season. The Crunch currently plays games at the Soccer Sportsplex in North Olmsted, which has a capacity of about 700 fans.

 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/wolstein-center-hold-mlis-championship-games

Is the NWSL going to announce additional Expansion next week or am i interpreting interpreting this incorrectly

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43539267/nwsl-not-done-expanding-announcement-set-next-week

My read is that they are just marketing the league to future investors and fans in other cities beyond the 2025 Boston and 2026 Denver expansion choices. 

 

No down side from the leagues perspective to keeping everyone else that wasn't awarded a team still hopeful. 

 

 

Yeah, sounds like theyre just going to put out a statement with some generic form of "We want to expand with X more teams within X years after 2026"

Edited January 24Jan 24 by daybreaker

13 hours ago, DO_Summers said:

My read is that they are just marketing the league to future investors and fans in other cities beyond the 2025 Boston and 2026 Denver expansion choices. 

 

No down side from the leagues perspective to keeping everyone else that wasn't awarded a team still hopeful. 

 

 

I think the league needs to prove itself now with attendance numbers, ratings, merch sales and develop some star players. The Denver team was so expensive that I’m not so sure those wanting a team this past round are as anxious at this new price point without the league making some big jumps in popularity. 

Edited January 24Jan 24 by 646empire

https://clutchpoints.com/nwsl-news-league-eyes-aggressive-expansion-ahead-denver-reveal

4 hours ago, 646empire said:

I think the league needs to prove itself now with attendance numbers, ratings, merch sales and develop some star players. The Denver team was so expensive that I’m not so sure those wanting a team this past round are as anxious at this new price point without the league making some big jumps in popularity. 

Was thinking the exact same thing

Did the Cleveland investor group comment publicly after losing the franchise hunt?  They may have but we missed it. Did they disband or are they continuing with plans for the new stadium.  

I'm wondering if they cant make a public statement until Denver gets the official announcement next week. Right now its just been "confirmed by sources" I think

I do not have a subscription to The Athletic...but there's this:

 

Move over, Major League Soccer. A rival top flight men’s league is coming to the U.S.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6129972/2025/02/13/usl-launch-division-1-league-us-soccer-mls/

 

Okay here's a free version:

USL announces plans to start new league that would rival MLS

Lizzy Becherano

Feb 13, 2025, 12:30 PM ET

The United Soccer League confirmed plans to launch a Division One men's professional league in 2027 rivaling Major League Soccer and defined by the sanctioning standards of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the USL announced on Thursday.

 

USL would operate completely separately from MLS, despite working under the same sanctioning by U.S. Soccer as a professional soccer league. "Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States," said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League.

 

"Creating a Division One league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game. By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we're not just growing the sport-we're creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S."

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

Edited February 13Feb 13 by surfohio

United Soccer League Takes Bold Step Forward with Launch of Division One Professional Men’s League

Feb. 13, 2024 - USLsoccer.com Staff

 

"The United Soccer League (USL) announced plans to launch a Division One men’s professional league in 2027-28, bringing the highest-level of soccer to more communities across the country. This groundbreaking initiative builds on the USL’s commitment to grow the game at all levels, provide new opportunities for players, teams, and fans, and strengthen the foundation of American soccer at a time when the sport is experiencing unprecedented momentum."

 

Create a pyramid league system with true pro/rel, just like everywhere else in the world and watch it take off. Without that, this will never get past XFL/ UFL etc, sideshow territory. 

32 minutes ago, roman totale XVII said:

Create a pyramid league system with true pro/rel, just like everywhere else in the world and watch it take off. Without that, this will never get past XFL/ UFL etc, sideshow territory. 

 

The language used by USL (over the years, but specifically in this announcement) really does seem to indicate that they are trying to create their version of PRO/REL. It might be their best shot at competing with the MLS system in the United States. The end of rapid MLS expansion (with continued growth in soccer domestically), relatively low entry cost, existing league structure and greater degree of individual team autonomy make it significantly more achievable for the USL to implement their version of PRO/REL by time this league launches. 

 

This is however the United States, and wealthy sports owners are not going to like the idea of threatening their revenue streams with a performance based league system. It will be really difficult to convince ownership groups to willingly join such a system when owners in every other professional sports league have no such threat. 

 

They might just do it this time though because its a great way to compete with MLS at the Division 1 level. Successfully implementing PRO/REL (even if it is within a "closed" USL system) could give the league legitimacy and serve as the greatest threat to the existing US professional sports franchise model in years. 

I am really looking forward to seeing what the ceiling is for USL teams in the future. If there continues to be no salary cap there remains the potential for things to get really interesting. 

41 minutes ago, NorthShore647 said:

United Soccer League Takes Bold Step Forward with Launch of Division One Professional Men’s League

Feb. 13, 2024 - USLsoccer.com Staff

 

"The United Soccer League (USL) announced plans to launch a Division One men’s professional league in 2027-28, bringing the highest-level of soccer to more communities across the country. This groundbreaking initiative builds on the USL’s commitment to grow the game at all levels, provide new opportunities for players, teams, and fans, and strengthen the foundation of American soccer at a time when the sport is experiencing unprecedented momentum."

 

Although not specially related to the existing gateway stadium proposal/NWSL bid, this is good news for all major US cities/markets that will be left out of the MLS system.

 

It is great that this ownership group want to bring Div. 1 soccer to Cleveland (in the form of an NWSL expansion team), however it is disappointing that they so far haven't shown any interest in pursuing the USL alternative. If this ownership group can't meet the new NWSL expansion fee of >$110 million, they should be pivoting away from the NWSL (and MLS Next Pro for the men's team), and go after a:

 

USL Super League (Division 1 Women's) team and a

USL Championship (currently Division 2, with a potential road to Division 1) team

 

A group in Lexington went this route and opened their new stadiums for both teams in 2024. The 7,500 seat stadium has the ability to expand to 11,000 in the future. The complex (which includes 7 practice fields) cost $80 million. 

\

 

 

19 minutes ago, NorthShore647 said:

It is great that this ownership group want to bring Div. 1 soccer to Cleveland (in the form of an NWSL expansion team), however it is disappointing that they so far haven't shown any interest in pursuing the USL alternative.

 

^ Agree. I feel like NWSL is going the MLS route where they will price out cities and prospective ownership groups like in Cleveland. I don't think that the fans pledging to buy season tickets really caref which league they joined. 

 

Anyhow, here was a post on reddit just now that is interesting:

 

Here is how I'm roughly grouping the different possibilities for D1 membership.

 

Very Likely: Birmingham, Detroit, Indy, Louisville, New Mexico, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio

A big driving factor on who makes it in is the stadium, and no team really has a perfect stadium situation as-is but these are the clubs that I think can get there, either with new upcoming stadiums or ones where potential expansion is built into the plans. (The exception being Birmingham, which is already there but with a stadium where they are a tenant.)

 

Maybe: Las Vegas, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Tampa Bay

Four of these are major league markets that certainly have the potential but it's a bigger leap to get their stadium where they need. Rhode Island is the outlier of the group - they will have a nice new stadium next year but I'm not sure how expandable that site is or if they would be willing to do that so quickly.

 

Current expansion candidates that might make the jump: Brooklyn, Buffalo, Dallas, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Omaha, Oklahoma City

Clubs that seem similar in a lot of respects to the "maybe" group - primarily that they are mostly major league caliber markets - but with more flexibility to adjust their plans if D1 is the goal.

 

Interesting prospective expansion cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Cosmos 3.0

The perennial "what-ifs" for Championship expansion - all because they make some sense for a USL D1 if done right.

Man the structure of soccer is so frickin clunky in this country and we are not getting into the MLS consideration. The USL should be our prime target. 

Edited February 14Feb 14 by snakebite

16 hours ago, surfohio said:

I do not have a subscription to The Athletic...but there's this:

 

Move over, Major League Soccer. A rival top flight men’s league is coming to the U.S.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6129972/2025/02/13/usl-launch-division-1-league-us-soccer-mls/

 

Okay here's a free version:

USL announces plans to start new league that would rival MLS

Lizzy Becherano

Feb 13, 2025, 12:30 PM ET

The United Soccer League confirmed plans to launch a Division One men's professional league in 2027 rivaling Major League Soccer and defined by the sanctioning standards of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the USL announced on Thursday.

 

USL would operate completely separately from MLS, despite working under the same sanctioning by U.S. Soccer as a professional soccer league. "Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States," said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League.

 

"Creating a Division One league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game. By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we're not just growing the sport-we're creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S."

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

 The time for trying to compete with MLS is long gone. Major League Soccer is now too big, too established and it’s ownership groups are too wealthy for it to have any concern about a rival league. Soccer still has ALOT of growth potential in America but there will be room for just one flagship dominant league just like The NFL, NBA etc. 

 

For example what really amazed me a couple weeks ago is FC Cincinnati ownership just sold a 4% Stake at almost a 1 Billion Dollar Valuation. My point being MLS is truly big business now and USL is not catching up to that. It seems like the aim here is just capitalizing on markets that can’t/wont get a MLS franchise not actually competing with the league:

 

Nugget from USL Statement: 

“uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities”

 

 

Edited February 14Feb 14 by 646empire

2 hours ago, 646empire said:

 The time for trying to compete with MLS is long gone. Major League Soccer is now too big, too established and it’s ownership groups are too wealthy for it to have any concern about a rival league. Soccer still has ALOT of growth potential in America but there will be room for just one flagship dominant league just like The NFL, NBA etc. 

 

For example what really amazed me a couple weeks ago is FC Cincinnati ownership just sold a 4% Stake at almost a 1 Billion Dollar Valuation. My point being MLS is truly big business now and USL is not catching up to that. It seems like the aim here is just capitalizing on markets that can’t/wont get a MLS franchise not actually competing with the league:

 

Nugget from USL Statement: 

“uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities”

 

 

 

USL can best compete with MLS by differentiating itself. There are still way too many metros left out of the MLS universe, so there is ample opportunity for USL to grow into those markets. 

 

My prediction is there will be a few elite teams in USLD1 that will be as good if not better than MLS teams. But overall MLS is built and will continue to be a stronger league overall. Of course as you said it is big and established....they've done a great job! 

 

19 minutes ago, surfohio said:

 

USL can best compete with MLS by differentiating itself. There are still way too many metros left out of the MLS universe, so there is ample opportunity for USL to grow into those markets. 

 

My prediction is there will be a few elite teams in USLD1 that will be as good if not better than MLS teams. But overall MLS is built and will continue to be a stronger league overall. Of course as you said it is big and established....they've done a great job! 

 

Ya I hope everything goes well with the USL set up over the next 10-15 years. Like you said, there will be some high budget teams like there already are in the many Euro leagues, but part of the fun and time investment for all fan bases is trying to beat them. 

 

Imagine a team from Akron or Toledo making it to the top division. Then facing and hosting teams from NYC, Philly, LA, etc.  That's where the pro/rel leagues really separate themselves from the rest. Every game matters when you're trying to move up or stay in the top flight. 

 

The MLS can try to be the Super League, but if USL can build fanbases with pro/rel hopes and fears in 100+ cities, then will win in the long run. 

5 minutes ago, PlanCleveland said:

Ya I hope everything goes well with the USL set up over the next 10-15 years. Like you said, there will be some high budget teams like there already are in the many Euro leagues, but part of the fun and time investment for all fan bases is trying to beat them. 

 

Imagine a team from Akron or Toledo making it to the top division. Then facing and hosting teams from NYC, Philly, LA, etc.  That's where the pro/rel leagues really separate themselves from the rest. Every game matters when you're trying to move up or stay in the top flight. 

 

The MLS can try to be the Super League, but if USL can build fanbases with pro/rel hopes and fears in 100+ cities, then will win in the long run. 

 

Yep. The main criticism you hear is "X team is not going to invest in a league where they could be relegated...." Hey, it's competition and you shouldn't benefit from being terrible or tanking...that's a loser mentality that plagues the other U.S. sports.  

19 minutes ago, surfohio said:

 

Yep. The main criticism you hear is "X team is not going to invest in a league where they could be relegated...." Hey, it's competition and you shouldn't benefit from being terrible or tanking...that's a loser mentality that plagues the other U.S. sports.  

And the flip side of that is metro areas across the country making up 100M+ people like Akron or Toledo will never invest because they know the current leagues won't let their cities in. Give some of these small and mid sized metro areas a chance and I bet we see some surprising amounts of money thrown around. You will still attract most of the major metro areas too with people who want to own their own team but aren't a part of the MLS ownership groups. Omaha is the current USL L1 champ. You could draw a lot of money in places like Hartford, Asheville, Bozeman, Burlington, etc.  Maybe even very small cities like Findlay go crazy and get promoted a few times with some of that Marathon money. We'll never know until the opportunity is given to these cities. 

Edited February 14Feb 14 by PlanCleveland

21 hours ago, surfohio said:

 

^ Agree. I feel like NWSL is going the MLS route where they will price out cities and prospective ownership groups like in Cleveland. I don't think that the fans pledging to buy season tickets really caref which league they joined. 

 

Anyhow, here was a post on reddit just now that is interesting:

 

Here is how I'm roughly grouping the different possibilities for D1 membership.

 

Very Likely: Birmingham, Detroit, Indy, Louisville, New Mexico, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio

A big driving factor on who makes it in is the stadium, and no team really has a perfect stadium situation as-is but these are the clubs that I think can get there, either with new upcoming stadiums or ones where potential expansion is built into the plans. (The exception being Birmingham, which is already there but with a stadium where they are a tenant.)

 

Maybe: Las Vegas, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Tampa Bay

Four of these are major league markets that certainly have the potential but it's a bigger leap to get their stadium where they need. Rhode Island is the outlier of the group - they will have a nice new stadium next year but I'm not sure how expandable that site is or if they would be willing to do that so quickly.

 

Current expansion candidates that might make the jump: Brooklyn, Buffalo, Dallas, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Omaha, Oklahoma City

Clubs that seem similar in a lot of respects to the "maybe" group - primarily that they are mostly major league caliber markets - but with more flexibility to adjust their plans if D1 is the goal.

 

Interesting prospective expansion cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Cosmos 3.0

The perennial "what-ifs" for Championship expansion - all because they make some sense for a USL D1 if done right.

 

This is worth watching.

This is cool.  I hope that Cleveland can get in on this action.

We're so back lol

 

Sounds like a stadium is on the way, just in a slightly smaller and easily-constructible form:

https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-soccer-group-plans-50m-downtown-stadium

Cleveland Soccer Group unveils $50M downtown stadium plan, new women's team

 

TL;DR

• CSG is moving ahead with plans to build a $50 million, 10,000-seat South Gateway soccer stadium that could open as soon as summer 2026
• If approved, the stadium will serve as the home field for both teams
• Murphy said details about the women’s team will be announced in the coming weeks. Both teams will begin play in 2026

• Official team names, colors, kits, and timelines will be announced in the coming months

• “It can go up in a year,” Murphy said of the stadium. “We may have to play some games away early, or find an interim site, but we think we can be open and playing soccer in the new downtown stadium right after the World Cup (in July) next year"

• Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (7,000 seats) and Grand Rapids, Michigan (8,500 seats) have recently built MLS Next Pro stadiums

• “If another league said, ‘We need you to get to 17,000 (seats),’ that could be phased in."

• CSG expects the stadium to host more than 60 annual events. In addition to the men’s and women’s soccer games, it will be designed to host a variety of high school and college events, as well as community celebrations and concerts

• Cleveland State University, St. Edward High School and St. Ignatius High School have all expressed interest in hosting events at the stadium, Murphy said, and the organization has also spoken to organizations such as U.S. Soccer, the Mid-American Conference and Cleveland Municipal School District’s Senate League about hosting opportunities

• When asked if the new women’s professional team would rule out a future bid for an NWSL team, Murphy said, “The league we’re going with would enhance any type of future bid and would position us and make us even stronger"

Edited March 4Mar 4 by Geowizical

Not to be the naysayer here.... But I never want to hear "It can go up in a year"

17 minutes ago, Geowizical said:

We're so back lol

 

Sounds like a stadium is on the way, just in a slightly smaller and easily-constructible form:

https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/cleveland-soccer-group-plans-50m-downtown-stadium

Cleveland Soccer Group unveils $50M downtown stadium plan, new women's team

 

TL;DR

• CSG is moving ahead with plans to build a $50 million, 10,000-seat South Gateway soccer stadium that could open as soon as summer 2026
• If approved, the stadium will serve as the home field for both teams
• Murphy said details about the women’s team will be announced in the coming weeks. Both teams will begin play in 2026

• Official team names, colors, kits, and timelines will be announced in the coming months

• “It can go up in a year,” Murphy said of the stadium. “We may have to play some games away early, or find an interim site, but we think we can be open and playing soccer in the new downtown stadium right after the World Cup (in July) next year"

• Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (7,000 seats) and Grand Rapids, Michigan (8,500 seats) have recently built MLS Next Pro stadiums

• “If another league said, ‘We need you to get to 17,000 (seats),’ that could be phased in."

• CSG expects the stadium to host more than 60 annual events. In addition to the men’s and women’s soccer games, it will be designed to host a variety of high school and college events, as well as community celebrations and concerts

• Cleveland State University, St. Edward High School and St. Ignatius High School have all expressed interest in hosting events at the stadium, Murphy said, and the organization has also spoken to organizations such as U.S. Soccer, the Mid-American Conference and Cleveland Municipal School District’s Senate League about hosting opportunities

• When asked if the new women’s professional team would rule out a future bid for an NWSL team, Murphy said, “The league we’re going with would enhance any type of future bid and would position us and make us even stronger"

Great to hear, I'm curious to see the updated renderings and if they include the rail feature we saw in the first iteration. 

I also hate to be a naysayer but this seems like an atrocious waste of money that could be combined with either re-purposing the Browns stadium if they vacate, or doing a combo college/pro facility on campus at Cleveland State.  

 

We're talking about a small league with 13 home games, in a small town market in an current economic environment where Federal dollars are about to evaporate into the morning Lake Erie fog.   

 

I'm as pro-development as they come on these boards, but this one could use some deeper thought. 

3 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

Great to hear, I'm curious to see the updated renderings and if they include the rail feature we saw in the first iteration. 

 

Same! I could not find any other press releases or renderings at the moment. Since the stadium will be smaller, I could envision an RTA station being part of a second "expansion" phase once the initial infrastructure is there and being used. Could be less risk to do so as well once we see traffic/ped patterns in South Gateway

43 minutes ago, Cleburger said:

I also hate to be a naysayer but this seems like an atrocious waste of money that could be combined with either re-purposing the Browns stadium if they vacate, or doing a combo college/pro facility on campus at Cleveland State.  

 

We're talking about a small league with 13 home games, in a small town market in an current economic environment where Federal dollars are about to evaporate into the morning Lake Erie fog.   

 

I'm as pro-development as they come on these boards, but this one could use some deeper thought. 

I'm sympathetic to this comment. I love this location for a stadium but I think it's fair to ask how much value a minor league team and a women's minor league team for a sport that's up and coming sport but still very much outside the big three in the USA will bring to Cleveland. 

 

That said, I read this as an attempt to position Cleveland to have a stronger bid for a more impactful soccer league in the future. Viewed in that light it makes more sense. As always we should be judicious and careful when handing out public funds for sports stadiums. 

4 minutes ago, Ethan said:

I'm sympathetic to this comment. I love this location for a stadium but I think it's fair to ask how much value a minor league team and a women's minor league team for a sport that's up and coming sport but still very much outside the big three in the USA. 

 

That said, I read this as an attempt to position Cleveland to have a stronger bid for a more impactful soccer league in the future. Viewed in that light it makes more sense. As always we should be judicious and careful when handing out public funds for sports stadiums. 

Well put.

 

I'm not sure CSU is in a position to contribute much, but they probably would benefit from this more than anyone at the moment. If the adjacent training facility is still built, they could move soccer over there. They are getting rid of softball which has its field next to their current soccer field. Then if they move basketball to Woodling or Public Hall with the Charge, they could be in position to sell roughly 15 acres of land Downtown to help out with their budget issues. 

Is the Juvenile Justice center site large enough to accommodate a small soccer stadium?    This would at least somewhat connect it with the CSU campus.

^ Looking at Google maps, it doesn't look like that site would be large enough.  Enhancing Krenzler Field would probably be the easiest and least-costly option.

Look I get that on these threads we like talking about various options for sites for projects and certainly considering options for sites is important, but this is a site CSG and the Metroparks have collaborated on for a while now and chosen and paid for and that's where it's being built. I recommend we should focus on discussing the plan as-presented and not hypotheticals that won't happen, unless this entire project implodes and they do need to choose a new site. For developers who are clearly invested in the city (unlike others cough cough), I'm sure they've been intentional about choosing their site otherwise they wouldn't've gotten this far.

I would assume they are getting a USLSL franchise.   ( Super League )  Hopefully they can upgrade the stadium ( if needed ) to the original iteration.

 

You would hate to never be considered for the next level because you have a minor league park.

2 hours ago, Ethan said:

I'm sympathetic to this comment. I love this location for a stadium but I think it's fair to ask how much value a minor league team and a women's minor league team for a sport that's up and coming sport but still very much outside the big three in the USA will bring to Cleveland. 

 

That said, I read this as an attempt to position Cleveland to have a stronger bid for a more impactful soccer league in the future. Viewed in that light it makes more sense. As always we should be judicious and careful when handing out public funds for sports stadiums. 

 

FYI this is not minor league: The USL Super League (USLS) is a professional women's soccer league at the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Soccer League. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USL_Super_League

Also Cleveland is an obvious choice for mens USL. They are launching a new top division within their brand, and there will capacity requirements for stadiums, which is currently 15k but my uneducated guess is that may come down to more like 10k. 

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

1 hour ago, surfohio said:

Also Cleveland is an obvious choice for mens USL. They are launching a new top division within their brand, and there will capacity requirements for stadiums, which is currently 15k but my uneducated guess is that may come down to more like 10k. 

 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

If it is 15K they mentioned that this could be expanded upon if needed. 

20 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

If it is 15K they mentioned that this could be expanded upon if needed. 

 

By their measure, the fan support for the women's team is there. So I don't think that is unrealistic. I just personally think the 15k requirement for USL is ambitious. As of right now only a few USL teams meet that capacity. We shall see! 

Ahh here we go

 

Trigger warning: the video is pretty thorough in the fly through, but the skyline in the background provides almost no context for the orientation of the stadium because it's not the real skyline lol

 

Video and photos on WKYC:

https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/soccer/cleveland-soccer-group-stadium-downtown-cleveland-2026-south-gateway/95-1efa921e-ee1a-4354-b191-398c38e597c8 

 

Edited March 4Mar 4 by Geowizical

^"Cleveland’s South Gateway Stadium offers an ideal setting for Women’s Elite Rugby,” says Jessica Hammond-Graf, President of Women’s Elite Rugby. “The venue’s flexible design and 10,000-seat capacity will create an intimate yet exciting atmosphere for our fans. With Cleveland’s growing support for women’s sports, this stadium provides the perfect platform for Women’s Elite Rugby to expand its reach and foster new opportunities for female athletes.”

 

Does this mean we could also get a WER team in the future?! https://www.womenseliterugby.us/

3 hours ago, surfohio said:

 

FYI this is not minor league: The USL Super League (USLS) is a professional women's soccer league at the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Soccer League. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USL_Super_League

I appreciate and accept your correction, but the broader point still stands. This would be a stadium for both Men's and Women's soccer, but not for the top (biggest, largest, pick your word) league in either case. That isn't inherently a deal breaker, but it's an important caveat.