(Cleveland) - New development will be coming to an area just south of Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Metroparks has agreed to buy 13.6 acres of land, which will be the site of a proposed women's soccer stadium. Cleveland Metroparks is supporting an effort by Cleveland Soccer Group to build a stadium for women's soccer, and bring a new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team to Northeast Ohio.
Located in downtown Cleveland across the street from Progressive Field on undeveloped land, the proposed stadium location is an ideal site for public trails, parking, active transportation infrastructure, greenspace, plazas, and other associated park amenities. The site is also located near existing portions of the Slavic Village Downtown Connector Trail, Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Riverfront Trail, and portions of other future planned trail connections.
“Cleveland Metroparks is proud to partner with CSG to help make Cleveland home to the next National Women’s Soccer team,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman. “The acquisition of this centrally located property near the heart of Cleveland aligns with our ongoing efforts to connect communities to and around downtown Cleveland through our growing trail network and we’re excited and hopeful that GSG and Cleveland will be successful in this tremendous opportunity.”
The stadium would be the first ever public-private partnership for a newly constructed stadium primarily designed for women’s professional sports. The initial design would support capacity of at least 12,500 fans and be engineered to expand up to 20,000 if needed. The stadium would be the catalyst to development south of the highway and would complete the 30-year-old-vision of Gateway. In addition to a new NWSL team, the stadium would also serve as the home for a men’s Major League Soccer NEXT Pro club and host other events including select collegiate and high school sports, concerts, festivals and more.
“Our vision of prioritizing equity and economic impact through women’s professional sports is so complementary to the Metroparks mission,” said CSG Cofounder and CEO, Michael Murphy. “We are thrilled to partner with Cleveland Metroparks on this transformative project for the region.”
Copyright 2024, iHeartMedia
Listen to WTAM for news at the top and bottom of the hour