LEXINGTON, Ky. — USL League One on Friday shared new information on plans for new a soccer stadium and multi-purpose venue to be built in Lexington. The plans include a stadium that sits over 6,000 people, plus shopping, dining, lodging and parking options.
What You Need To Know
- In October 2021, USL League One announced the Lexington Pro Soccer team as a league expansion
- New renderings of the team's proposed multi-purpose venue will feature over 6,000 seats, 45,000 square feet of shopping, dining, lodging and parking
- The team’s name, crest and colors will be released in the near future after considering input from the community
- Bill Shively and Stephen Dawahare serve as majority and minority owners of the professional soccer team
United Soccer League One fans in Lexington could soon be in a new stadium cheering on the city’s new team. The professional soccer league released renderings Friday for the proposed sports venue. It's a state of the art facility that’s designed by architecture firm Gensler.
Bill Shively and Stephen Dawahare serve as majority and minority owners of the professional soccer team, and they're excited about the news.
“I’ve lived here most of my life, I’ve played soccer here as a young guy. I’ve got four children here that are playing the game of soccer," Dawahare said. "For years we’ve gone to other cities and seen what other cities have had to offer with things like this. We’re excited to share our vision for this corridor and what we believe is a great opportunity for our cities."
Shively and Dawahare's team also includes Vince Gabbert as club president, Sam Stockley as sporting director, Michelle Rayner as senior director of operations and Carter Carnegie for sponsorship and promotion.
Dan Holman, who serves as the United Soccer League Vice President of Expansion and Real Estate, said proposals like this are exciting, and it means more work will be done in the future.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of work to get this far and there’s a lot of work to be done, but kudos to the Tower Hill Sports, Bill Shively and Stephen Dawahare and everything they’ve done so far,” said Holman.
The proposed stadium would be located directly across the street from Rupp Arena and the Lexington Convention Center, and it'll be complete with over 6,000 seats in the stadium and 45,000 square feet of shopping and dining, a hotel, apartments and of course, plenty of parking.
“Part of the idea is that we believe it will continue to build the bridge between downtown and the University of Kentucky,” said Dawahare.
In a press release Friday, Shively called Lexington the "ideal home" for a professional soccer team.
“We have all of the ingredients needed to make Lexington Pro Soccer one of the best teams in the league – except a professional-quality stadium. We’re firmly committed to building a state-of-the-art stadium for Lexington’s soccer club, and we hope to do that right in the heart of downtown Lexington," Shively said.
Back in October 2021 during the initial announcement of the professional soccer club, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the league will offer an economic boost to the city.
“As Mayor, I look at this announcement through an economic development lens," Gorton said. "This is the type of quality of life addition that will help us attract and grow new jobs. This club will also create jobs which we are very excited about."
The Lexington community has already provided input for the team's name, crest and colors which will be released in the near future. Lexington Pro Soccer says they have goals of creating a youth league and women’s league.
The league does not currently have a date on when construction will begin for the stadium, but the season is set to begin in spring 2023 at the University of Kentucky soccer facility.