CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners has approved the purchase of nearly 13.6 acres of land from the Ohio Department of Transportation to support the Cleveland Soccer Group's efforts to build a new stadium.
The move comes as the Cleveland Soccer Group is working toward building a stadium and bringing a new National Women's Soccer League expansion team to Northeast Ohio.
The lot, located in downtown Cleveland across the street from Progressive Field, is the proposed site for the stadium. Officials believe it is an ideal space due to its access to public trails, parking, active transportation infrastructure, greenspace, plazas, and other associated park amenities.
In addition, the land is near existing portions of the Slavic Village Downtown Connector Trail, Towpath Trail, 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.”
Last October, the Cleveland Soccer Group launched a campaign to bring the league's 16th franchise to the Cleveland market. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has previously said the league plans to name the winning bid in the fourth quarter of this year
If built, the stadium would be the first-ever public-private partnership for a newly constructed stadium designed for women's professional sports.
“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.”
Murphy previously told 3News' Dave Chudowsky that the total price tag for the project is $283 million. However, Murphy noted that the potential economic impact on the area could reach $4.1 billion. The 12,500-person capacity stadium would benefit not only professional soccer, but also college and high school teams.
Officials noted that Cleveland Metroparks' acquisition of the approximately $4.2 million property is "subject to the due diligence and site review and is fully funded by CSG.
At this time, CSG is continuing to work with city, county and state officials to finalize the funding plan for the public-private partnership.