CLEVELAND — The ownership group behind Cleveland's forthcoming MLS Next Pro team and prospective National Women's Soccer League bid say they've found a place to train.
Cleveland Soccer Group, also known as Cleveland Pro Soccer, announced Friday they have put an offer to purchase the entire site of the shuttered Notre Dame College in South Euclid to use as the headquarters and training facilities of both teams.
"We’ve been working closely with the city of South Euclid and elected officials to understand their communities’ needs — and to ensure the campus remains community grounds," the group said in a social media post.
Notre Dame College, opened in 1922 as a women's college before becoming co-educational in 2001, officially closed its doors in May after talks of a takeover by Cleveland State University broke down.
"The campus is rich with existing resources from the college’s investment in athletics," CSG said. "And can we talk about the Tudor Revival architecture?"
Cleveland Soccer Group, co-founded by local businessmen Michael Murphy and Nolan Gallagher, said the campus would not just be used for soccer.
"Soccer doesn’t build walls; soccer opens doors," CSG said. "We will also be working with a national home builder to develop new single family homes in the area."
CSG officially submitted its expansion bid to the NWSL in early June. The group said Friday it is still awaiting official word on its bid. (NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has previously said the league plans to name the winning bid in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to ESPN.) Cleveland has already earned the rights to field a team in MLS Next Pro, a men's professional league in US Soccer's third tier, expected to kick off in 2025.
In May, CSG released renderings for a proposed 12,500-seat stadium in Cleveland's Gateway District to house both the men's and the women's team. CSG plans to invest $193 million in the total project and is seeking $60 million in public funds to finance the stadium, which would also be used year-round for local college and high school sporting events, concerts and festivals.
Cleveland's effort for a pro women's team comes amid an unprecedented wave of interest and investment in the NWSL and women's sports in the U.S. in general. According to CSG, average NWSL match attendance grew 32% year-over-year to 10,400 fans in the 2023 season, while average attendance for the ongoing 2024 season is pacing to increase another 12% from last year at around 11,600 fans per game. A new television rights deal negotiated ahead of this season has dramatically increased the league's media revenue.