CLEVELAND — The group behind the bid to bring a National Women's Soccer League team to Cleveland is in its final push as it waits on the NWSL to make its final decision for the league's 16th team.
The league was expected to make its decision before the end of the year. The Cleveland Metroparks says the infrastructure is already in place for a stadium, and Cleveland Soccer Group says the support for a team in the region is growing.
"(It's been) phenomenal, phenomenal," CSG's CEO Michael Murphy told 3News Friday. "The league could come to Cleveland and be the primary soccer brand in a major American city."
The NWSL has narrowed it down to three cities: Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Denver. The two other competing communities already have Major League Soccer teams and stadiums, but Cleveland's bid is the only one that includes a new stadium where a women's team would be the primary tenant.
"We want to go now so we have a seat at the table and to be in the conversation as this game continues to grow," Murphy said.
Cleveland is the last top 20 media market in the United States without a major pro soccer team, but Murphy's group is working to change that with both its bid and a new stadium in downtown. The site includes 13 1/2 acres of vacant land on the other side of Interstate 90 across from Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
"This is the right place for a women’s soccer team: right here in downtown Cleveland," Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman said.
Cleveland Metroparks recently acquired the space in support of a 12,500-seat facility. According to Zimmerman, the stadium would not only benefit soccer fans, but the waterfront along the Cuyahoga River. He added that the space already has the infrastructure to support a stadium.
"When we really talk about what makes a site dynamic and worthy, I don't know that there's another site in the country that hits all of the boxes," he claimed. "When you look at its ability — behind us, 117,000 cars go through on 90. We have connections to 77, we have connections to 480, we have connections all the way into Opportunity Corridor, we have this very dynamic trail system."
Since kicking off the race for a women's soccer team, Cleveland Soccer Group has received more than 15,300 season ticket holder pledges. More than quarter of those are from Cleveland, followed by Lakewood and Shaker Heights and as far away as Columbus.
"We think we've got a really good bid and it's baking right now," Murphy said, "and we're very optimistic about the future."
The stadium would cost an estimated $150 million. To get the total project off the ground, it would cost closer to $300 million when adding training facilities, franchise fees, and startup costs.