LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lexington Sporting Club on Tuesday announced that the club will build its soccer-specific stadium in Lexington, marking a monumental step forward for the club, soccer in central Kentucky and the City of Lexington.
“We are so excited to build our new home right here in the beautiful city of Lexington,” Lexington SC Majority Owner Bill Shively said. “The goal from day one has been to build an incredible stadium in Lexington that our fans and the entire community can be proud of. I believe we are well on our way to accomplishing that feat.”
The stadium, which will be built at the same location as the club’s youth fields off Athens Boonesboro Road near Interstate 75, is already under construction. It will initially have a capacity of 5,000 with the potential to expand to a maximum of 11,000. The seven training fields and the stadium will represent an investment of up to $82 million, providing a unique venue where youth and professionals will train on a daily basis.
The stadium is expected to open in time for Lexington SC’s first game in the USL Super League in 2024. USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort said the stadium will serve as an outstanding home for Lexington SC.
“This new stadium will showcase the best of what American professional soccer has to offer,” Vandervort said. “With a new Super League team launching in 2024 and the USL League One team entering its second season, this incredible new stadium will be a special place to be when it opens next year.”
Kentucky Governor Beshear congratulated the club on the new stadium, which builds off of a $34 million tourism development project that was approved by the state and has brought seven multipurpose youth sports fields to the same piece of property. The new fields alone are expected to generate more than $50 million in direct spending over the next 10 years.
“Lexington Sporting Club’s investment builds on the economic growth we are seeing all across the commonwealth,” Governor Beshear said. “Constructing this new stadium means that we are taking another step forward in building a better Kentucky – one where our kids don’t ever have to leave home to chase their dreams – or in this case their professional soccer dreams.”
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton echoed Governor Beshear’s sentiments and said the stadium will build on an incredible legacy of sports in the City of Lexington.
“Lexington already has an enormous fan base for soccer. Thousands of our children have learned to love the game by playing it,” said Mayor Linda Gorton. “This new stadium will be an incredible home for our city’s professional soccer teams. Young people will enjoy the opportunity to play on the new soccer fields surrounding the stadium. The facility will support our hotels and our restaurants and produce new jobs.”
Lexington SC Women’s Sporting Director Michelle Rayner said the stadium will add to the momentum the club has built within the community over the past two years.
“I’ve been around soccer in Lexington and central Kentucky for a long time, so to see our club take this massive step forward is very exciting,” Rayner said. “By building this stadium, we will be able to continue to attract new fans and families to our club and our game.
Men’s Sporting Director Sam Stockley believes the club’s new stadium will help Lexington SC become a household in Lexington, central Kentucky and beyond.
“Having played and worked in soccer all over the world, I can tell you that this stadium will set this club on a trajectory to achieve excellence on and off the pitch,” Stockley said. “It’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility and one that everyone in Lexington can take a great amount of pride in.”
