NASL club proposes $82 million soccer-specific stadium
The North American Soccer League’s Indy Eleven released renderings of a proposed 18,000-seat, $82 million soccer stadium on Wednesday.
The stadium still needs approval by Indiana’s legislature, but president Peter Wilt said the team is considering "three or four" potential downtown sites for the stadium.
The team currently plays at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium and sold out all 14 of its home games since playing in the stadium during its inaugural season.
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The stadium might have to be built with taxpayer money, and Wilt said he is "cautiously optimistic" that will happen.
“The big difference between this year and last year -- probably because there wasn't much time and we hadn't proven ourselves --- is the legislators didn't really engage us in discussion as much," Wilt said to TheIndianapolis Star.
Indy Eleven has previously tried to get funding for a new stadium. Team owner Ersal Ozdemir wanted lawmakers to push through legislation for $2 million a year in state sales and income taxes for a sports development area, but that plan was rejected in March 2014 before the club played its first game in April.
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In the past decade, taxpayers in Indianapolis have paid $620 million toward the cost of Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, and used $160 million to upgrade the Indiana Pacers home, Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Indy Eleven will begin their second season in the NASL on April 4.
- Scooby Axson
