MLS Commissioner is interested in the market if a stadium is built.
Indianapolis officials are moving ahead with building a soccer stadium. The Marion County Capital Improvement Board of Managers is now accepting construction proposals. The board has a deadline of August 22nd for submissions The board would like to award a construction contract by October 10th. How much will the stadium cost and who will be paying for the construction? The answer is unknown. Indiana state lawmakers are not able to allocate money to build a stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise right now. It may not be until 2026 that a cost estimate will be known. But the project seems to be back on track.
“I think MLS wants to come to Indianapolis,” Mayor Joe Hogsett told WTHR television news earlier this year. “But the commissioner (Don Garber) reminds me every time we talk, he says, ‘You know, Mayor, you have to have a stadium in order to have us come build.” Despite the setback, Hogsett said, “the future is bright” in getting an MLS franchise to open up business in Indianapolis. On June 3rd, 2024, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved a new special taxing district to help fund an MLS stadium project and by doing so withdrew funding for the second tier United Soccer League’s Indy 11’s franchise ownership to build a soccer stadium in town. Indianapolis officials did an about face on the Indy 11 proposal. Indianapolis politicians expressed concern about the financial viability of the project and then there was the discovery of hundreds of human remains on the site. In late June, 2024, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission gave final approval for a new, potential Major League Soccer stadium. Then the project went dormant. Earlier this year, Indiana Governor Mike Braun threw his support behind the effort to get Indianapolis an MLS expansion franchise. But Indianapolis needs a venue.
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