Iron District Stadium
 rendering of the stadium interior | |
 | |
| Location | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°02′12″N 87°55′13″W / 43.0368°N 87.9204°W |
| Public transit |  MCTS |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2022– |
| Opened | 2026 (anticipated) |
| Tenants | |
| USL Milwaukee Marquette Golden Eagles soccer Marquette Golden Eagles lacrosse | |
Iron District Stadium is an 8,000-seat soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Once completed, it will be home to the city's yet-to-be-named USL Championship club and the Marquette Golden Eagles soccer and lacrosse teams. The stadium will be located in the city's Westown neighborhood on the corner of N. 6th St. and W. Michigan St. and is expected to be completed in 2026.[1]
History
[edit]The stadium was first announced in May 2022 as part of the larger Iron District sports and entertainment district development, which will also include housing, a 3,500-seat concert venue, and retail space.[2] The 11-acre property on which the district will be built was purchased from Marquette University.[3] According to the developer, the Iron District will generate nearly $40 million a year and create 588 jobs, with more than $23 million in annual payroll.[4]
Initial construction on the development began in September 2022.[5] At the official unveiling event for the USL Championship club on October 19, 2022, it was announced that work on the stadium had already begun, including the demolition of the abandoned Ramada Inn which stood on the property.[6]
In June 2023, Republican state legislators blocked $9.3 million in state funds towards the project that had been allocated by Governor Tony Evers.[7] On November 2, Evers was able to restore the funding with state money provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.[4] The delay led to the developer pushing back the project's completion date (and the first season of the new soccer team) one year to 2026.[8]
Construction on the stadium itself was initially expected to begin in early 2024.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Jannene, Jeramey (20 May 2022). "Soccer Stadium, Concert Venue Planned For Downtown". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Wild, Matt (20 May 2022). "Holy crap, Milwaukee is getting a new 8,000-seat soccer stadium and 3,500-person concert venue". Milwaukee Record. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Marquette sells 11 acres to developer for new downtown soccer stadium". WISN. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ a b Tanzilo, Bobby (2 November 2023). "Iron District MKE soccer stadium gets a $9.3 million boost". onmilwaukee.com. On Milwaukee. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Goldbeck, Madison (30 August 2022). "Construction to begin on Iron District redevelopment in Milwaukee". TMJ4. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Reiner, Dan (19 October 2022). "Milwaukee's pro soccer club had a home. Now it has a league". Radio Milwaukee. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Jannene, Jeramey (2 June 2023). "Republicans Block State Funding For Iron District Stadium". urbanmilwaukee.com. Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Krzykowski, Brett (30 November 2023). "Milwaukee Pro Soccer pushes its debut to 2026". radiomilwaukee.org. Radio Milwaukee. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Turpin, Hunter (29 November 2023). "Milwaukee pro soccer team launch delayed until 2026". biztimes.com. Milwaukee Business News. Retrieved 8 March 2024.