City of Roswell entertainment district plans

Image: Roswell City Hall, Georgia, Scott Long, CC BY 3.0

The City of Roswell in Georgia (US) is another step closer to becoming the home to a women’s soccer stadium alongside an anchored entertainment district.

‘FOX 5’ stated that the United Soccer League (USL) and the City of Roswell agreed to explore the City’s potential to be the future home for a USL Super League professional women’s team and a USL Championship professional men’s team.

The United Soccer League (USL) is a soccer organization that organizes professional and amateur leagues in the United States. The USL was established in 1986 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

The USL Super League is a future Division I professional women’s soccer league in the United States. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League (USL). Originally planning to launch in August 2023, it is now slated to begin play in August 2024.

The USL Championship is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL Championship is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer (MLS) in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Chicago (US)-based the United States Soccer Federation, commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501 nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States.

The Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men’s professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport’s highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams – 26 in the United States and 3 in Canada – since the 2023 season. The MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan in New York.

‘FOX 5’ further stated that in a meeting held recently, the Roswell City Council unanimously endorsed a letter of intent (LOI) with the USL, kicking off a nine-month exclusive negotiation window extending through the end of the year. This period may be extended if necessary to finalize plans for what could become an iconic sports and entertainment venue.

A letter of intent (LOI) is a document that expresses a party’s intentions to do something, and is often used in business transactions. It’s usually written in business letter format, and is often non-binding. The LOIs is created when the two parties reach an agreement, but haven’t yet finalized all the details. They outline the main terms of a potential deal, and can include stipulations, requirements, timelines, and the parties involved. Many LOIs also include non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and no-solicitation provisions.

The proposed stadium, pending agreement, would host a professional women’s soccer team in the Division One-sanctioned USL Super League and a men’s team in the USL Championship, aiming to ignite the local community and the soccer enthusiasts across the region.

The Mayor of Roswell, Kurt Wilson, expressed his enthusiasm for the negotiations, viewing it as an “unprecedented opportunity” for Roswell.

Maintained Mayor Wilson, “This is the beginning of what we hope will be a fruitful collaboration, filled with exciting possibilities for our City. The economic and cultural benefits of hosting such a district and teams would be immense.”

Wilson also described the possible agreement as a “transformational project and economic driver” for the City.

The decision to explore possibilities in Roswell was influenced by USL’s ambitious vision, the area’s rich soccer tradition and the Metro Atlanta area’s profound love for the sport.

Justin Papadakis, the USL Deputy head honcho and the Chief Real Estate Officer, and a Roswell native, highlighted the City’s unique potential, “Roswell has all the necessary components to host the premier USL club, alongside a state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment district, spearheaded by a world-class professional women’s soccer team.”

While the letter of intent (LOI) marks the beginning of exclusive negotiations, the exact location for the stadium and entertainment district is yet to be determined. The site selection and costs will be a critical part of the ongoing discussions, officials said.

Added Wilson, “The fact is we’re at the very beginning stages of negotiations.”

The envisioned stadium would accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, with the USL positioned as the primary tenant and the potential stadium operator or manager.

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