Groundbreaking on ‘showstopper’ Eleven Park

Article posted by Coliseum, June 8^th, 2023

Image: Indy Eleven

Officials from the United Soccer League (USL) Championship team Indy Eleven and the management consulting firm Keystone Group were joined on May 31^st by the State and City leaders for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Eleven Park in Indianapolis, Indiana (US).

‘Indy Eleven’ stated that the Eleven Park is a transformational riverfront neighborhood development anchored by a multipurpose soccer stadium that will serve as a permanent home for Indy Eleven. Demolition will begin immediately and continue over the next few months.

The Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, US. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League (USL) in 2018.

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The 12,111-capacity IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium is a 12,100-seat soccer and track and field stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It serves as the residence of the Indy Eleven.

The 20,000-capacity Eleven Park is a soccer-specific stadium currently under construction on the site of the former Diamond Chain Company facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It would be the home of Indy Eleven, a professional soccer team that plays in the USL Championship.

The North American Soccer League was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It was the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States.

The USL Championship is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL 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, US.

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 league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York, US.

Chicago (US)-based the Keystone Group is a results-oriented management consulting firm serving mid-market manufacturing and distribution clients and their stakeholders. Its small, experienced teams create value for clients through growth strategy, operational improvement, financial restructuring, and acquisition integration.

Said Ersal Ozdemir, Chairman and Founder of the Keystone Group and Indy Eleven, “Now rising from a formerly underutilized portion of our downtown, the Eleven Park is a transformational riverfront development that will make a permanent mark on our City’s skyline and its impact will be felt by generations of supporters, visitors and residents who will soon be able to enjoy its world class amenities. With this groundbreaking, we are thrilled to mark a crucial milestone in the project, creating a new live, work and play neighborhood for our City and the region that has been a decade in the making.”

‘Indy Eleven’ further stated that anchored by a 20,000-seat multipurpose stadium that will be the permanent home for Indy Eleven’s men’s and women’s professional teams, the Eleven Park development will also include more than 600 apartments, 205,000 square feet of office space, 197,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants, hotels, public plazas and green spaces, parking, and more.

The Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb and the Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett participated in the event and offered praise for the project.

Stated Governor Holcomb, “The Eleven Park project is a gamechanger for the capital City and magnet for the entire State. The Eleven Park will create quality of life benefits for all ‘Hoosiers’ (people of Indianapolis) that go far beyond a soccer stadium and will be yet another showstopper to add to our toolbox as we work to attract next-level investment from across the globe.”

Added Mayor Hogsett, “Indianapolis is a global City, and the Eleven Park presents an opportunity to grow the world’s largest sport along the White River. In this pivotal moment for downtown, developments like Eleven Park, the Henry Street Bridge and the Elanco Headquarters will grow Indianapolis’ skyline. As the Keystone Group takes the next step to redevelop the Diamond Chain site, community input will be critical as we help build a more prosperous and inclusive City.”

The private groundbreaking ceremony was attended by hundreds including the State and local officials, along with business and civic leaders who have and will continue to play a role in the success of the development from fruition to completion.

The Eleven Park development is in downtown Indianapolis’ Southwest quadrant at the riverfront site which for more than 100 years was occupied by the Diamond Chain Company. The site is conveniently located just a block away from the 70,000-capacity Lucas Oil Stadium, the 12,230-capacity Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center and near the Indianapolis Zoo. It is also at the epicenter of a range of new developments in the immediate area, including the new Elanco headquarters, the expanded White River State Park and the extension of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.

The project’s lead designer is the celebrated design studio Populous, Browning Day is the Architect of Record and AECOM Hunt (engineering design firm) will be the Construction Manager for the stadium portion of the development. The stadium is projected to open in the Summer of 2025.

The Architect of Record is the architect or architecture firm whose name appears on a building permit issued for a specific project on which that architect or firm performed services.

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