The new Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS) 4 Multipurpose Stadium that the club will call home has received approval to move forward with a groundbreaking in the Spring after the Oklahoma City Council (US) recently approved the project’s preliminary report by a unanimous 7-0 vote.
‘OKC FOR SOCCER’ stated that in the coming weeks OKC for Soccer, the City and Lingo Construction, the stadium’s construction management company, will share more information about an official public groundbreaking event to mark the start of construction this Spring.
The Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS) is a multiyear, municipal capital improvement program consisting of a number of projects originally conceived in the 1990s in Oklahoma City by its then Mayor Ron Norick. A MAPS program features several interrelated and defined capital projects funded by a temporary sales tax (allowing projects to be paid for in cash without incurring debt) administered by a separate dedicated City staff funded by the sales tax and supervised by a volunteer citizens oversight committee.
The OKC for Soccer is an initiative dedicated to re-establishing professional, top-tier men’s and women’s soccer in Oklahoma City with a new team scheduled to begin play in the United Soccer League (USL – an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system) Championship in 2028.
The USL Championship is a premier professional Men’s soccer league in the United States sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a Division II league.
Oklahoma (US)-based Lingo Construction is a group of builders who appreciate the art of constructing unique spaces and structures. They thrive on distinct projects and have built award winning architecture on both the local and national stage. Their projects range from the unique 500 square foot interior remodels to tens of millions for whole block revitalization and development.
‘OKC FOR SOCCER’ further stated that set to open in early 2028 the MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium will host OKC’s new professional soccer club as well as concerts, football, rodeo, and other sporting and cultural events. It will anchor a multiuse cultural district that will unify downtown OKC from the City Center to the river. The development, which will be one of the largest downtown districts created to date, will be within walking distance of the new OKC Arena, the convention center, Bricktown, and the Scissortail Park.
Commented Court Jeske, President of OKC for Soccer, “The above marks an important milestone for our club and we thank the members of the Oklahoma City Council for their commitment to this project. The stadium groundbreaking this Spring will be another major step forward and we look forward to including the fans, the local City leaders and the wider OKC community in that historic moment.”
The MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium is a key part of the vision for professional soccer in OKC established by OKC for Soccer Principal Owner Christian Kanady who is also the Founding Partner and CEO of Echo Investment Capital, and Jeske, a longtime sports executive with experience at the highest levels of domestic and international soccer.
Echo Investment Capital is a multistrategy investment firm committed to revitalizing American industries. Echo strategically blends investments across energy, life sciences, national security and media and entertainment with notable investments in local enterprises such as Wheeler Bio and Prairie Surf.
Leveraging Echo’s Connective Capital model OKC for Soccer is assembling a powerhouse coalition of athletes, operators and community leaders to build a sustainable, world-class soccer club in Oklahoma City.
The MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium is designed by the architecture firm Populous whose previous projects include London’s (UK) 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Monterrey’s (Mexico) 53,529-capacity Estadio BBVA and Nashville’s (US) 30,109-capacity Geodis Park, among many others.
The venue will have a capacity of just over 10,000 and includes suites, premium clubs and the closest supporters section in the world where fans will rest their feet on the playing surface.
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