Louisville City and the City of Louisville announced on Wednesday that a study will be commissioned regarding the feasibility of constructing a new soccer stadium in the area.
The announcement comes with a suggestion Louisville could throw its hat in the ring for MLS expansion in the future, as the team's statement called the quest for a stadium a "clear message" about future ambitions.
The club, which completed their debut season in USL in 2015, currently plays at Louisville Slugger Field, home to the AAA Louisville Bats baseball team. Established as an affiliate of Orlando City, Louisville City reached the playoffs last season, led by former Chicago Fire forward and USL MVP Matt Fondy.
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The timetable regarding the delivery of the study has not yet been established, although it could be followed by future studies looking into the viability of developing amateur and youth sports facilities in the city.
“The step that the mayor’s office and the City of Louisville have taken is significant in the process to bring a soccer-specific stadium to Louisville,” said Louisville City President Amanda Duffy, in a team statement. “By engaging [commissioned firm] Conventions, Sports & Leisure International to deliver a recommended direction for a stadium location, as well as a path for project funding, illustrates the decisive action that we’re all taking to achieve the ambition of bringing the highest level of professional sports to Kentucky and Southern Indiana.”
Duffy elaborated on her remarks in an interview with Soccer By Ives:
“This is huge,” she said. “For us, short-term and long-term, a soccer-specific stadium that Louisville City can call home is a necessary part of our business, our growth and our future, as a USL team, and we have higher aspirations for the next four or five years and as a soccer organization."
