Nashville SC’s own soccer-specific stadium is now one step closer to reality.
Just over one month after mayor John Cooper and lead owner John Ingram agreed upon a revised deal at the Fairgrounds site, demolition began Monday. You can check out more from The Tennessean, as their story includes reporting that an injunction motion from the Save Our Fairgrounds group was denied by a local judge.
“In a period when there’s a lot of uncertainty, it’s great to have a little bit of positive news,” said Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre in a team statement. “This is an element of progress towards finally playing in our very own soccer-specific stadium at the Fairgrounds, an investment in our city, and a milestone in our club’s history that our supporters and all sports fans are eager to see come to life.”
The amended agreement for the 30,000-seat stadium will see Nashville SC privately fund 100 percent of construction through cash investment, stadium lease payments and revenues generated at the stadium by attendees of events held at the facility. The deal also eliminates taxpayer and budget burden for stadium construction while maintaining the first community benefits agreement in Tennessee.
Nashville are currently two games into their expansion season and are playing home games at Nissan Stadium. Their first match at the venue, a 2-1 loss on Feb. 29 against Atlanta United, drew 59,069 fans.
