Features

AEG Facilities to manage new Louisville City FC stadium

United Soccer League (USL) team Louisville City FC has selected venue and live entertainment company AEG Facilities to manage its new stadium, which is set to open in 2020 in the city’s Butchertown neighbourhood.

AEG Facilities will provide venue management services at the soccer-specific stadium, which will have a capacity of 14,000 and permanent seating for 11,700 fans.

AEG Facilities will also provide services such as event content development, purchasing, vendor services, marketing and event-day operations. The company, which is a division of AEG, will also implement proprietary initiatives at the venue including AEG S.A.F.E., AEG 1Source, AEG 1Earth, AEG 1Force, AEG Encore and AEG Energy Services.

The under-construction stadium will feature a mixture of luxury boxes, loge seating, safe-standing areas and traditional seating. It is due to be ready by next spring.

Club president Brad Estes said: “AEG Facilities is the best in the world at what they do. We want the absolute best for our fans and for our city, and partnering with a global leader like AEG will be a tremendous advantage for Louisville City FC in our new stadium.”

The club announced that it would be developing a new stadium in April 2017. It currently shares Slugger Field with minor league baseball franchise the Louisville Bats.

AEG Facilities president Bob Newman said: “AEG Facilities is thrilled to be partnering with Louisville FC on their exciting new stadium project. We are very ingrained in the city of Louisville already and it is a passionate community with dedicated leadership. Looking ahead, we want to be a great partner for Louisville FC and strengthen our dedication to the greater Louisville area.”

“We believe our new stadium will be among the best soccer-specific stadiums in the country,” Estes added. “Having AEG Facilities manage the stadium will help us maximise our stadium’s potential as a venue for local, regional and national events.”

AEG already manages the KFC Yum! Center facility in Louisville and produces more than 22,000 live events each year across 150-plus venues it either owns, operates or is affiliated with. The Courier Journal newspaper reported that the new stadium will fall under the control of KFC Yum! Center’s general manager Eric Granger, with the two venues to share some staff and resources.

Image: Louisville City FC