USL Championship football club Louisville City FC will have a home to call its own following the completion of its new Lynn Family Stadium.
The Kentucky club, which competes in the second tier of US football, will play its first USL Championship match at the venue on April 11 and accepted the keys to the stadium yesterday (Tuesday).
Louisville City has been playing at Louisville Slugger Field, home to Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Cincinnati Reds’ Triple-A affiliate team Louisville Bats, since 2015. Work commenced on the new 11,600-seat stadium in June 2018 and has been completed on time and on budget by the Messer/Harmon construction team.
The entire project included 1,012 construction workers and required more than 345,000 total working hours to complete. The new $65m (£50.7m/€58.4m) stadium will also be used for concerts and events, as well as Louisville City’s U23 team, which will begin play this summer, and Louisville’s NWSL women’s franchise, which was awarded in October and will begin play in 2021.
“Watching this stadium come to life – from the initial drawings to the steel skeleton to the final product – has been a thrilling experience for me and for the tens of thousands of fans who have been waiting patiently for a place to call our own,” said Brad Estes, president of Soccer Holdings, parent company of Louisville City FC.
“We’re grateful to the Messer/Harmon team for building our new home, and we are so excited for Louisville to experience championship soccer here on April 11.”
Lynn Family Stadium is the focal point of a $200m mixed use development in the Butchertown neighbourhood east of downtown Louisville. The stadium includes 18 luxury suites, club and loge seating options, seven bars within sight of the pitch, and a 40×72 foot video board in the Waterfront Supporter Zone.
“Working on this project has been a career highlight for me and the entire Messer/Harmon team,” said Jason Larkin, Messer project manager. “We take immense pride in building an iconic destination for Louisville sports fans. Our teams worked six days a week for more than a year to raise this new Louisville landmark, and we can’t wait for the opening games. Lynn Family Stadium will be an outstanding home for our LouCity FC team and fans.”
In August, Louisville City agreed a deal for the Lynn Family to sponsor the club’s new stadium under a 10-year naming rights partnership. In April live entertainment company AEG Facilities was appointed to manage the venue.
Images: Louisville City FC
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