Featured image credit: Inter Miami
Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF has announced that construction has finally commenced on Miami Freedom Park, a wide-ranging entertainment district that will be anchored by a new 25,000-seat stadium.
Miami Freedom Park, which will span 131 acres, will also include a 58-acre public park and is slated to open in 2025. Inter Miami confirmed yesterday (Monday) that construction began earlier this month, and an official groundbreaking ceremony will take place later this year.
Inter Miami received key approval from local lawmakers to commence work on the project almost a year ago. It came after the City of Miami voted in favour of a lease deal for the land on which the stadium will sit back in April 2022.
Inter Miami was formed in January 2018 and debuted in MLS in 2020. The club, whose owners include David Beckham and Jorge and Jose Mas, currently plays at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The profile of Inter Miami has grown even further in recent months following the signing of Lionel Messi, who has scored 11 goals in his first nine games for the club.
Miami Freedom Park will be privately funded. The 58-acre public park will be the largest new park in Miami, with the wider district to also include community soccer and athletics fields, office space, a hotel, shops, restaurants, and other experiences and attractions.
Crews and heavy equipment are now on site, performing earthwork and sitework that will move across the 131 acres concurrent with vertical construction. The stadium will be built on land on which the Melreese golf course was previously situated.
Inter Miami said that leasing and commercial efforts are underway to attract best-in-class partners, tenants and retailers, including both established and emerging brands and companies.
Jorge Mas, Inter Miami’s managing owner, said: “With Inter Miami my family set out to build something truly transformational. In just four years we have changed the perception worldwide of American soccer. As we commence construction of Miami Freedom Park that same vision guides us.
“In creating a multi-faceted space we will set a new standard of what sport complexes can be. We look forward to delivering a food and entertainment destination for families to enjoy year-round. I can’t wait to welcome our fans to our state-of-the-art stadium and hear the chants as Messi and your Inter Miami players take the pitch for the first time in 2025.”
Earlier this year, Inter Miami hired real estate investment and development veteran Devon McCorkle as president of Miami Freedom Park. The stadium team includes Miami-based architecture firm Arquitectonica, as well as global arena and stadium design firm Manica, and project manager CAA Icon.
McCorkle said: “The level of attention and the influx of inquiries we are receiving have been incredible, a testament to the positive impact of Lionel Messi on Inter Miami CF and the City of Miami.
“Everyone wants to be part of what we’re creating, a new entertainment district that will be the centrepiece of family activities and experiences in Miami. We are in discussions with stadium sponsors, hotel brands, major attractions operators, restaurant groups, cultural institutions and many other exciting potential partners. We will deliver an incredible home for them at Miami Freedom Park.”
The stadium and initial retail and entertainment offerings will open in 2025. Additional retail, hotel and commercial spaces will be opened in the years leading up to 2030.
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