As newly selected expansion team FC Cincinnati prepares for life in Major League Soccer (MLS) it has announced its principal partners for its new stadium, including Meis for its design and the appointment of the Turner Construction company for the build.
A new home stadium is top of the agenda for the franchise, however the development is still in the conceptual design phase. A site for the build in the city’s downtown West End neighborhood has been selected but is still in the process of the last stages of finalization.
Despite this, the franchise has secured four principal partners for the project: Meis architects; US Bank as a finance partner; the Machete Group, to manage all phases; and the US-based Turner Construction.
“We’re thrilled to secure all four of these companies for our MLS stadium project,” said Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati president and general manager.
“On the design and construction side, we had several strong options in each area. However, Meis and Turner are trendsetters and have led the recent movement toward fan-centered facilities.
“To have two of the industry’s top firms joining forces to work on our MLS stadium is really exciting. Not only do they each bring experience creating iconic stadiums, they also have extensive experience working together on the same projects to build some of the greatest venues in our sport.
“Having an industry leader like Machete guiding the project, and with the financial support from US Bank and its experience in the sports market, we’ve assembled a stellar, collaborative group that will deliver us a venue that is fitting of the Queen City, the West End and the club’s future.”
FC Cincinnati currently plays its home games at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium – where Turner has recently completed a major renovation and expansion of the facilities – but plans to create a new US$200m stadium featuring 21,000 seats, which could rise to 30,000.
Turner Construction will add the new project to its lengthy list of more than 450 previous sports stadia builds, which includes nearly half of all current MLS stadia.
“We are pleased and honored to be a part of this transformative project,” said Turner vice president and general manager David Spaulding.
“Our efforts will be focused on not only constructing a state-of-the-art stadium for this incredible team and their fans, but also creating opportunities and an environment for community engagement and involvement.”
The completion of the build is scheduled for the start of the 2021 MLS season with ground breaking expected later in 2018.
July 26, 2018
