32-569: Geodis Park , known during development and construction as Nashville SC Stadium and Nashville Fairgrounds Stadium , is a 30,109-seat soccer-specific stadium at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee . It is the home of Major League Soccer club Nashville SC . The stadium opened on May 1, 2022, with Nashville SC hosting the Philadelphia Union in the stadium's inaugural match. The stadium will be one of twelve venues to host
64-471: A ride-hailing lot. The WeGo Public Transit system has two bus stops near Geodis Park but does not run special late night services for matches. Geodis Park also serves as a major concert venue. Soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium , mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function
96-469: A mix-use development next to the stadium" to the developers, including Ingram. The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County approved $ 25 million in 2018, and an additional $ 5 million was approved directly by Mayor David Briley 's office "from a 2017 contingency fund" without the council's approval in February 2019, for a total of $ 37.6 million. The stadium is part of a re-development project at
128-496: A permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for staging concerts. A soccer-specific stadium typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in North America, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly a roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA : 110–120 yards (100–110 m) long by 70–80 yards (64–75 m) wide. These soccer field dimensions are wider than
160-522: A second lawsuit was filed by Tennessee State Fair Association (TSFA), chaired by Republican Congressman John Rose , against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. According to The Tennessean , the suit contended that the construction of the stadium failed to "leave sufficient space and structures for the state fair, which is a protected use in the Metro Charter." The suit
192-482: Is essential to make the site work for two large public venues - supporting circulation, security, staging and access." Ultimately, the deal reached between the city and the team on February 13 stated that the piece of land would be made into a mixed-use open plaza that will allow space for future Fairgrounds and Speedway activities and uses. On March 16, 2020, demolition on the fairgrounds site began. On April 9, 2020, Ian Ayre published an open letter to fans stating that
224-425: Is generally between 18,000 and 30,000 for a Major League Soccer franchise, or smaller for college or minor league soccer teams. This is in comparison to the much larger American football stadiums that mostly range between 60,000 and 80,000 in which the original North American Soccer League teams played and most MLS teams occupied during the league's inception. As opposed to gridiron-style football stadiums, where
256-573: Is particularly visible in European American football leagues and conflicts between teams sharing the stadium (a notable example are Eintracht Braunschweig and the Braunschweig Lions which share a stadium) and (often municipal) owners of the stadiums sometimes arise, leading to attempts at single sport-specific venues. In Australia the term has much the same meaning as that in the United States. The dominance of Australian rules football in
288-612: Is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football rather than soccer, although the term is not common in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadiums are quite common. The term tends to have a slightly different meaning in these countries, usually referring to a stadium without an athletics track surrounding the field. Some soccer stadiums in Europe are also used for other sports, including rugby, American football, and field hockey. The problem with oversized stadiums designed for another sport
320-406: Is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium which is for a variety of sports. A soccer-specific stadium may host other sporting events (such as lacrosse , American football and rugby ) and concerts, but the design and purpose of a soccer-specific stadium is primarily for soccer. Some facilities (for example SeatGeek Stadium , Toyota Stadium and Historic Crew Stadium ) have
352-573: The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup . In December 2016, the construction was expected to cost $ 275 million. Billionaire businessman John Ingram was expected to pay "$ 25 million up front and $ 9 million a year over 30 years to help retire Metro's annual $ 13 million debt for the $ 225 bond issuance." Additionally, the Nashville Fairgrounds would be renovated for an additional $ 40 million. As part of the public-private partnership, Mayor Megan Barry vowed to give "10 acres of city-owned fairgrounds land for
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#1732851116198384-527: The Fairgrounds Speedway . This parcel of land is what prohibited a deal from being reached prior to February 13, 2020. Mayor Cooper wanted the team to give up this piece of land and in a response to a letter from John Ingram, Cooper described parcel 8C saying, "The public space that links two 30,000-seat stadiums has the potential to become one of the most important in Nashville. Careful design and execution
416-404: The 1990s, after the multi-purpose stadium era. The term "soccer-specific stadium" was coined by Lamar Hunt , who financed the construction of Columbus Crew Stadium , the first soccer-specific stadium constructed specifically for Major League Soccer. In the 2000s, other Major League Soccer teams in the United States began constructing their own stadiums. Canada's first soccer-specific stadium
448-571: The club's existing Managing Director Christian Purslow stepped down. The club's owners, Fenway Sports Group , led by John W. Henry and the chairman Tom Werner , announced Ayre as the new Managing Director on 22 March 2011. With the sacking of sporting director Damien Comolli in April 2012, Ayre was given more responsibility and in May 2014 was officially promoted to chief executive officer . In March 2016, Liverpool announced Ayre would step down as CEO at
480-473: The club's lead owner, John R. Ingram , stated that the team would fund 100 percent of the stadium's construction costs on the Fairgrounds site. This would be accomplished through lease payments on the stadium, cash investments, and revenue collected from the attendees of events at the stadium. In addition to the aforementioned agreement from the team, Nashville SC also committed to paying for the infrastructure in
512-476: The construction was expected to cost "between $ 325 million and $ 345 million", or "between $ 50 million and $ 70 million more than initial estimates," to be covered by billionaire Ingram and other investors, not taxpayers. As of July 2019, an exposition center was under construction for the State Fair. By August 23, the fair was expected to be held on September 6–15 "in the old fairgrounds space." A resolution to stop
544-480: The demolition of buildings and make way for the stadium was introduced by council member Steve Glover on August 2, but it was voted down on August 21. Nashville SC was originally supposed to start playing in the stadium in 2020, but by 2019 it had been delayed to 2022. On February 13, 2020, the agreements of the stadium deal were amended in order to allow for construction to begin on the site. This amended deal, an agreement reached by Nashville mayor John Cooper and
576-432: The demolition on the site is “progressing steadily and in a timely fashion." Ayre also stated that team had completed construction documents and that the expected completion date for the stadium is mid-May 2022. On March 10, 2022, a long-term sponsorship deal with Geodis , whose North American headquarters are based in nearby Brentwood , was announced, renaming the stadium to Geodis Park. In November 2017, Metro Nashville
608-520: The end of May 2017, when his current contract expired. In November 2016, Ayre was awarded the 'fcbusiness Premier League CEO of the Year' award at the Football Business Awards 2016. In 2012, a transfer committee was established after Liverpool's failure to land several notable transfers and underwhelming incoming transfers were widely criticized by media and fans alike. In January 2016, Ayre
640-423: The fairgrounds site that also includes a relocated Expo event space, new mixed-use retail and residential buildings and an upgraded Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway capable of hosting NASCAR Cup Series events. By February 2019, its construction had been delayed and its budget had increased. The original builder, Ely Concrete, abandoned the project and they were replaced by TRC Construction Services. By August 2019,
672-616: The front row of seats is elevated several feet above the field of play to allow spectators to see over the heads of substitute players and coaches on the sidelines, soccer-specific venues typically have the front row closer to the level of the pitch. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, first-division professional soccer leagues in the United States, such as the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer, primarily used American football fields, many of which were oversized in terms of seating capacity and undersized in terms of
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#1732851116198704-409: The immediate area around the stadium, estimated to cost $ 19 million. The team will pay $ 35 million in lease payments. Altogether, the team agreed to a total of $ 54 million in additional payments. In addition to the aforementioned monetary agreements of the deal, the team and the city came to an agreement on the parcel of land titled 8C which is about 2.4 acres in size and located between the stadium and
736-417: The largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States or Canada. It includes six lounges, two dozen box suites , and a dedicated entry gate for the supporters group located on the north side. Geodis Park has 11 official parking lots around the Fairgrounds used for Nashville SC matches, which require a pre-paid pass. Several lots are paved, while others have gravel and grass surfaces; the stadium also has
768-709: The lower tier state league clubs own their own venues which also qualify as soccer specific. Ian Ayre Ian Ayre is the CEO of Nashville SC of Major League Soccer and a former chief executive officer and main board director of Premier League club Liverpool . Leaving school at age 16, he joined the Royal Navy . After leaving the senior service, he then undertook various roles in business in Asia, eventually becoming chief executive of Pace Systems . On 15 October 2010, NESV completed its £300m takeover of Liverpool, at which time
800-519: The regulation American football field width of 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m), or the 65-yard (59 m) width of a Canadian football field. The playing surface typically consists of grass as opposed to artificial turf , as the latter is generally disfavored for soccer matches since players are more susceptible to injuries. However, some soccer specific stadiums, such as Portland's Providence Park and Creighton University's Morrison Stadium , do have artificial turf. The seating capacity
832-621: The southern states means that unlike in New South Wales and Queensland , rectangular stadiums and grounds capable of hosting top level A-League soccer are rare. Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia is an example of such a soccer-specific stadium, being built in the 1960s and progressively updated, the vast majority of matches played there are soccer, with very rare Rugby League or Rugby Union games. The Wyndham City Stadium and Wyndham Regional Football Facility are also examples. Many of
864-528: The width of the soccer field; they often used artificial turf (none of which, at the time, were approved for international soccer under FIFA rules). Although many of the baseball parks had smaller capacities, natural grass, and a wider field, these parks were generally in use during summer, when North American–based soccer leagues, such as Major League Soccer, also hold their seasons, and the irregular field dimensions and sightlines were often considered undesirable. Soccer-specific stadiums first came into use in
896-542: Was BMO Field in Toronto , home to Toronto FC . This stadium was renovated to accommodate Canadian football for the 2016 and subsequent seasons. The distinction is less prominent in Canada, where MLS's attendance figures are comparable to those of the domestic Canadian Football League , and the CFL's wider field means fewer compromises must be made to accommodate both; Tim Hortons Field
928-450: Was built purposely to both soccer specifications and CFL regulations. Of the three Canadian cities that host both MLS and CFL teams, only one (Montreal) has separate stadiums for each. All USL Championship teams and USL League One teams will be required to play in self-owned, soccer-specific stadiums by the 2022 season. The following is a list of current USL stadiums that are soccer-specific stadiums: The term "football-specific stadium"
960-486: Was criticized for his role in a proposed increase in ticket prices despite boosts in commercial revenue, which led to a walkout of 10,000 fans led by fan group Spirit of Shankly . The club owners later issued a formal apology and reversed their decision. Ayre left Liverpool at the end of February 2017 to take over as managing director of TSV 1860 Munich in Germany. He left this position in May 2017 shortly before 1860 Munich
992-593: Was dismissed by the same judge, Ellen Hobbs Lyle, a few days later. The TSFA planned to take the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court , but on February 19, 2019, they decided to settle out of court and hope for a meeting with the Metropolitan Council. The stadium was designed by Populous , a firm in Kansas City that had also designed venues for other MLS clubs. The facility seats 30,000 people, making it
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1024-803: Was sued by a group called Save Our Fairgrounds on the basis that the construction could disrupt the Tennessee State Fair , the Nashville Flea Market, and Fairgrounds Speedway racing activities. The lawsuit was dismissed by Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle in December 2017. The dismissal was overturned by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in July 2019 to address the duties of the Fair Board and their ability to collect taxes on fairground activities. In January 2019,
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