Following the announcement that Major League Soccer will expand to 30 teams, St Louis is a frontrunner to be one of the next expansion teams and has unveiled the renderings for a conceptual new stadium.
The proposed soccer-specific stadium design has been created by architects HOK with seating for approximately 22,500-25,500 fans and is mooted for a downtown location.
The first-look features of the design include a ‘landmark’ EFTE canopy roof to provide covering for fans while letting in natural light for visibility and grass growth, a pitch that sits 40ft below street level, and the location of every seat within 120ft of the playing field.
As part of its downtown locale, the development also features mixed-use retail, restaurants, and public spaces, as fan experience is high on the list of attributes.
“With Major League Soccer’s announcement that the league will expand to 30 teams, combined with being able to share our initial stadium design plan, we are inching closer to making this a reality for St Louis,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, who is spearheading the ownership group working to bring MLS to St Louis.
“Over the last six months, we’ve visited numerous MLS stadiums to review designs and learn best practices in order to be as thoughtful as possible to our proposed stadium here in St Louis,” she added. “While they’re still a work-in-progress, we’re excited to finally give fans a glimpse at our proposed stadium.”
If a team is awarded to St Louis, the stadium will host approximately 18-20 regular season MLS home games and three exhibition games, and the open-air venue would be perfectly sized to welcome a diverse program of events such shows, concerts, e-sports events and others.
Pic credit: HOK and Snow Kreilich
