Stay tuned for news about the season-opening match in just a few minutes here.
At Thursday’s Nashville Metro Sports Authority Board meeting Thursday morning, there was good news for Nashville SC fans. Not only is Nashville SC’s forthcoming soccer-specific stadium still ahead of schedule in its construction process (as has long been the case), but that process is so far ahead that the team will be able to take on its entire 2022 home schedule in its new home facility.
The most important aspect of a sporting facility – the playing surface itself – will be laid in March, and the BOys in Gold will play all 17 Major League Soccer home games on their very own soil.
“We achieved a major milestone this month of clearing the pitch earlier this month, and the folks have started with the under-field plumbing and the drainage work, and we expect to install the natural grass in March of 2022,” said NNashville Soccer Holdings Executive Vice President Mary Cavarra. “We’ve been working with [construction contractor] Mortenson Messer, and have been able to move up the substantial completion date to early April 2022. That will allow us to play all 17 home matches in the new stadium. I just feel this is a tremendous accomplishment, and it reflects the strong collaboration of all the parties: from the Fairgrounds, to the Sports Authority, to the various Metro departments, to Mortenson Messer, to [sport-management consultancy] CAA/Icon and the folks on the club, it’s really kind of Nashvillians pulling together to make this happen, and we’re very, very proud of that.”
Most impressively, with upwards of 600 laborers on the site on a daily basis,
“We have 656,795 hours,” said . Those hours represent 414 days – free, no injuries,” said Business Resource Group’s Carol Greenlee, in charge of safety and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises liaison firm for the project.
Cavarra went on to provide further updates on a few topics of note for NSC fans. Since the stadium will fall under the jurisdiction of the Sports Authority, naming rights on the facility are subject to that body’s approval. While a title sponsor for the stadium has not been secured, auto manufacturer Hyundai will be the named sponsor of two center east-side gates, while digital payment technology firm TransCard will be the title sponsor of the northwest-corner terrace on the second level.
The parking situation is one that has been top-of-mind – dating back to interminable Metro Nashville Council meetings – and the club and facility personnel are working to continue on a transit and parking plan for events at the facility.
“We’ve been working on this topic from the beginning,” Cavarra said. We also have a preliminary transportation plan, that now that we have a better indication of how the stadium’s going to function, that we’re refining, and we’re going to be sharing it with both the Sports Authority and the Fair board at the January meeting. It’s a topic that’s near and dear to our hearts: getting people in and out of the facility in a way that makes sense, and trying to minimize the impact on the neighborhood is really top of mind.
Stay tuned today for further updates on the stadium.
Club and Country 