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Photography by Laura Miserez
The MLS4TheLou ownership group with Don Garber
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Photography by Laura Miserez
Major League Soccer has officially awarded St. Louis an expansion team.
The effort to bring a team to town was led by MLS4TheLou, which will become the league’s first women-majority ownership group, spearheaded by Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh, the owner of Division II team Saint Louis FC.
"It is with great pride we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer," league commissioner Don Garber said in a press release on Tuesday. "St. Louis is a rich city of soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception."
The club is slated to begin playing as early as March 2022 in the proposed Downtown West stadium. (Currently, MLS teams play 17 regular-season home games and three exhibition games, with possible additional postseason games.) The expansion could bring an estimated 500 construction jobs for the privately funded stadium and 450 permanent jobs.
The team’s name, colors, and logo have yet to be determined, but the ownership group will begin the process immediately. The ownership group will also discontinue selling #MLS4theLou merchandise and will give away some of the merchandise at "fan workshops, meetings, or rallies" while transitioning to eventually selling MLS team merchandise.
Despite some speculation about whether the existing Saint Louis FC would be absorbed into the MLS, the release noted, "No, Saint Louis FC is not being promoted into MLS."
Courtesy of MLS4TheLou, HOK, and Snow Kreilich Architects
An interior view of the soccer stadium
Additional details about the stadium, sponsors, and tickets will be announced in the weeks to come. The release noted that “in addition to the stadium, the development will include mixed-use retail, restaurants, and gathering spaces open year-round to the public.”
“We believe MLS soccer will bring together the many different segments of our St. Louis community, uniting people in their love for the game,” the press release stated. “It will be a strong draw for the city and region as we work to attract young people and new talent for businesses. We believe our new team will be an exciting addition to our downtown and will serve as further proof of the renaissance taking place in our city.”
