KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — One Knoxville Sporting Club has signed a tentative agreement that would see the team play its home matches in a proposed $75 million, multiuse downtown stadium complex if the project is approved.
One Knoxville partner Drew McKenna said the club has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boyd Sports that would see the team play at the proposed site in the Old City.
“No lease signing or anything like that, but fairly confident that we can find a way forward to make this our home,” McKenna said.
He estimated 14 home games per season with roughly 3,500 fans present at each game.
“What’s important for us as a club long term is making youth soccer in Knoxville really vibrant, both so they can be fans of ours but also, hopefully, be our players,” McKenna said. “We think there’s great opportunity, great athletes, great people in East and North Knoxville and we want to grow the game of soccer there.”
One Knoxville will begin in USL League Two, a developmental league that allows college-level and elite high school players with professional aspirations to participate in high-level competition while maintaining NCAA eligibility. The team expects to join USL League One, a fully professional league which is considered the third tier of American soccer, in the near future.
For now, One Knoxville is working with city officials to find ways to repurpose spaces of all sizes that aren’t used currently to create more places to play soccer for more kids. The team hopes to have an announcement on their first repurposed space by the end of the year.
The stadium complex proposal includes the Tennessee Smokies return to downtown Knoxville, and site developers have pledged to bring more than $100 million in private investment for residential properties, dining and retail businesses. Plans also include hosting other events, such as festivals and concerts.
Boyd Sports, led by UT System President Randy Boyd, owns several regional teams including the Tennessee Smokies as well as the 14-acre site. Boyd plans to give roughly half to the local sports authority for a stadium, which Boyd Sports would lease for an estimated $1 million annually.
First votes on project development plans, and the lease agreement, are likely to begin in December, meaning the earliest the stadium could receive financing would be January.