INDIANAPOLIS — The city of Indianapolis announced it is looking at a new site for a potential soccer-specific stadium in an effort to bring an expansion Major League Soccer team to the Circle City.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said he met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber in New York City Monday to discuss the possibility of bringing a franchise to Indianapolis.
"My objective was to determine if Major League Soccer would entertain an expansion to Indianapolis," Hogsett said.
On Wednesday, the city filed a resolution with the Metropolitan Development Commission to create a professional sports development area (PSDA) at 355 E. Pearl St. in downtown Indianapolis. That location is just east of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The plan still needs to be approved by the MDC, and then would go before the City-County Council. The city has to be ready to file its plan to the state by the end of June, before going back to the MDC for final approval before June 30, 2024.
The city says the ownership group will ultimately select which site is sent to the state. The city will not reveal the name of the ownership group at this time.
To bring an MLS team to Indianapolis, the city must have a soccer-specific stadium that is promoted and financed by the city and a competent ownership group to pay the MLS expansion fee. Last May, the city of San Diego reportedly paid a $500 million expansion fee to get a team.
Still, there is no guarantee that even if the city meets those requirements that an expansion team will come to Indianapolis.
“Indianapolis has long been a marquee destination for professional and amateur sports. A significant part of this collective success stems from our history of local and state collaboration, the ability to articulate a common vision, and a corporate and community commitment to seeing the city’s teams succeed," Hogsett said.
The mayor's office noted the announcement comes at a exciting time for sports in Indianapolis, as the Indiana Pacers are in the playoffs, the Indiana Fever drafted Caitlin Clark and the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is quickly approaching.
However, earlier in the day, Keystone, which is overseeing the development of the Eleven Park area for the Indy Eleven soccer team, issued a lengthy statement.
In it, they accuse Hogsett's administration of being ready to walk away from the plans.
In December, a Professional Sports Development Area map for Eleven Park was approved by the City-County Council. Keystone accuses the mayor's administration of refusing to submit the PSDA map to the State Budget Committee.
Keystone also accuses the mayor's administration of shopping the "publicly-owned real estate and public financing to the highest bidder." Those alleged bid requests do not include a requirement for a spot for Indy Eleven.
The statement goes on to read: "These actions by Mayor Hogsett's administration are a concerning departure from what the Indianapolis business community stands for: integrity, trust, and the expectation that one is true to their word. A dangerous precedent is being set for how city negotiators conduct themselves."
The city said Thursday there was never a deal with Keystone, just a proposal. Officials reiterated they were not walking away, but this proposal is about getting MLS into Indianapolis.
Eleven Park
On Nov. 1, 2023, the Department of Metropolitan Development Commission (DMD) unanimously approved a special tax area to pay for infrastructure tied to the Eleven Park project.
The project, which will be located at 402 Kentucky Ave. near Lucas Oil Stadium, will be home to a new stadium for Indianapolis' professional soccer team, the Indy Eleven. It is expected to cost $1 billion to build.
Upon completion, the stadium is expected to seat 20,000 people, and Eleven Park will include more than 600 apartments, 205,000 square feet of office space, 197,000 square feet of retail space alongside restaurants, hotels, green space and more.
It was expected to open in the summer of 2025.
Renderings of Eleven Park
The Eleven Park development is in downtown Indianapolis’ southwest quadrant at the riverfront site.
The site is a block away from Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center, and near the Eli Lilly & Company global headquarters and the Indianapolis Zoo.
It is also near new developments in the immediate area, which include the new Elanco headquarters, the expanded White River State Park and the extension of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
(Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to reflect Hogsett met with the MLS commissioner on Monday, not Thursday, as previously reported.)