Sacramento Republic FC plays day-to-day in the USL Championship which is the second tier of soccer in the US, behind the rapidly growing MLS. The team's management has made no secret of the fact that it would like to eventually join the elite, but this will only be possible once a new stadium is built.

Republic FC owner and chairman Kevin Nagle has revealed what is the vision for the new arena where the top football team from California's capital city will play. The most important goal is that the local community, which would be its most important user, would be involved in its creation. This means that the facility in the centre of Sacramento would not only serve the players, but also local residents as a hub for physical activity and entertainment. In the meantime, while waiting for the start of the investment, you can check out best popular online slots.

Nagle revealed that stadium would be built on area of the revitalised part of the city called 'The Railyards'. This was once an almost 100-hectare area of railway infrastructure with a huge number of platforms and a steam engine house. It was one of the two final stops of the first transcontinental railway in North America. In the past, it was the largest and most important transport hub on the west coast of the USA. After aviation developed and the trains were electrified, the site and remaining properties on it have been unused for many years. According to plans drawn up by city officials for its regeneration, it is to be used for housing, a hospital, public buildings and sports venues. An arena for Sacramento Republic FC is also to be among them.

© Sacramento Republic FC, MANICA

The design establishes that it will have a capacity of 19,621 spectators and will occupy an area of more than 37,000 square metres. Half of this will be commercial facilities. The height of the stands would oscillate around 20 metres, which means that with the assumed number of seats, their slope would be conducive to comfortably following the rivalry on the pitch. Two architectural studios are responsible for the renderings - Machete Group, who designed TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, and MANICA. The Kansas City-based studio's portfolio includes Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Chase Center in San Francisco and images of the new facility destined for Tennessee Titans. You can read more about it here.

The construction cost is currently estimated at $350 million. This is nearly 100 million more than initially anticipated. The club has already started looking for an investor. As recently as two years ago, it seemed that Ron Burkle would be the contributor, but he withdrew from the venture in early 2021 seeing the ever-increasing costs due to rampant inflation at the time. However, Sacramento Republic FC authorities realise that the construction of a new arena is essential to realise the dream of joining the MLS competition. For now, the team will have to settle for playing at Heart Health Park. Stadium, located on the Cal Expo site, opened in 2014 and has a capacity of over 11,000 spectators. However, it quickly proved insufficient for the sporting and financial ambitions of the club from California. 

© Sacramento Republic FC, HNTB