GEODIS Park – stadium description

How was Nashville's new soccer stadium developed?

In 2016, a group of local businessmen formed in Nashville with the goal of creating a team in the city to compete in the most prestigious soccer competition in the United States and Canada, the MLS. One of the key challenges, fundamental to the effort to obtain an MLS license, was the construction of a new stadium to suit the team's needs. In 2017, the first plans for the new arena were made public. The facility was originally expected to cost $275 million. The initial architectural concept was prepared by the HOK studio.

The new stadium was to be built next to the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway at the trade show site, where the annual state fair was still held until 2019. In November 2017, local officials agreed to move the fair to another location, demolish the facilities and build a new stadium, and provide $50 million in funding for the project to come from bonds. In December 2017, league officials announced the granting of a license to play in MLS beginning with the 2020 season.

When did construction begin on the new Nashville soccer stadium?

The final design of the stadium, based largely on the original concept, was created by Populous and HASTINGS Architecture. Demolition of the trade show buildings began in March 2020, and actual construction of the stadium officially began on July 22, 2020. The main contractor for the arena was the Mortenson/Messer consortium. In March 2022, it was announced that the transportation company GEODIS acquired naming rights to the facility.

Where did Nashville SC soccer players play before the new stadium opened?

In 2020, the team from Nashville joined the MLS competition. The club took over the name and colors of Nashville SC, which had been playing in the USL Championship (the second highest division after MLS) since 2018. As construction of a new stadium had just begun in 2020, the club played its first two seasons at Nissan Stadium, which is the everyday home of the NFL team, the Tennessee Titans.

When was GEODIS Park opened?

With a new stadium scheduled to open in the spring of 2022, Nashville SC played its first games of the 2022 season entirely away. The inauguration of the new venue (named GEODIS Park) took place on May 1st, 2022, and on opening night, with full stands, the hosts tied in a league game against the Philadelphia Union 1:1. Before the first game, the club sold more than 20,000 passes (more than ⅔ of the capacity of the new facility). The final cost of construction of the stadium was $335 million.

What does GEODIS Park look like?

The stadium has a typical football layout, with the stands located just behind the end lines of the field. The grandstands are two-level and can hold 30,000 spectators (it is the largest football-specific stadium in the United States and Canada). The first level of the stands is based on the slopes around the pitch (the field is located in a small basin below the level of the surrounding ground), the construction of the upper level is based on a steel framework, which is covered with concrete steps. The steel structure is mostly bare and its construction is clearly visible from the outside. Additional buildings with restaurants, stores, and restrooms were constructed around the stadium.

The second level of the auditorium was built without corners, so the four parts of this level are separated from each other. In two of the corners, there are large LED screens. The construction of the main (west) grandstand differs from the others; its upper tier contains mostly business seats. The stands are covered with a flat roof, although on the north, east and south sides only the upper tiers are covered. Lighting lamps are embedded in the roof.

The auditorium is equipped with folding chairs for spectators. On the western stand they form the words "NASHVILLE SC", on the other stands they form a mosaic of yellow, dark blue and white. In the lower tier of the stand behind the north goal there are standing places, and each row of the standing sector has been fitted with protective barriers. The seats in the corners on the south side (lower level) have been equipped with additional tabletops and direct access to the pub.