The next step in building a stadium for a popular Albuquerque soccer team has been taken with a City decision to lease the land needed for the project.
As announced by Mayor Tim Keller, roughly seven acres out of the 365-acre Balloon Fiesta Park on the north end of the city will be given over to the building of a permanent home for the New Mexico United team.
Noting that the site is currently underutilized, Keller said the presence of the stadium will enrich “one of our most frequented areas and provide new economic activities.”
He further described the project as a “significant win for our city and a potential game-changer.”
Officials with and fans of the New Mexico United team have long wanted to see a stadium built for the sport. In the fall of 2021, Albuquerque voters rejected a $50 million bond to fund the project.
Despite that loss, the team’s ownership earlier this year announced that it was still determined to build a stadium that could hold around 10,000 seats, committing some $30 million to the project.
The project will be additionally supported by infrastructure improvements undertaken by the City.
The team has agreed that no games will be played in the stadium during the one-week Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which takes place every year in October.
By Garry Boulard
