After a series of reversals stretching back more than two years, an effort to build a new soccer stadium has taken a big step forward via a vote by the Albuquerque City Council.
The New Mexico United soccer team has long pushed for the construction of a modern stadium that could house up to 12,000 seats, accommodating a fan base that has seen at least that number of people coming out to watch the team play at Isotopes Park.
Despite the fact that the ownership of the team had earlier pledged to commit around $10 million to the project, a $50 million bond designed to fund the stadium’s construction was turned down in a roughly two-to-one vote by Albuquerque residents in the fall of 2021.
In the wake of that defeat, the team’s leadership, working with various city officials, have tried to find a new path forward for the project, bolstered by some $13.5 million in capital outlay funds approved by the New Mexico State Legislature.
Now members of the Albuquerque City Council have given their approval to a lease agreement allowing the team to build a stadium at the Balloon Fiesta Park on the northeast side of the city.
The parameters of the agreement will see New Mexico United spending up to $30 million to build the stadium on a 7-acre swath of land. The City, in return, will spend up to $13 million in state funding for upgrade work at the park.
Work on stadium project, which now is expected to have a seating capacity of around 10,000 and has also won the approval of the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission, is expected to launch in the fall of next year.
Responding to the City Council lease agreement vote, Peter Trevisani, president of New Mexico United, said the new facility will be “for all New Mexicans.”
In a statement, Trevisani continued: “We still have a lot of work to do and are honored to represent our incredible state.”
By Garry Boulard
