With the potential for professional football coming to Springfieldthe city council is considering funding a feasibility study for a mixed-use sports and entertainment district next to Hammons Field.
Working with the city, United Soccer Leagues, LLC would study the suitability of the property at 1109 E. Trafficway St. for a potential soccer-specific stadium, which would serve as the home of the men’s and women’s professional soccer teams.
The site has a complicated history that includes a month-long fire and the death of a landfill employee in the 1970s. City officials acknowledged Tuesday that additional work would be needed to ensure the site’s viability .
The city has been in preliminary discussions with the USL for about two years, according to Amanda Ohlensehlen, director of workforce and economic vitality, regarding the possibility of bringing soccer to Springfield, but has only received recently a letter of intent from the league.
After an initial review of the contract on Dec. 3, the City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the cost-sharing agreement and accompanying letter of intent at its Dec. 16 regular meeting.
“It’s very, very exciting and, I think, a great complement to the investments we’ve made in area youth soccer facilities,” council member Matthew Simpson said during the council’s special meeting Tuesday.
Deal details, potential stage
Under the proposed cost-sharing agreement, the city would provide an initial contribution of up to $75,000 for the feasibility study, which would be reimbursed from the city manager’s contingency fund, unless additional funding is required. be approved by the municipal council.
Reimbursable costs include site feasibility and market analysis, surveying and geotechnical studies, conceptual design and cost estimation, legal and zoning review, traffic infrastructure assessment and utilities, financial feasibility modeling and tax incentives, community engagement and public awareness, rights, permits and risks. and financial structure planning. Ohlensehlen said the financial feasibility of the project could include private and public financing.
Although USL would lead the study, the city would retain a copy of any reports or work resulting from the study.
USL would have the right of first refusal to serve as “lead developer”, anchor tenant and operator/manager of the stadium, which would have a minimum seating capacity of 5,000 with the option to expand to at least 10,000 people.
The agreement also hints at other potential uses that could be incorporated into the project, including multi-family uses, retail and restaurants, education, medical care, culture, public transportation, public spaces greenery, hospitality and entertainment.
Although the property at 1109 E. Trafficway St. would serve as the “primary location” for the stadium and broader development, the agreement notes that related developments could potentially take place in the surrounding area.
Ohlensehlen said the potential project would likely be limited at first to the property identified for the stadium, but the city is willing to look at what might happen “to support the corridor, to support the investments that the city already has made in Hammons. Field and really it’s just about bringing new economic impact to our downtown neighborhood.
Although the agreement does not specify a timeline for completing the study, the city and USL would enter a “period of exclusivity” upon approval of the city’s contribution, which would be automatically extended for up to two additional periods of six months if it was definitive. agreements around potential development have not been finalized and signed as of December 31, 2025.
The exclusivity provision would also allow the city and USL to negotiate on an exclusive basis within a “protected territory,” which includes the geographic area within a 30-mile radius of Springfield.
Councilmember Brandon Jenson suggested the city ask to expand the “protected zone” to include Branson to ensure USL does not negotiate with the tourist destination while it works on the feasibility study in Springfield.
Ohlensehlen said the USL uses a similar radius for protected territory in other cities and that there was generally more distance between teams in the same league.
USL could have a team in Springfield by 2026
Considered a step below Major League Soccer, the USL encompasses several men’s and women’s soccer leagues, with teams in cities of varying sizes.
According to the letter of intent, the Springfield men’s team would compete in USL League One, which is considered the second tier of the men’s competition structure, and the women’s team would similarly compete in the second tier of the women’s competitive structure, “if and when the USL creates such a league, in its sole discretion.”
USL League 1 has teams in Omaha; Charlotte; Richmond; Windsor, Colo.; Madison, Wis.; Greenville, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tenn.; Spokane, Washington; Lexington, Ky.; Statesboro, Georgia; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Fresno, California.
Although the USL does not specify when it might establish teams in Springfield, the agreement requires the city to use “best efforts” to negotiate a stadium lease agreement between Missouri State University and the USL for potential use of Robert W. Plaster Stadium for home games, beginning in the 2026 League One season and continuing until the proposed stadium is completed.
Property a former quarry, landfill
The property identified for the potential football stadium has been owned by the city since 2001 and currently houses “The commons of the Jordan Valley”, a green space composed primarily of an abstract art element made of stainless steel poles. Previous plans to build a playground and greenway loop never came to fruition and much of the property remains fenced off.
The property previously served as a limestone quarry and landfill before the city took steps to close it in 1972, according to previous reports. Springfield News-Leader reporting. A fire broke out on the property in 1973 due to methane buildup caused by rotting trees dumped in the former quarry, leading to the death of landfill worker Robert Irvin Dickson. A flare system has since been installed to mitigate methane buildup.
Acknowledging concerns about previous uses of the property, Ohlensehlen said the city does not have enough information to verify firm hypotheses, but has a “preliminary understanding that this would be a site viable construction” based on a recent geotechnical analysis. of the site.
“Further research and analysis will need to be conducted at the site based on the constructability of any proposals that may be put forward, but our preliminary understanding and analysis indicates that this is a viable site,” Ohlensehlen said . “Obviously the extent of this will be investigated in more detail.”
