Politics & Government

Study: Region Could Support Pro Soccer in Elk Grove if City Builds Stadium

Could a professional soccer stadium be built in Elk Grove?

According to a new study, a professional soccer stadium in Elk Grove could draw 550,000 soccer fans and concert-goers and bring in $312,000 in sales tax revenue per year–as long as the city builds the stadium.

The Elk Grove City Council this week will discuss the possibility of building a pro soccer stadium in Elk Grove, at a cost of $40 to $100 million. 

That stadium could hold 8,000 people if the city opts to try to lure a North American Soccer League (NASL) team, or 18,000 if the city aims for a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. And according to local demographics, the stadium would have a good chance at filling up.

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"In summary, Elk Grove contains a younger, wealthier, more diverse population than the Sacramento metropolitan area and the United States as a whole, which could serve to drive added local support to the addition of an MLS team and soccer stadium," the study states.

According to the study, performed by Convention, Sports and Leisure International, the northern California region has more youth soccer players than anywhere else in the country. And the Sacramento metropolitan area has about 9 soccer players per 100 people, ranking it seventh in the nation in terms of participants. 

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The study estimates an average attendance of 15,000 at each MLS game and says concerts and other events could also be held there. "New direct spending" in Elk Grove as a result of the stadium is estimated at $15 million in its first year of operation, and the stadium and team could earn about $5 million in that first year.

But add in the debt created from building the 120-acre stadium and soccer complex, and whoever is operating the stadium will lose $3.9 to $5.4 million a year, city staff say. That figure doesn't include revenue from naming rights to the stadium and other sources of cash.

At this week's meeting, the Elk Grove City Council will discuss whether city staff should continue looking into the arena process, including the process of identifying 120 acres of land that could be turned into a stadium.

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Elk Grove City Council meeting
6 p.m. Wednesday
City Council Chambers
8400 Laguna Palms Way 

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