Modular stadium to seat up to 15,000 fans if proposal is selected by City of San Diego

San Diego CA— San Diego Loyal SC (SD Loyal) is announcing its proposed master plan today for its new soccer stadium as part of a process initiated by the City of San Diego to redevelop the Sports Arena site in the Midway-Pacific Highway neighborhood.
This proposed stadium for the SD Loyal would serve as our temporary home for up to a decade while we continue to grow our fanbase. SD Loyal is proud to serve as a partner on the Midway Sport and Entertainment District (MSED) team. MSED is a community-centric vision for a vibrant mixed-use space to revitalize an aging area of San Diego. In addition to the new temporary soccer stadium, it features a music venue, housing, retail, restaurants and, best of all, it is anchored by a new 12-acre public park.
The modular stadium, which can seat up to 15,000 fans, is included in Phase 1 of the MSED plan and would break ground in 2022. Once completed, this stadium will be the welcoming home for the SD Loyal and its fans for 7 to 10 years while the team works with the community to secure a permanent location in San Diego.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Midway Sports and Entertainment District project and are proud to be asked to participate in such an innovative concept,” said President of the SD Loyal, Warren Smith. “We want our club to continue to be a pillar in the community by creating passion for active sports and healthy living. We’re looking forward to the positive impact a project like this will have on the San Diego community by making it an even better place to live, work and play.”
Development on the project, designed by long-time San Diegans, would occur in three phases and is set to be completed by 2029 at no cost to San Diego taxpayers. The approximately $1 billion project would modernize the existing 48-acre Sports Arena site and serve as an economic catalyst for the entire Midway-Pacific Highway community, an area that spans nearly 900 acres and has been in need of redevelopment for decades. MSED would help transform the area into a new hub for housing and jobs, all within walking distance to the Old Town Transit Center.
“Our club cares for the growth of our San Diego community and the new district project provides a great opportunity to transform an underutilized area into a place that celebrates our passion for fun and fitness,” said Smith. “Our hope is that integrating with such a mixed-use space will help grow the fan base for not only the SD Loyal team but for soccer in general. San Diego is one of the largest soccer areas, and we want to reinvigorate fan passion for the sport.”
MSED celebrates San Diego’s leadership in the health and wellness industry, which already generates $6.8 billion in economic impact and supports 58,000 jobs throughout our region. MSED looks forward to working with the active sports technology industry in our region to make this project a place where they can show their technologies and allow the people of San Diego to use them.
The city began seeking proposals for the Sports Arena site in February and is now urging San Diegans to participate in selecting a winning proposal.
To capture public input, the City is hosting a virtual Open House from Friday, July 10 to Monday, July 20. Fans and the community should visit sportsarenainput.org to view each design concept and then click on the survey portal to answer a few questions about which proposal they like and why. There is one proposal competing with MSED proposal. The competing proposal does not include soccer or a 12-acre park.
The MSED team and its collaborators will hold a press conference soon to discuss the plan. The team includes the San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, Toll Brothers, David Malmuth Development, Cruzan, BRIDGE Housing, London Moeder Advisors, AVRP Skyport, Circulate San Diego, Challenged Athletes Foundation, and others.
You can follow MSED on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The buttons below take you to our Fact Sheet, Q&A and renderings. Please let us know if we can answer any questions.
To catch up with the team and view a full schedule of current season matches, please visit SDLoyal.com.