St Louis SC – And Its State-of-the-Art Stadium
St. Louis has always been a sports town, even with its ups and downs. In March 2023, St Louis City SC had its launch as a Major League Soccer expansion team with a debut road game against Austin FC. It was a come-from-behind-win that set the stage for its growing fan base.
The other big news, though, was the amazing stadium that this team will call its home – City Park. It is just one of the nine new stadiums built over the past five years, as soccer takes its place among the top major league sports in the US.
This stadium was the vision of and privately financed by two prominent St Louis families – the Taylors of Enterprise Leasing and the Kavanaughs of World Wide Technology. They proposed their plan to the City of St Louis in 2018, and it included far more than just a stadium. It included a proposal to revitalize an entire section of western St Louis that was left undeveloped due to a failed highway expansion project.
The result is nothing short of amazing. And as a “test match” in late 2022, the SC reserve team and visiting German Bayer Leverkusen. The first official home match with the senior team was held in March 2023, hosting Charlotte FC.
Cost and Capacity
For $458 million, St Louis SC has 31 acres featuring the club’s training facility and three other full-sized fields used for practice and academy. In fact, St Louis SC is one of the few teams in the world that has its training facility on the same grounds as its playing field.
City Park has a seating capacity of 22,500 which includes a standing section of 3,000. This section includes these fans’ own pub called the Hellcat.
A unique feature of the stadium seating is that every fan will be within 120 feet of the field, the closest being just 15 feet away.
Other Physical Features of City Park
No artificial surface here. Players have a grass field with a built-in heating system that ensures the grass continues to grow during St Louis winters.
City Park is below ground level – 40- feet to be exact – so that it does not interfere with the St Louis skyline.
The four corners of the stadium are open-air, so that each of these entry points serves as a welcoming message to city residents and others who may pass by.
Food, Drink, and Entertainment
No fast food chains will ever show their faces at City Park. Only local food fare will be available from 25 restaurants – Italian, Mexican, BBQ, Cuban, Vietnamese, Filipino, and even vegan. A “chief flavor officer” determines food selections.
Local rapper Mystermind is in charge of the music. He recruits local and national bands from all music styles and genres.
Technology and Sustainability
City Park is ticketless, cashless, and paperless. Fans who download the app can order food and avoid the long lines. There are also self-service kiosks throughout the stadium.
The “zero waste” policy means that all waste is collected, recycled, or composted. And all energy is designed with the latest efficiency.
For Soccer Fans Who Want More
Never let it be said that St Louis would limit soccer fans to just St Louis SC and City Park. Sports bars throughout the metro area have come to focus on televising international soccer matches to meet the growing demands of fans. Here’s some straight talk about two of them.
Amsterdam Tavern
This great pub opened in 2008 in the South City area of Tower Grove. Soccer reigns supreme here, and team scarves decorate the entire place. Arsenal and the Dutch Club Ajax have a more prominent role of course. There is an outside patio area for smokers of anything legal, and a cool poster of Bob Marley in soccer gear. Food is served from the Damn next door and carried over to enjoy with bottled and draft beer.
ITap
Fellow soccer players and college buddies Brad Lobdell and Sean Conroy had a few beers one night and challenged each other to start a sports bar. They did this in a small corner in a far western suburb of St Louis in 2009, focusing on craft beer first and sports second. After a successful Super Bowl Sunday, they knew they were onto something.
Today ITap has bars in five locations throughout Missouri, though most are in the St Louis metro area. Craft beers have been supplemented with many other spirits. Two of them are located in the Soulard and Delmar Loop areas where an eclectic and LGBTQ+ – friendly crowd enjoys the environment. So, if you are a member of this community, access the Taimi app, find a like-minded local match, and hit one of these ITap locations. You can request the games and matches of your choice. Soccer has become a favorite. If a match is televised, you’ll see it.
Soccer Rocks in St Louis
From the new CityPark stadium down to local bars, soccer is earning its name and place in St Louis.
About Us
While we don’t like to be classified as a sports bar, we are a bar that likes sports. Brad and Sean met playing soccer in college, so from the beautiful game to the running of the bases you can find most of your favorite teams on our TVs. If you don’t see your game, ask your server. If we can get it, you can watch it. We pride ourselves as being everyone’s bar, relaxed and comfortable with a commitment to service and selection.
With locations in Soulard (St. Louis), Crossroads (KC), East Campus (Columbia, MO), the Delmar Loop (St. Louis), and Lee’s Summit, MO that “little bar that could” that opened in 2009 on a dare has sparked the craft beer flame that burns brightly still today.
The published material expresses the position of the author, which may not coincide with the opinion of the editor.