The City of Roswell has entered into an agreement with the United Soccer League (USL) to explore the possibility of developing a historic women’s soccer stadium and anchored entertainment district and making Roswell home to a USL Super League professional women’s team and a USL Championship professional men’s team. During their meeting on Monday, March 25, Roswell City Council unanimously approved a Letter of Intent (LOI) between the City of Roswell and the USL that stipulates an exclusive nine-month negotiating period through Dec. 31, 2024, with the option to extend negotiations, if needed.
If an agreement is reached, the stadium will be home to a professional women’s soccer team competing in the Division One-sanctioned USL Super League and a USL Championship professional men’s team.
The City of Roswell is excited to enter into exclusive negotiations with the USL to potentially bring women’s and men’s professional soccer to Roswell,” said Mayor Kurt Wilson. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for our City. Although we are just at the beginning of the process and many details will have to be worked through, we are looking forward to exploring possibilities with the USL. Being home to a new entertainment district, a multi-purpose stadium, and two professional soccer teams would be a huge economic driver and point of pride for the City of Roswell.”
Mayor Kurt Wilson, City of Roswell
Among the reasons the USL chose the City of Roswell for this endeavor are USL’s ambitious vision for the project, its tradition of excellence in soccer, and the Metro-Atlanta area’s tremendous passion for the sport.
“We are elated to partner with the City of Roswell and explore this exciting opportunity,” USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer Justin Papadakis said. “Having grown up there, right in Horseshoe Bend, I can unequivocally attest that The City of Roswell has all the ingredients to become home to the preeminent USL Club, multi-purpose stadium, and entertainment district—all driven by its world-class professional women’s team.”
Justin Papdakis, USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Office
The LOI approved on March 25 is a commitment to exclusive negotiations. A site for the entertainment district and multi-use stadium has not been selected. Finding a suitable location will be part of the negotiation process. The stadium will seat at least 10,000 and the USL would serve as both the “anchor tenant” of the stadium and would have right of first refusal to serve as the stadium operator/manager.
About USL
Impacting more than 200 communities, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest professional soccer organization in North America.
The USL is the first and only soccer organization in the United States to build a youth-to-professional pathway for both women and men within one ecosystem. That structure includes three professional leagues: USL Super League (women), USL Championship (men), and USL League One (men).
The USL Super League is a Division One professional women’s soccer league kicking off in August 2024. The USL Super League’s vision is to be a global leader in women’s soccer on and off the field while providing more opportunities for women in more communities. The inaugural season markets are Brooklyn, Carolina, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Lexington, Spokane, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C.
The USL Championship is a professional men’s soccer league that reaches more than 84 million people in 24 cities across the United States and ranks among the most successful and well-operated leagues in the world. Every USL Championship match is available live on CBS Sports or ESPN platforms, including 35 nationally televised games beginning, April 6 with Louisville City SC vs. Indy Eleven on CBS.
To learn more about the USL, visit www.USLsoccer.com.