Q2 Stadium

Last updated

Q2 Stadium
McKalla Place
Q2 Stadium logo.svg
Austin FC Stadium vs. Columbus Crew.jpg
Austin FC vs. Columbus Crew in June 2021
Q2 Stadium
Full nameQ2 Stadium at McKalla Place
Former namesAustin FC Stadium (tentative name)
Address10414 McKalla Place
Austin, TX 78758
Coordinates 30°23′16″N97°43′10″W / 30.3877°N 97.7195°W / 30.3877; -97.7195
Public transit CapMetro Rapid Braker/Stadium station
McKalla station
OwnerAnthony Precourt
OperatorTwo Oak Ventures LLC
Type Soccer-specific stadium
Seating typeSeated, safe standing [1]
Capacity 20,738 [2]
Field size115 yd × 75 yd (105 m × 69 m) [3]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 9, 2019
OpenedJune 16, 2021
Construction cost~$260 million
Architect Gensler
BuilderAustin Commercial
Structural engineer Walter P Moore
Services engineerHenderson Engineers
Main contractorsIdibri
Tenants
Austin FC (MLS) 2021–present

The Q2 Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in the North Burnet section of North Austin, Texas, United States. It is the home of Austin FC, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team that began play in 2021. The stadium hosted its first event on June 16, 2021, an international friendly between the United States women's national team and Nigeria.

Contents

Site history

The earliest noted development of the tract of land was in 1956, when the land was christened as a 23.5 acre chemical manufacturing plant. The manufacturing plant produced various chemicals for Reichhold Chemicals, generally peroxides, for the majority of its 29 years as a chemical plant. The facility was closed following a series of on-site safety incidents in December, 1985, which made it economically infeasible to operate. [4]

The land was annexed into the Austin city limits on July 19, 1973. [5]

Reichhold's parent company, DIC Corporation, sold the land to the City of Austin in 1995 for $1.4 million, with the city planning on using it as the Austin Water North Service Center. However, during construction of the facility in 2003, an explosion occurred, with workers finding illegally stored chemical waste on the site. Remediation was undertaken, stripping the site down to bedrock. The city sued DIC, and received $3.6 million. [6]

When Precourt Sports Ventures, operator of Columbus Crew SC, announced they were intending to move the team to Austin, city staff identified eight potential sites for a permanent stadium. [7] 10414 McKalla Place was identified as one of those eight sites, and following some public debate, became the prime candidate following the Austin City Council meeting on March 22, 2018. [8] After several sessions, the Austin City Council granted the City Manager the authority to negotiate and execute a lease with the 7–4 vote during a special session on August 15, 2018. [9] The city announced that the lease had been completed and signed on December 19, 2018. [10]

The 20-year lease of the site includes yearly rent of $550,000 beginning in year six, with an additional $3.6 million being given to CapMetro for transit. The stadium would be fully financed and built with private money, though stadium ownership would be held by the city itself. The club has the ability to extend the lease up to three times, with each extension being ten years. [11]

Construction

Construction progress, July 2020 Austin FC Stadium Construction July 2020.jpg
Construction progress, July 2020

The approximately 20,500-seat stadium was expected to cost $260 million, with team operator Precourt Sports Ventures privately financing the construction. [12] Other elements for the 24-acre site and surroundings include green space, potential housing, and mixed-use retail.

In March 2019, Precourt Sports named Austin Commercial as the construction manager and Gensler as the lead architect for the stadium, and announced that groundbreaking will take place in September 2019. [2]

Re-zoning the site to stadium requirements passed Austin City Council unanimously on June 6, 2019. [13]

On August 19, 2019, a site plan for the Austin FC stadium in North Austin was approved by the city of Austin, Texas. [14]

In January 2021, Austin FC entered a naming rights partnership with Q2 Holdings, a local online banking provider, resulting in the stadium formally being named Q2 Stadium on January 25, 2021. [15] [16]

Public transportation

Q2 Stadium sits next to McKalla station on CapMetro's Red Line commuter rail service, opened in 2024 specifically to serve the stadium. [17] Before then, the closest existing station on the Red Line was Kramer station, about a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) walk from the stadium. The new station provides a much shorter and more direct walking route from rail services to the stadium without having to cross any roads. Kramer station is expected to be relocated about 0.6-mile (0.97 km) north to the Broadmoor campus and be renamed Broadmoor station. [18]

Bus connections to the stadium include CapMetro Rapid route 803 and CapMetro Bus routes 3, 383, 392, and 466. [19]

Events

The stadium opened on June 16, 2021, hosting an international women's friendly between the United States and Nigeria. Christen Press scored the first ever goal in the stadium.

Austin FC played their first ever match at the stadium on June 19, 2021, against the San Jose Earthquakes. [20] The match ended with a 0–0 draw in front of a sellout crowd of 20,738. [21] On July 1, 2021, Jon Gallagher scored the first ever competitive goal in Q2 Stadium history, during the 27th minute of Austin FC's 3rd ever regular MLS season home match versus Portland Timbers, eventually finishing as a 4–1 win to Austin FC. [22]

On July 29, 2021, USA beat Qatar in the Gold Cup Semifinals on a Gyasi Zardes goal in the 86th minute, and Q2 hosted its first World Cup qualifying match that October, a 2–0 win against Jamaica. Q2 hosted its first Nations League match on June 10, 2022, a 5–0 win against Grenada. FC Dallas striker Jesús Ferreira scored 4 goals for the Americans in the match, the first ever hat-trick in Q2 Stadium.

On July 4, 2022, Q2 Stadium held its first non-sporting event, when it hosted Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic and Firework show, an annual event that was started in 1972. [23]

On July 30, 2022, Q2 hosted its first non-soccer event, Premier Rugby Sevens, featuring a single day Rugby sevens tournament with the Experts, Loonies, Headliners, and Loggerheads. [24] PR7s returned to Q2 on June 17, 2023, for the Eastern Conference Kickoff. [25]

In December 2023, Q2 was selected to host 2 matches for the 2024 Copa América, an annual CONMEBOL soccer tournament. Copa América is the oldest national team soccer tournament in the world. Q2 was one of fourteen stadium selected in the United States and one of three soccer specific stadiums chosen to host matches. [26] Later that month, the 2024 Copa América draw revealed that the first game would feature Venezuela and Jamaica, and the second game would feature Paraguay and the winner of qualifying play-off match between Costa Rica and Honduras. [27]

International Soccer

DateTeam #1ResultTeam #2TournamentSpectators
June 16, 2021Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2–0Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Women's International Friendly20,500
July 29, 2021Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 0–1Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinal20,500
October 7, 2021Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2–0Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying 20,500
December 8, 2021Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 2–2Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Friendly17,202
June 10, 2022Flag of the United States.svg  United States 5–0Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A 20,500
April 8, 2023Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2–0Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland Women's International Friendly20,593
November 16, 2023Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3–0Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A 19,850
June 30, 2024Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica –Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  Venezuela 2024 Copa América
July 2, 2024Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica –Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Soccer</span> Professional soccer league in the United States and Canada

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Crew</span> Soccer club in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The team is currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family and former team physician Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in club history. The Crew is considered to be one of the most successful clubs in MLS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Wolff</span> American soccer coach and former player (born 1977)

Joshua David Wolff is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Austin FC in Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Aztex</span> Soccer club

The Austin Aztex were a soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2011 as a member of the Premier Development League, the team played the 2015 season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid. This was the second team to carry the name Austin Aztex; the first were founded in 2008 and relocated to Orlando in 2010, with that ownership group eventually being awarded an MLS franchise of the same name in that city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Jiménez (soccer)</span> American soccer player

Hector Osvaldo Jiménez is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Miami CF</span> American professional soccer club

Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area.

The History of Major League Soccer began in 1988, when the United States Soccer Federation pledged to create a Division 1 professional soccer league as a condition to FIFA awarding the 1994 FIFA World Cup to the United States. Major League Soccer was officially formed in 1995. The league began play in 1996 with 10 teams, and in 1998 grew to 12 teams. MLS experienced some difficulties in its first seasons, with the league losing money in the early years, resulting in two teams folding after the 2001 season. MLS has rebounded since then, with increased attendance and the development of soccer-specific stadiums. With an average attendance of over 20,000 per game, MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), and is the seventh highest attended professional soccer league worldwide. MLS currently has 29 teams, with further expansion to 30 teams planned with the addition of San Diego FC in 2025. As of 2023, MLS is the largest first division professional soccer league in the world by number of clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Austin, Texas</span> Sport opportunities and culture in Austin, Texas

The City of Austin, Texas, and its metropolitan area has only one major league professional sports team. The city's professional soccer team, Austin FC, competes in Major League Soccer. Austin is also home to the University of Texas Longhorns and to several minor-league sports teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastián Driussi</span> Argentine footballer

Sebastián Driussi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Austin FC, where he serves as captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesús Medina</span> Paraguayan footballer (born 1997)

Jesús Manuel Medina Maldonado is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for Russian club Spartak Moscow and the Paraguay national team.

Jay Anthony Precourt Jr. is an American investor and sports team owner. He is the CEO of Two Oak Ventures, a group that owns Major League Soccer club Austin FC and formerly owned the Columbus Crew. He is also a managing partner of Precourt Capital Management, a private investment management firm based in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville SC</span> American soccer club

Nashville Soccer Club is an American men’s professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in Major League Soccer in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned by John Ingram, owner of Ingram Industries, along with investors and partial owners the Turner family of Dollar General Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Gallagher</span> Irish footballer

Jon Gallagher is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Austin FC. He can also play as a right-back or midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Bold FC</span> American soccer team

Austin Bold FC was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circuit of the Americas at the end of the season but may have to wait until 2023, depending on the construction of their stadium. As of March 2024, the team remains inactive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin FC</span> American soccer club based in Austin, Texas

Austin FC is an American professional men's soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin. They are the first major professional sports league team to play in Texas' capital, which prior to 2021 was the largest city in the United States without such a team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell Is Real derby</span> Soccer rivalry between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati

Hell Is Real is a rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in Ohio: the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati. Under current MLS regular season scheduling, the series occurs twice per season as both teams are members of the Eastern Conference. The teams first met in 2017 in the U.S. Open Cup before Cincinnati joined MLS in 2019.

The 2021 Austin FC season was the club's inaugural season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States. This was also the first season a top-tier sports franchise is playing in the Greater Austin region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKalla station</span> Hybrid rail station in Austin, Texas

McKalla station is a CapMetro Rail hybrid rail station in Austin, Texas. The station was built to provide convenient access to Q2 Stadium. Ground broke on construction on July 18, 2022, and the new station opened on February 24, 2024, coinciding with the first home match of Austin FC's 2024 season. The station opened at 10:00 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with rides being free. Construction costs were estimated at $13 million, with total costs estimated at $60 million. The station is double-tracked, includes two regular service side platforms, with the southbound platform serving both northbound and southbound trains during special events and a gated walkway to the east side of the tracks. Soon after opening of the new station, along with Broadmoor station to the north, nearby Kramer station is expected to be closed. The station was designed and constructed by Stacy Witbeck. Finishing touches for the station are expected to be completed in April or May 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 MLS Cup Playoffs</span> 2022 edition of the MLS Cup playoffs tournament

The 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs was the 27th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The tournament culminated the 2022 MLS regular season. The tournament began on October 15 and concluded with MLS Cup 2022 on November 5, 16 days before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

References

  1. ↑ Spedden, Zach (April 26, 2019). "Austin FC Stadium Design Taking Shape". Soccerstadiumdigest.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Precourt Sports Ventures names construction manager and design team for Austin FC stadium" (PDF) (Press release). Austin FC. March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Rising stadium signals that Austin FC, MLS are on their way".
  4. ↑ "History of McKalla Place". Estadiomckalla.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Geocortex Viewer for HTML5". Austintexas.gov. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ Lyttle, Kevin. "McKalla Place: The good, bad and ugly for possible MLS stadium site". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ Neely, Christopher (December 12, 2017). "MAP: Austin recommends these 8 public properties for a new Major League Soccer field". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Council approves study of McKalla Place as soccer stadium site". Austin Monitor. March 26, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  9. ↑ Lyttle, Kevin. "Austin City Council votes 'yes' to MLS at McKalla Place". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ Jimmy Maas (December 19, 2018). "Major League Soccer And Precourt Sports Sign Lease For Stadium Site In North Austin". Kut.org. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  11. ↑ "LEASE AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT by and between CITY OF AUSTIN, as Landlord and AUSTIN STADCO LLC, as Tenant" (PDF). Austintexas.gov. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Details of potential McKalla Place soccer deal emerge". Mystatesman.com. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  13. ↑ Jankowski, Phil (June 6, 2019). "On to No. 97, rezoning McKalla Place to build the MLS stadium for @austinfc. Some speakers on this one. Could get interesting! #ATXcouncil #mls2atx #AustinFCpic.twitter.com/HZsbvo7xb3". Twitter . Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Site plan approved for Austin FC stadium". bizjournals.com. August 19, 2019.
  15. ↑ Rosner, Mark (January 25, 2021). "Austin's MLS stadium now officially has a name". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas: Statesman.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Austin FC announce stadium naming rights partnership with Q2 Holdings Inc". MLS. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ KUT, Nathan Bernier (February 26, 2024). "New Cap Metro train station opens at Q2 Stadium as 'quiet zones' take effect". Austin Monitor. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ "CapMetro Rail Red Line Map" (PDF). CapMetro. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Capital Metro Memorandum" (PDF). Austin, Texas. Retrieved June 20, 2020.[ dead link ]
  20. ↑ Klick, Andrea; Jankowski, Philip (June 16, 2021). "How to get in and out of Austin FC's new soccer stadium: First big test looms". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  21. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (June 19, 2021). "Recap: Austin FC 0, San Jose Earthquakes 0".
  22. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan. "Austin FC Savor "Momentous Occasion" Of First Win, First Goals At Q2 Stadium". MLS.com. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Willie Nelson Announces 4th of July Picnic and Fireworks At Q2 Stadium". www.AustinFC.com. Q2 Stadium. April 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  24. ↑ "The Championship for Premier Rugby Sevens Comes To Austin's Q2 Stadium". KXAN Austin. July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Premier Rugby Sevens' return to Austin shows budding interest, potential audience". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Q2 Stadium Named As A Host Venue For The 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America". www.AustinFC.com. Q2 Stadium. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  27. ↑ "2024 CONMEBOL Copa America Draw Confirms Matchups To Take Place at Q2 Stadium". www.AustinFC.com. Q2 Stadium. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.