Des Moines lands a professional soccer team
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It's official. After years of speculation, Pro Iowa officials announced late Thursday that Des Moines is getting a United Soccer League Championship team.
Why it matters: It'll be Iowa's first club to compete in the USL Championship, a Division II professional men's soccer league that boasts a reach of 84 million people.
- The announcement also actualizes plans for a nearly $84 million stadium and adjacent plaza project downtown.
Catch up fast: Kyle Krause, Kum and Go's former CEO, has wanted to bring professional soccer to Iowa for more than a decade.
- Pro Iowa and Krause+ — the real estate arm of Kum & Go — have been working to build the 6,300-seat stadium at the Dico Superfund site near 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
- Demolition of the vacant steel wheel and pesticides factory buildings was completed last year.
- Environmental cleanup and monitoring will continue, and construction is expected to launch in coming months.
Of note: More than $50 million has been secured for the stadium project, including $23.5 million from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
- Local governments have pledged at least $5 million and there's nearly $25 million in private fundraising headed by the Iowa Soccer Development Foundation, the fundraising arm of Pro Iowa.
What they're saying: Krause told Axios that preliminary agreements for the soccer club have been in the works for years, but were contingent on the stadium project's success.
- He said both the stadium and the team position Iowa to be a leader in soccer, a sport that's rapidly growing in popularity.
What to watch: Justin Papadakis, USL's chief operating officer, told Axios to expect global interest linked with the league's regular broadcasts on ESPN channels.
What's ahead: The new club's players will be poised for kickoff starting in 2024.
- In the meantime, Pro Iowa is sourcing names, a crest and other branding ideas for the team.
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