As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the United Soccer League has announced they have entered an exclusive partnership with USL NOLA, with plans to bring both a men’s and women’s professional soccer club to the “Greater New Orleans Area” by the year 2025.
 
The biggest question this has seemingly brought up, other than team names, kit designs, etc., is “Where will the team play?” There are a few options on the table, each with different reasoning behind them. In my opinion however, there are truly only two options if the team wants to see any sort of long-term success. 

What are the first options that come to mind?

Pan-Am Stadium

Currently host the high school football and the New Orleans Jesters (NOLA’s current soccer team, playing in the National Premier Soccer League, which for many who don’t know, is considered “semi-pro”. Pan-American Stadium has been around for decades, being built in 1973 and hosting many Soccer Clubs throughout the years, feels more suited for a high school football game than any professional sporting event. It has been renovated post Katrina, but even this was done over 14 years ago. By the time the USL Nola team would be ready to play, these renovations for what ultimately looks like a small-scale high school stadium, would have taken place around 17 years prior. By stadium standards this is a lifetime. On top of this, the location in City Park isn’t ideal to draw any sort of walk-up crowd. People would have to seek out this old, run down, small stadium, to spend a day feeling as though they’re attending their nephew’s ball game. The overall vibe is off here, do not recommend.

Patty’s grade for this option: D+
 
Tad Gormley Stadium

Also located in City Park, the location is a bit more ideal being that Gormley is much closer to, well, anything. This stadium would certainly allow for a better walk-up option, and the stadium is also much larger. This stadium gives the feel of the classic, romantic, historic stadiums of yester year. This stadium actually hosted a World Cup tune up match back in the 80’s, as well as a friendly between the MLS’s Chicago Fire, and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. Espana.  However, the positives basically stop there. While history is romantic, the scoreboard and concrete seating are not. Also, with the dated feel, as well as location a little off the beaten path (closer to neighborhoods and Delgado, which is a ghost town outside of school hours), the ease of being in the area and just simply catching a game doesn’t feel, special. This could cause a major problem. The game day experience and overall perception of the team can take a major hit if you are only drawing 5,000 people to a stadium that seats over 26,000. I would steer clear of this one as well.

Patty’s grade for this option: D-

The Shrine on Airline

First and foremost, this is a place that is VERY close to my heart. For years, I lived just across the highway from the shrine off Elise. I also worked at the Shrine for over 2 years. Even as I type, I am looking to my right at my placard for my old workspace: “Account Executive – Patrick Vath”, once employed by the Zephyrs/Baby Cakes. CAKE NATION NEVER DIES. I digress. For years I have wondered why the following for the Zephyr’s turned Cakes waned. What lead to their untimely demise? In my humble opinion, I point to the Shrine (amongst a few other things). This stadium, originally built in 1997, has simply not been kept up with through the years. It does provide many options that a professional club would be looking for: suites, party space, corporate sponsorship possibilities. However, it certainly FEELS old. The pre-game and post-game options in this are also severely limit the possibility of young folks in the area who just happen to decide to walk up to the game last minute. If you are going to the Shrine on Airline, you are just…..going to Metairie. Also, when talking about hosting a Soccer Club (or even rugby, see: NOLA Gold), there is no getting around that the place feels like a baseball stadium. Without some serious renovations to this stadium, there is really no draw other than the on-field product, which is a major way to set yourself up for failure. While the club could make this space work, it would be a LARGE undertaking, where they would be fighting an uphill battle from day one.

Patty’s grade for this option: C

Yulman Stadium

I’m not sure if this is even an option, or how they would go about negotiating this, but Yulman stadium feels like a space that was simply built for a professional soccer club. The stadium, easily the most modern on the list, was opened in 2014. It would provide the updated amenities any professional team would be looking for. Yulman offers multiple club options, bars, suites, and padded seat back chairs in many areas. They also have a brand new 94 by 24-foot LED scoreboard. With the location of the stadium being uptown on the Tulane campus, the location is certainly much more promising than some of the other areas, with local bars and restaurants scattered all around the campus, plus perhaps the ability to use some of the campus for pregame festivities. The two negatives here I would think, are the size of the stadium and the overall feeling of it not being themed towards the club. Would there be a way to cover seats at Yulman to make it feel more intimate? How would they cover the giant angry wave, or other Tulane markings?

Patty’s grade for this option: C+

Build new in the “River District development”

The other option for the new USL Nola franchises would be to simply build a brand-new stadium. The current thought/proposal has the club attached to a development in the River District of New Orleans. When it comes to starting a team off with the most buzz possible, having a brand-new stadium, on the river, surrounded by a BRAND NEW entertainment district, certainly seems like the way to go. The possibilities would be endless here. The only true negatives would be dealing with the politics of the situation, which we all know can be difficult in the area we live, and simply dealing with any public pushback against the development including a stadium rather than something else voters would like to see. The area in question is extremely close to a currently bustling Warehouse District, where the exact demographic this team would hope to draw currently resides.

Patty’s grade for this option: A

The best option available for the new Soccer Club would have to be building new, for various reasons. Firstly, many of the stadiums suggested are either outdated, too large, or just not set up to host a professional soccer club and draw in the way one would hope. Even Yulman, the most up to date of the bunch, is far too large, and totally themed towards the University. In looking at the attendance numbers for the 2022 season so far, New Mexico United comes in with the highest avg, sitting right around 11,000 people, with the league average sitting right around 4,800. Without a new stadium, my fear is that The New Orleans Football Club to Be Named Later may be fighting an uphill battle to create buzz from day one. I suppose it depends what the goal is here. If the goal is simply to draw 2,000 to 5,000 on average, a few improvements to one of the run down stadiums may be just enough. Otherwise, I fear the club could be doomed from the start if the goals are much loftier, and the team cannot secure a stadium deal to their liking.

Regardless, I'm in.

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