Downtown Soccer Stadium (11th & Millwork Ave)

[nebport5]

These arguments were the original reason I was thinking the Union Stadium might be too small or too narrowly scoped. Maybe they should design a stadium that could eventually seat 15,000-20,000 if/when Union gets promoted. That would also be about the size needed for UFL football.

I'm still not 100% sold on building a stadium just to seat 5,000 people. I do support building something that can grow with Union Omaha.

And that’s exactly what they are doing. Growth implies something small will get bigger. The 5k or so is the appropriate size for UO in the near future. As they grow so will the stadium capacity.

My issue isnt that, but that the bones of the stadium isnt built for the ability to expand into the Premier League to compete in the top league. Just provide the bones and see if we get there, thats all im saying.

Ok, but what are you basing that assumption on? I think the current expansion capacity numbers have a lot to do with the turn back financing. At the point they could move up to the Premier League, that's years in the future and a whole other financing mechanism. I appreciate your point however, if a good portion of this is indeed modular I imagine that would bode well for bigger upgrades at the point that would be necessary.

[Erik]

These arguments were the original reason I was thinking the Union Stadium might be too small or too narrowly scoped. Maybe they should design a stadium that could eventually seat 15,000-20,000 if/when Union gets promoted. That would also be about the size needed for UFL football.

I'm still not 100% sold on building a stadium just to seat 5,000 people. I do support building something that can grow with Union Omaha.

And that’s exactly what they are doing. Growth implies something small will get bigger. The 5k or so is the appropriate size for UO in the near future. As they grow so will the stadium capacity.

My issue isnt that, but that the bones of the stadium isnt built for the ability to expand into the Premier League to compete in the top league. Just provide the bones and see if we get there, thats all im saying.

Ok, but what are you basing that assumption on? I think the current expansion capacity numbers have a lot to do with the turn back financing. At the point they could move up to the Premier League, that's years in the future and a whole other financing mechanism. I appreciate your point however, if a good portion of this is indeed modular I imagine that would bode well for bigger upgrades at the point that would be necessary.

"The City of Omaha is reviewing the redevelopment agreement for the future Union Omaha soccer stadium in north downtown. The plan calls for a roughly $140 million project with the city owning the stadium and land and leasing the facility to Union Omaha. The stadium is planned for about 5,600 seats with the ability to expand to 7,000, and the agreement calls for completion by the end of 2028."

https://growomaha.com/the-october-3rd- ... ?hl=en-US

[nebport5]

These arguments were the original reason I was thinking the Union Stadium might be too small or too narrowly scoped. Maybe they should design a stadium that could eventually seat 15,000-20,000 if/when Union gets promoted. That would also be about the size needed for UFL football.

I'm still not 100% sold on building a stadium just to seat 5,000 people. I do support building something that can grow with Union Omaha.

And that’s exactly what they are doing. Growth implies something small will get bigger. The 5k or so is the appropriate size for UO in the near future. As they grow so will the stadium capacity.

My issue isnt that, but that the bones of the stadium isnt built for the ability to expand into the Premier League to compete in the top league. Just provide the bones and see if we get there, thats all im saying.

Ok, but what are you basing that assumption on? I think the current expansion capacity numbers have a lot to do with the turn back financing. At the point they could move up to the Premier League, that's years in the future and a whole other financing mechanism. I appreciate your point however, if a good portion of this is indeed modular I imagine that would bode well for bigger upgrades at the point that would be necessary.

"The City of Omaha is reviewing the redevelopment agreement for the future Union Omaha soccer stadium in north downtown. The plan calls for a roughly $140 million project with the city owning the stadium and land and leasing the facility to Union Omaha. The stadium is planned for about 5,600 seats with the ability to expand to 7,000, and the agreement calls for completion by the end of 2028."

https://growomaha.com/the-october-3rd- ... ?hl=en-US

Yeah, again I think that is based upon the limits of the turn back financing. There's no way I believe it couldn't physically be expanded larger once the initial requirements are met.

[Erik]

These arguments were the original reason I was thinking the Union Stadium might be too small or too narrowly scoped. Maybe they should design a stadium that could eventually seat 15,000-20,000 if/when Union gets promoted. That would also be about the size needed for UFL football.

I'm still not 100% sold on building a stadium just to seat 5,000 people. I do support building something that can grow with Union Omaha.

And that’s exactly what they are doing. Growth implies something small will get bigger. The 5k or so is the appropriate size for UO in the near future. As they grow so will the stadium capacity.

My issue isnt that, but that the bones of the stadium isnt built for the ability to expand into the Premier League to compete in the top league. Just provide the bones and see if we get there, thats all im saying.

Ok, but what are you basing that assumption on? I think the current expansion capacity numbers have a lot to do with the turn back financing. At the point they could move up to the Premier League, that's years in the future and a whole other financing mechanism. I appreciate your point however, if a good portion of this is indeed modular I imagine that would bode well for bigger upgrades at the point that would be necessary.

"The City of Omaha is reviewing the redevelopment agreement for the future Union Omaha soccer stadium in north downtown. The plan calls for a roughly $140 million project with the city owning the stadium and land and leasing the facility to Union Omaha. The stadium is planned for about 5,600 seats with the ability to expand to 7,000, and the agreement calls for completion by the end of 2028."

https://growomaha.com/the-october-3rd- ... ?hl=en-US

Yeah, again I think that is based upon the limits of the turn back financing. There's no way I believe it couldn't physically be expanded larger once the initial requirements are met.

I mean, I haven't seen a single statement indicating anything other than 7k. It'd be nice to get more information.

[omaha79]

In terms of USL Premier, it will be interesting to see if it even lasts. But, if it does, it sounds like there is an expectation of multiple waivers being granted.

The requirements are difficult to hit on all of them, at best.

1. 15k stadium capacity. (That's going to be tough for a bulk of the cities.)
2. Requires 75% of participating teams to be located in metropolitan areas with a population of 1 million or more, spanning at least three different time zones. (probably easier)
3. In accordance with standard Division I financial criteria, a principal owner must possess a net worth of at least $40 million, with a combined group net worth of at least $70 million (plus dedicated operating capital requirements).


It's expected that it will be hard to hit that 15k seat number, especially with promotion/relegation in the mix. Longer term, If Omaha can succeed, 10k would have to be the goal, but there just isn't the market for it now.

[WBR_Tom]

City Council approved the redevelopment agreement and stadium lease this afternoon. Interestingly, the size is now bigger than Grow Omaha previously reported: total capacity is 8,500 spectators with approximately 6,500 fixed seats.

https://www.unionomaha.com/future-home-of-union-omaha/
https://www.unionomaha.com/news/2026/10 ... velopment/

They have an FAQ page now with more details about the particulars:

https://www.unionomaha.com/new-stadium-faq/

[stadsborgare]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

[jomaha9]

Good move. The initial size of 8,500 seats seems about right. As stated in the thread, it is likely the stadium can expand as the need arises.

I was initially concerned we would be building a brand new stadium that would be quickly outgrown or obsolete, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

[nebport5]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

I believe it's been stated that it will be artificial turf, largely related to remediation safety.

Good move. The initial size of 8,500 seats seems about right. As stated in the thread, it is likely the stadium can expand as the need arises.

I was initially concerned we would be building a brand new stadium that would be quickly outgrown or obsolete, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Ok, I went back and reread the Turn Back application limits and it reads as "permanent seating capacity of at least 2,500, but no more than 7,500, with a total capacity not to exceed 10,000".

I misremembered it as being a smaller cap at 7,500.

So for those wanting a bigger stadium sooner than later 8,500 with a 10k capacity max is somewhat of an appeasement. Of course, similar to the Golden Spikes not wanting to play in too big of a stadium like The Chuck initially, but rather an appropriate sized venue with projected growth, UO will not want an 8,500-10k stadium right out of the gate when has been in the 3-4k range.

[Linkin5]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

I believe it's been stated that it will be artificial turf, largely related to remediation safety.

Using turf for a professional soccer team seems like an incredibly poor choice. Besides just not looking as good turf causes more leg injuries for players.

[thenewguy]

I missed the berm seating on the north end in the original renderings. And the $140M is everything including utilities, which is likely a sizeable chunk of change. I don't feel as bad about it as I did and any other enhancements down the road wouldn't have the same sticker shock because it won't include infrastructure in the cost. I am also glad to see they are working to use existing parking in the area for the stadium, and the streetcar will be only a hop, skip and a jump away, which obviously opens up a ton of parking from elsewhere in the city. You really could make a day out of parking at Mutual, hitting the GLM, waiting for the train, and catching a game. Get some dinner before or after and wouldn't have to mess with driving around 3 separate areas for parking.

[omaha79]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

I believe it's been stated that it will be artificial turf, largely related to remediation safety.

Using turf for a professional soccer team seems like an incredibly poor choice. Besides just not looking as good turf causes more leg injuries for players.

I'm sure it's a cost factor.

I don't know if USL Premier will have a requirement of grass, but the lower levels have been pretty lenient on the idea of turf. The turf is seen as a better compromise than what Omaha had of a team playing on a baseball field that had grass.

[omahahawk]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

I believe it's been stated that it will be artificial turf, largely related to remediation safety.

Using turf for a professional soccer team seems like an incredibly poor choice. Besides just not looking as good turf causes more leg injuries for players.

Yeah, when I saw this I had the same concerns in terms of potential injuries and how the ball would play. Strait turf would be pretty unforgiving. I was hoping it would be grass but IDK, I think turf has come a long way in the last decade or so in terms of how well it can be made to look like and play like natural grass. Hopefully they go with some quality product, one that emulates grass closely. Otherwise, I think I am pretty well pleased with the future of this place and tend to believe that even some of the more skeptical will probably come around once they have been to a game or two. I do feel pretty confident that this will become a big thing for both the Owls and the city. I can see in 5 years multiple programs taking off here and the first streetcar extension up the public market. Good things to come, soccer and slammin' salmon. Plus, now that Mutual is wrapping up we'll get another two years of construction play by play.

[omaha79]

One question I didn't see -

Will it be natural grass or artificial turf?

I believe it's been stated that it will be artificial turf, largely related to remediation safety.

Using turf for a professional soccer team seems like an incredibly poor choice. Besides just not looking as good turf causes more leg injuries for players.

Yeah, when I saw this I had the same concerns in terms of potential injuries and how the ball would play. Strait turf would be pretty unforgiving. I was hoping it would be grass but IDK, I think turf has come a long way in the last decade or so in terms of how well it can be made to look like and play like natural grass. Hopefully they go with some quality product, one that emulates grass closely. Otherwise, I think I am pretty well pleased with the future of this place and tend to believe that even some of the more skeptical will probably come around once they have been to a game or two. I do feel pretty confident that this will become a big thing for both the Owls and the city. I can see in 5 years multiple programs taking off here and the first streetcar extension up the public market. Good things to come, soccer and slammin' salmon. Plus, now that Mutual is wrapping up we'll get another two years of construction play by play.

They've been playing all year on turf at Morrison, but it is worth a discussion.

Looking online, it seems the majority of teams play on grass at the USL Championship level, but it's more prevalent at the league one level, but still the minority. Looks like roughly 4/25 with turf at Championship and 6/17 with turf at USL1.

I'm guessing USL Premier would require grass, but that's up in the air with promotion/relegation on how enforceable that would be.

But, if this is now the discussion, and I agree, I'd absolutely love grass, you would NEVER get the UFL team so many want on this field if it were grass. They simply wouldn't agree to the wear and tear sharing with a US football team. So, if you think there is any chance of Omaha getting the oh so desired UFL product, we would be resigned to turf.

So, choose wisely.

My thought would be that if Omaha becomes more successful and there was ever a push to a top tier designation, you'd revisit the surface and the idea of grass in 10 years or so. Just my guess, but UFL/American football gums up the works significantly. Really, any events that are not soccer would become more difficult with a grass surface.

[nebport5]

While I don't doubt costs are a factor with turf vs. grass I recall the topic being discussed at a city council meeting a few months back and remediation was given as the primary reason for choosing turf. I'm not a remediation expert but could it be there are still extended risks after clean up? Or could there be additional costs? Understandably, putting a slab of concrete over contaminated soil mitigates risks. So it may not be just the cost of maintaining grass.

[omaha79]

While I don't doubt costs are a factor with turf vs. grass I recall the topic being discussed at a city council meeting a few months back and remediation was given as the primary reason for choosing turf. I'm not a remediation expert but could it be there are still extended risks after clean up? Or could there be additional costs? Understandably, putting a slab of concrete over contaminated soil mitigates risks. So it may not be just the cost of maintaining grass.

Ok. So, I'm not an expert on this by any means and take anything I say as just a start of your own research, but I worked for MECA from 2004-2009. I worked with some of the physical electronic signage and scoreboards. I sat in on meetings regarding construction which was everything between erecting the parking lot LED signs that were put up in around 2005 to the preliminary meetings on what became TD Ameritrade Park/Charles Schwab Field.

Every meeting regarding any physical construction always included discussion on "disturbance of the lead cap". Again, I'm no environmental engineer and my attention to this was always limited to "yes, we can do that." Or , "no, because it will be too costly to dig that deep."

But, the lead cap was always a factor, and a cost factor in everything we did.

Looking online, this is a much more expensive and involved process than just pouring cement over contaminated land. I simply asked google some questions on it and was told the following...

While asphalt or concrete can serve as the top layer of an engineered cap, "paving over" usually implies laying down standard driveway or parking lot asphalt directly on top of the ground. An engineered lead cap is a multi-layered, legally bound system designed specifically to permanently isolate toxic material, block water infiltration, and withstand environmental degradation.

I looked into what the Omaha lead cap includes and how far it reaches....

The lead cap encompasses a significant portion of the 800-acre downtown brownfield redevelopment zone along the Missouri River. Specifically, it sits directly underneath and around:
1. The Convention Center and Arena Footprint: The heavy concrete foundations, sprawling exhibition halls, and surrounding paved parking lots of the CHI Health Center serve as a functional "hard cap", locking down the soil underneath massive impermeable barriers.
2. Lewis & Clark Landing: Located immediately east of the convention center property along the riverfront, this park sits directly over the primary site of the old ASARCO factory smokestacks. The 6-foot deep geosynthetic clay cap heavily blankets this area.
3. The Surrounding "Lot B" and Riverfront Developments: The engineered cap extends through adjacent commercial lots, the Gallup riverfront campus, and infrastructure supporting the National Park Service regional headquarters.

Any time construction, expansion, or park renovations (like the addition of the Kiewit Luminarium or playground structures) happen on or next to the convention center property, developers must work under strict EPA and state environmental controls to ensure they do not dig deep enough to breach this protective barrier.

I would have to imagine that the land the new stadium sits on will be every bit as contaminated as Schwab and CHI along with the riverfront. Again, this is an AI answer, but I found it interesting...

An engineered lead cap relies on a multi-layer system to lock down contaminated dirt and block water filtration. Choosing synthetic turf over natural grass protects that system for several reasons:
• Preventing Water Infiltration: Natural grass surfaces require heavy, daily irrigation to maintain professional sports standards. Pumping thousands of gallons of water into a natural field risks accelerating lead leaching. It forces water downward through the subgrade and pushes toxic plumes into the water table.
• Avoiding Deep Root Systems: Natural turf grass requires deep aeration, drainage systems, and soil conditions that could interfere with a geosynthetic clay liner or plastic barrier.
• Zero Soil Excavation During Upkeep: Maintaining natural grass requires aggressive mowing, re-seeding, turf replacement, and ongoing physical digging. Every instance of digging introduces a risk of puncturing the underlying cap or kicking up toxic dust.
• A Sealed Barrier System: Synthetic turf acts as a predictable, structural "hard cap". Once laid over the geomembrane barrier, it isolates the lead-heavy dirt completely. It keeps the players, workers, and fans safely separated from the soil below.

Take this FWIW. But, your point is probably absolutely correct. But, again, could this be mitigated? I'd say absolutely as Schwab has a natural grass field. Anything can be done.....for a price.

[nebport5]

Thanks for sharing that Omaha79.

That all makes sense and unfortunately turf isn't a dealbreaker for the sport of soccer the way it would've been for The CWS...The Greatest Show on...turf?" No.

The costs are understandable but in a perfect world this would be grass. Similarly, I still don't understand why Nebraska backed off natural grass at Memorial Stadium given injures, looking for any competitive edge, and also considering the amount of money they haul in for football.

[omaha79]

Thanks for sharing that Omaha79.

That all makes sense and unfortunately turf isn't a dealbreaker for the sport of soccer the way it would've been for The CWS...The Greatest Show on...turf?" No.

The costs are understandable but in a perfect world this would be grass. Similarly, I still don't understand why Nebraska backed off natural grass at Memorial Stadium given injures, looking for any competitive edge, and also considering the amount of money they haul in for football.

I've thought about the Memorial Stadium back off. I think it's clear.

$$$$$$$$$$

Makes it less cost effective to host giant 90k country concerts, Savannah Bananas, and things like Volleyball day if you have grass. Same idea probably goes into the Union stadium a bit. Can't consider hosting American football, concerts, etc as easily if you have to treat your field with kid gloves for competitive purposes. Nebraska has created an entire department of special events. They want to mine that facility for every dollar they can bring in and they basically have to now with the state of the NIL and how much money they are pouring into the facility.

Gone are the days of only using Memorial Stadium for 7 days a year during the fall. Now, you need to maximize the asset for every bit of what it is or potentially could be. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll revisit the grass again after the renovations. i thought that was maybe even alluded to, but I think they will find that it's more versatile with the turf, player injuries be damned.

The only way I think they will really consider the grass again is if they truly think it's hurting them from a recruiting or competitive angle or, at some point, the Big Ten or NCAA mandates grass, which I can't see happening on the NCAA level, but maybe Big Ten.

[nebport5]

Thanks for sharing that Omaha79.

That all makes sense and unfortunately turf isn't a dealbreaker for the sport of soccer the way it would've been for The CWS...The Greatest Show on...turf?" No.

The costs are understandable but in a perfect world this would be grass. Similarly, I still don't understand why Nebraska backed off natural grass at Memorial Stadium given injures, looking for any competitive edge, and also considering the amount of money they haul in for football.

I've thought about the Memorial Stadium back off. I think it's clear.

$$$$$$$$$$

Makes it less cost effective to host giant 90k country concerts, Savannah Bananas, and things like Volleyball day if you have grass. Same idea probably goes into the Union stadium a bit. Can't consider hosting American football, concerts, etc as easily if you have to treat your field with kid gloves for competitive purposes. Nebraska has created an entire department of special events. They want to mine that facility for every dollar they can bring in and they basically have to now with the state of the NIL and how much money they are pouring into the facility.

Gone are the days of only using Memorial Stadium for 7 days a year during the fall. Now, you need to maximize the asset for every bit of what it is or potentially could be. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll revisit the grass again after the renovations. i thought that was maybe even alluded to, but I think they will find that it's more versatile with the turf, player injuries be damned.

The only way I think they will really consider the grass again is if they truly think it's hurting them from a recruiting or competitive angle or, at some point, the Big Ten or NCAA mandates grass, which I can't see happening on the NCAA level, but maybe Big Ten.

Of course, that makes unfortunate sense. That also explains why there aren't more concerts at The Chuck. The costs to repair the field has to cut into the profit potential of said concert. Maybe one day the engineers will figure out how to make grass cost effective over the slabs.

Now back to Union Omaha stadium...I'll bet we can expect to see more of a concert push here for events half the size of CHI.

[nebugeater]

Thanks for sharing that Omaha79.

That all makes sense and unfortunately turf isn't a dealbreaker for the sport of soccer the way it would've been for The CWS...The Greatest Show on...turf?" No.

The costs are understandable but in a perfect world this would be grass. Similarly, I still don't understand why Nebraska backed off natural grass at Memorial Stadium given injures, looking for any competitive edge, and also considering the amount of money they haul in for football.

I've thought about the Memorial Stadium back off. I think it's clear.

$$$$$$$$$$

Makes it less cost effective to host giant 90k country concerts, Savannah Bananas, and things like Volleyball day if you have grass. Same idea probably goes into the Union stadium a bit. Can't consider hosting American football, concerts, etc as easily if you have to treat your field with kid gloves for competitive purposes. Nebraska has created an entire department of special events. They want to mine that facility for every dollar they can bring in and they basically have to now with the state of the NIL and how much money they are pouring into the facility.

Gone are the days of only using Memorial Stadium for 7 days a year during the fall. Now, you need to maximize the asset for every bit of what it is or potentially could be. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll revisit the grass again after the renovations. i thought that was maybe even alluded to, but I think they will find that it's more versatile with the turf, player injuries be damned.

The only way I think they will really consider the grass again is if they truly think it's hurting them from a recruiting or competitive angle or, at some point, the Big Ten or NCAA mandates grass, which I can't see happening on the NCAA level, but maybe Big Ten.

The Memorial Stadium backing off from a grass field was stated to be becuase of all the construction that will be taking place over the next few years, when they will have plenty of equipment on the field at times. I tend to believe this to be a valid reason

[BuildTaller]

I just assumed it would be grass. Thanks for the info.

[omaha79]

Thanks for sharing that Omaha79.

That all makes sense and unfortunately turf isn't a dealbreaker for the sport of soccer the way it would've been for The CWS...The Greatest Show on...turf?" No.

The costs are understandable but in a perfect world this would be grass. Similarly, I still don't understand why Nebraska backed off natural grass at Memorial Stadium given injures, looking for any competitive edge, and also considering the amount of money they haul in for football.

I've thought about the Memorial Stadium back off. I think it's clear.

$$$$$$$$$$

Makes it less cost effective to host giant 90k country concerts, Savannah Bananas, and things like Volleyball day if you have grass. Same idea probably goes into the Union stadium a bit. Can't consider hosting American football, concerts, etc as easily if you have to treat your field with kid gloves for competitive purposes. Nebraska has created an entire department of special events. They want to mine that facility for every dollar they can bring in and they basically have to now with the state of the NIL and how much money they are pouring into the facility.

Gone are the days of only using Memorial Stadium for 7 days a year during the fall. Now, you need to maximize the asset for every bit of what it is or potentially could be. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll revisit the grass again after the renovations. i thought that was maybe even alluded to, but I think they will find that it's more versatile with the turf, player injuries be damned.

The only way I think they will really consider the grass again is if they truly think it's hurting them from a recruiting or competitive angle or, at some point, the Big Ten or NCAA mandates grass, which I can't see happening on the NCAA level, but maybe Big Ten.

The Memorial Stadium backing off from a grass field was stated to be becuase of all the construction that will be taking place over the next few years, when they will have plenty of equipment on the field at times. I tend to believe this to be a valid reason

And, that's what I read as well, the construction. But, will be interesting to see if they go back to the grass initiative after considering the alternative uses they've found for the facility since the initial announcement of the return to grass. They've made it sound like it's no longer a priority from what I've read and just seem to have quietly retired the idea, best I can tell. I don't have my finger on the pulse of all things Husker like I used to. But, given all the alternative uses they've since found for memorial, I can't see them going back. Best I can tell online they've lauded their new synthetic turf as "as good as grass."

Do we think they could have done what they did this year and have a game on the field and then quickly a concert after with people on the field if they went to grass?