Gov. Holcomb, Indy Eleven break ground on Eleven Park
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Ground has officially broken for a brand new billion-dollar home for the Indy Eleven. Some of the biggest names in Indianapolis gathered Wednesday morning to celebrate the next step for Eleven Park.
The development brings a state-of-the-art stadium for the Indy Eleven, restaurants, housing, and much more to the old Diamond Chain property next door to Lucas Oil Stadium — all with community, commerce, and entertainment in mind.
“It’s so much more than a dream come true for soccer fanatics and for citizens whether they live on Lake Michigan or the Ohio River, border to border for the state of Indiana,” Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said.
“It’s just going to give the fans a great place to enjoy and interact with the team,” said Patrick Talty, the president of Indiana Sports Corp. “I think it’s going to grow the game of soccer within Indianapolis, and it’s going to continue to put Indy and Indiana on the map as a sports capital.”
“As an athlete, you always want to perform at the best venues, and in my opinion, in the USL, this is going to be the best venue,” Indy Eleven midfielder Bryam Rebellón said.
At 20,000 seats, Eleven Park is set to be the second-biggest stadium of any team in the USL Championship League. In fact, it will be bigger than eight MLS stadiums. But this is more than just about soccer.
“This really does check every box in terms of ‘live, work, play, study, stay,’” Holcomb said. “It’s an amenity that every capital city, every city strives for, is to have that vibrant attraction, and this is one in a full house in terms of holding a strong hand.”
“The more venues that we can have to go out and pitch when we go out and look for events, that’s really what makes us separate,” Talty said. “We’ll be able to go after events that we haven’t been able to before. This is a perfect place for Final Four, college football playoffs, things like that for people to come down and celebrate in the plaza before they go into Lucas Oil Stadium.”
The developers hope to have the stadium built by the summer of 2025.
“I just can’t wait to go from groundbreaking, to the ribbon cutting, to the first goal. It’s a win-win-win across the board,” Holcomb said, with the hopes of more Indy Eleven wins inside.