Design revealed for Indy Eleven Stadium

The United Soccer League Championship’s Indy Eleven and Keystone Group have unveiled renderings of plans for the transformational Eleven Park neighbourhood development, anchored by a new multipurpose stadium.

With an expected capacity of around 20,000 seats, the stadium will serve as the new home for Indy Eleven, situated in the centre of a development set to transform the southwest quadrant of downtown Indianapolis with apartments, office space, retail space, restaurants, parking garages, a hotel and public plazas with green space.

The stadium, with Populous leading design and Browning Day as architect of record, is anticipated to be completed in 2025 and is designed for fan experience and relation to its site. It will make space for 2,400 supporters in a steep, safe-standing section on the north end of the stadium.

On the west, the building will offer a wide array of premium choices, from the field club seating on pitch level surrounding the team benches, up through the mid-line club with suites, party suites and a terrace club above. On the south, a taproom provides game day club atmosphere for 700 fans with a viewing terrace for nongame day watch parties and events. On the east, seats will be concentrated on the sideline with the widest concourse and best concessions and restroom ratios in the league.

The design wraps the exterior of the stadium in a dynamic, colour-changing façade that reflects the forward-looking nature of the development.

350+ high-level professionals from across the global sports & entertainment landscape were in attendance at ALSD International 2022 where optimising revenue through New Builds, Renovations and Service Expansions took centrestage, with Populous a main sponsor. Check out the wrap video here and make sure to secure your place at ALSD International 2023, being hosted at Etihad Stadium this October.

Phil Kolbo, a Principal at global design firm Populous, said:

A world-class stadium is designed as a true destination, a reflection of its community and a catalyst for growth in the area. This is our mission with the new stadium for Indy Eleven. The stadium will anchor Eleven Park, providing a home for Indy Eleven that creates new and tailored experiences for Indianapolis fans in a venue designed with the innovation and aspirations of a great global soccer venue.

Ersal Ozdemir, Chairman & Founder of Keystone Group & Indy Eleven, said:

The vision of this transformational development into a live, work and play village is becoming reality. Eleven Park will not only change the skyline of Indianapolis, but will add over a thousand jobs, have a huge economic impact, create quality of life benefits and attract talent and opportunities to our city and state. We’ve been investing in downtown for over 20 years and believe it is important now more than ever. Our goal for Eleven Park is to continue the city’s tradition of using sports as a business driver for Indiana by increasing Indianapolis’ profile as a global city and showcasing the world’s most popular sport.

Diamond Chain, the former company on the property, has recently ceased production at the facility and will vacate the property by the end of April. Rezoning to accommodate the project was filed on Thursday, and groundbreaking on Eleven Park for site work is scheduled to begin in May.

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Anchored by a 20,000-seat multipurpose stadium that will be the new permanent home of Indy Eleven, the development will also include over 600 apartments; 205,000 square feet of office space; over 197,000 square feet for retail space and restaurants; a hotel; public plazas with green space; and public parking garages.

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Eleven Park will introduce several amazing amenities including a large public plaza and green spaces with features such as an outdoor stage with free concerts, kids play zone, outdoor activities, water features, dog park, and public art to name a few.  The public plaza will offer access to many community events, farmer’s markets, and more – activating the village year-round. Other highlights to the development will include an indoor 4,000-seat music and entertainment venue utilising a national operator similar to other successful concepts around the country; rooftop bars; river front activation; and walkability and connectivity to The Cultural Trail and all of downtown.

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The development will create a village and provide a great experience to those working at or attending events from the new Elanco Headquarters campus, Eli Lilly Global Headquarters, White River State Park, Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center. This development will help support and activate the White River Vision Plan, with many improvements along the river including trails and gathering areas; overall the village will offer unique opportunities while complimenting other neighbourhoods in downtown Indianapolis.

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Since announcing the site in June 2022, diligent work has been made on the conceptual and overall development designs with the project’s national lead designer Populous, a lead designer in state-of-the-art soccer and multipurpose stadiums.

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AECOM Hunt will be the Construction Manager for the stadium. Founded in Indianapolis in 1944, AECOM Hunt is the #1 Sports builder in the country as rated by ENR and has constructed numerous sports venues both in Indiana and across the US, including Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, SoFi Stadium, Little Caesars Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Indy Eleven fans can expect to enjoy games in the new stadium by summer of 2025. The comprehensive planning process is well underway, and Indy Eleven will continue to meet with fans, supporters, stakeholders, and the overall community regarding optimal fan experience elements to be included in the final design.

Source & imagery, courtesy: Eleven Park / Populous

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