Downtown Spokane Stadium shows support for “Wide Range of the Community”

Last week Justin Papadakis, chief operating officer of the United Soccer League, partnered with local NBC subsidiary KHQ-TV in Spokane to discuss ongoing efforts to bring a downtown stadium to the city of east Washington.

“We worked hard on this project over the past year,” Papadakis told reporter Joe McHale. “Even at the height of this pandemic, we would have conversations with stakeholders in the Spokane area. There would be 50 or 60 people on those calls, and it really spoke of the passion business leaders, citizens, and sports leaders have for their Spokane city.

“Spokane has been a city that has shown the interest and desire of such a broad spectrum of the community to bring professional football to its market, make economic impact, and really create the opportunity to look up at quality entertainment by week at a family-friendly price to week. “

If approved, the stadium would be home to a new USL League One club, in addition to being used year-round by Spokane Public Schools for college sports and other events. The USL worked closely with SPS over the past year to determine the collaborative and economic impact of the project.

“The Spokane Public Schools have been very diligent in this process. The school district is run by exceptional leaders and they asked us to really look into a lot of issues, whether it is about parking, costs, data and facility use, ”said Papadakis. “We came back with a very detailed report that was put together over a year.

“On the cost side, this would save $ 17.5 million that the school district could spend on teachers, books, and most importantly, students. On the appointments side, the school district would have priority dates for soccer games, school graduations, and other high school events. On the parking lot side, it was a really important issue that we spent a lot of time on. We will have over 1,300 spaces and free parking spaces for all SPS events. “

The stadium will serve as an entertainment and business hub in downtown Spokane. According to a report from the Downtown Spokane Partnership, the stadium will have an annual economic impact of $ 11.4 million in the region, benefiting local restaurants, bars and hotels while creating new job opportunities. Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward also spoke out in favor of the stadium project, saying the downtown location is “… most sensible, accessible and financially viable.”

“What a game day would be like is a downtown environment where thousands of people come downtown, go to bars and restaurants and watch a game before the game,” said Papadakis. “It’s great for the community, it’s economic impact and jobs. After the COVID pandemic, this is what we really need to focus on at this downtown stadium. “

A poll conducted on the Spokane Schools website in early April received nearly 8,000 responses and showed widespread community support for the stadium project. Following the survey, as well as two public meetings asking for contributions from citizens, the school board is expected to meet on Wednesday 5th May and take a decision on the stadium project at this meeting.

“I think Spokane voters have overwhelming support for a downtown stadium from every point and the poll reflected that,” said Papadakis. “I really appreciate the extensive dedication of so many people in Spokane to this downtown stadium effort.

“[Spokane Public Schools] approached this in the right way, they were very hardworking. The next big step is voting. We are very happy about it. Cant wait to get to the opening day of a downtown Spokane stadium. “

For more information on the planned stadium project in downtown Spokane, please visit www.spokaneschools.org/stadium.