VPM News intern Alan Rodriguez Espinoza reported this story.
City Stadium, the home of the Richmond Kickers soccer team, will reopen near the end of March after undergoing its first major renovations in over 25 years. The renovation was part of a 40-year lease agreement between the City of Richmond and the Kickers, which will include $20 million in upkeep over the length of the lease.
In a press conference Monday, Kickers chairman Robert Ukrop and city officials laid out upgrades to the stadium, including new internet access, an improved irrigation system that will keep the grass field green year-round and new LED lights that will help conserve energy and produce less light pollution. The team has spent a little over $2 million in renovations, starting in 2018, which came from private investments.
“It’s just gonna look better in person. It’s gonna look cleaner on TV. It’s gonna shine a better light on Richmond sports as well,” said Matt Spear, president of the Richmond Kickers.
The stadium was built in 1929, making it the oldest sports facility in Richmond. The Kickers hope these new changes will help modernize their home turf.
“Everybody expects to have Wi-Fi in a stadium but in a 90 year old stadium, it’s just one of those things that hadn’t had happened yet,” Spear said.
City officials say the upgrades will help draw tourists to the area.
“Every time they spend a dollar here in the city of Richmond, guess where that goes to: better schools, better roads, better services for our families,” Mayor Levar Stoney said during the press conference.
The Kickers open the USL League One season on March 28, when they host Wisconsin’s Forward Madison Football Club.
