ROGERS — USL Arkansas officials released renderings Tuesday for a soccer stadium they plan to build in Rogers.
The United Soccer League announced in July an exclusive partnership with USL Arkansas, a group that will bring a professional men’s and women’s soccer club to Northwest Arkansas. USL Arkansas is led by co-founders Chris Martinovic and Warren Smith.
USL Arkansas plans to develop a 5,000-seat, multipurpose stadium in the Pinnacle Hills entertainment district. The stadium will be privately funded, officials said.
The stadium will have room for possible expansion as the community grows. There will be a specialized “safe-standing” supporters’ section behind the goal on the north end. The stands will be situated as close to the pitch as feasible, and the venue will offer a range of accessible seating options, according to a news release Tuesday accompanying the renderings.
Officials noted these are initial renderings and USL Arkansas will seek community feedback for further refinement.
USL Arkansas officials estimate the stadium cost at $15 million to $20 million. No construction timetable has been set.
Officials on Tuesday also announced a new “special promotion” section on the USL Arkansas website detailing an opportunity for fans to win tickets for the first match in the new stadium.
The stadium will serve as a multifunctional community hub, hosting a variety of large-scale events and entertainment, according to the release.
“This stadium represents so much more than the culmination of our dreams for a top-tier soccer experience; it’s a tangible manifestation of our community’s collective spirit and aspirations,” Martinovic said.
The men’s and women’s teams would use the stadium 17 times each per season for home contests, and there also would be about three scrimmages, or “friendly” matches, for each team at the stadium annually, too, Martinovic said.
The USL Championship features 24 men’s professional teams each playing a 34-game regular season from March to October and receives Division II sanctioning from the U.S. Soccer Federation, according to the July announcement.
Kicking off its inaugural season in August 2024, the USL Super League will bring world-class professional women’s soccer closer to home for more communities nationwide and plans to receive Division I sanctioning from U.S. Soccer. The USL Super League will play on an international “fall-to-summer” calendar – unique in American soccer – to align with global women’s soccer, according to the July release.
USL Arkansas’ goal is to begin play in the USL Championship before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States and in the fall that same year for the USL Super League, the July release states.
The site is 11.5 acres, according to the Rogers Planning Office. The city Planning Commission on July 18 approved a rezoning of the property at the intersection of South Bellview Road and Lazy L Street from highway commercial to uptown entertainment and uptown commercial mixed use.
Mayor Greg Hines called the entertainment district of Rogers “the family room of Northwest Arkansas” at the July announcement of the club.
“We’ve focused on curating a unique experience that keeps fans coming back for more,” Smith said. “This isn’t just another stop on your itinerary; it’s an all-encompassing destination, a cornerstone of community life that captures the essence of what Northwest Arkansas has to offer both in sport and entertainment.”
Smith, in an online meeting with supporters last week, said officials scoured the market for the right place to locate the USL Arkansas franchise.
“We looked at Fayetteville, we looked at Bentonville, we looked at Rogers, we looked at where the Arvest Ballpark is,” Smith said.
People want to be entertained for four to five hours, Smith said. A soccer match lasts about two hours. He mentioned other amenities in the area such as the many restaurants, Top Golf and being able to take in a concert at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion.
Smith also mentioned accessibility, parking and walkability as other factors in the stadium location.
There wasn’t a lot of land that had all of these components, he said.
“There are some challenges on every property, but which one provides you with the least amount of challenges and the best opportunity to be successful,” Smith said.
A soccer stadium proposed for construction at Bellview Road and Lazy L Street in Rogers is seen in this rendering. (COURTESY OF USL ARKANSAS)
A soccer stadium proposed for construction at Bellview Road and Lazy L Street in Rogers is seen in this rendering. (COURTESY OF USL ARKANSAS)
A soccer stadium proposed for construction at Bellview Road and Lazy L Street in Rogers is seen in this rendering. (COURTESY OF USL ARKANSAS)