NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville SC is scheduled to kickoff their inaugural Major League Soccer season in less than 2 months, but the details of the home of the team are up in the air.
Despite having a stadium secured being one of the reasons Nashville was awarded an MLS franchise, the stadium construction has been delayed 100 days as of Thursday, and when asked for answers, officials are staying quiet.
The stadium is set to be the country's largest soccer-specific stadium and is planned for the site where old Fairgrounds buildings stand.
Originally set to open in 2021, Nashville SC's stadium opening date was already pushed back by Nashville SC to 2022, and after Mayor Cooper took office, instead of signing the demolition contract to get the project started, Cooper's office said he was taking time to look into the financing and site infrastructure related to the stadium construction.
That was 100 days ago on October 1st.
When NewsChannel 5 asked this week if there were any updates, Mayor Cooper's office simply said there were no updates.
When asked if they are looking at other options, such as moving the stadium to a new location or scrapping it altogether, Cooper's office never responded.
The delay and lack of response is significant because Nashville getting an MLS franchise in the first place was largely contingent on the stadium deal.
While the Mayor's Office is staying quiet on the issue, council member Colby Sledge said he's hoping to see demolition begin soon, along with soccer fans from all around Middle Tennessee.
According to Nashville SC, their plan is still to play at Nissan Stadium for their first two seasons before moving into their soccer-specific stadium.
