The proposed Cleveland soccer stadium in the Gateway South District offers branding, sponsorship and marketing opportunities that Rock Entertainment Group will help realize (CSG). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Building on World Cup\u2019s momentum <\/h3>\n
Cleveland Soccer Group (CSG) today announced that Rock Entertainment Group (REG) \u2013 the organization behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Arena and Cleveland\u2019s incoming WNBA franchise \u2013 will lead the naming rights and entitlement sales process for South Gateway Stadium<\/a><\/strong>, CSG\u2019s planned 10,000-seat venue on the south side of downtown Cleveland.<\/p>\n \u201cCleveland has a real opportunity to create more year-round experiences that bring fans, businesses and communities together as part of the region\u2019s growing sports and entertainment ecosystem,\u201d said Chris Presson, senior vice president of Business Operations, Rock Entertainment Group, in a written statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward to working with Cleveland Soccer Group and a future founding partner to establish a venue that reflects Northeast Ohio\u2019s passion for sports while contributing to the continued growth and vibrancy of downtown,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n South Gateway Stadium will sit next to Cleveland\u2019s most concentrated stretch of sports and entertainment real estate. It\u2019s adjacent to Bedrock\u2019s 35-acre Riverfront development, home to the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 210,000-square-foot Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center and a planned 6,200-capacity outdoor amphitheater in partnership with Rock Entertainment Group and Live Nation.<\/p>\n The soccer stadium site sits within eyeshot of Progressive Field and Rocket Arena, along the flight path of the Goodyear Blimp on game days, and next to the Innerbelt Bridge and Orange Avenue corridor, literal gateways that funnel millions of people into downtown Cleveland each year.<\/p>\n The site is inside a neighborhood that attracts millions of visits annually, at the intersection of every major road and light-rail transit line that brings Northeast Ohio into the city center. <\/p>\n The soccer stadium is next to Interstate 90 which sees more than 150,000 vehicles on it each day. Plus the site will likely be seen from the Goodyear blimp during televised broadcasts of events at Gateway\u2019s facilities (CSG).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n And in partnership with Cleveland Metroparks, CSG plans to build a public park around the stadium that ties directly into the regional trail network \u2013 extending downtown\u2019s reach south and giving the stadium district a front door that\u2019s active well beyond matchdays.<\/p>\n South Gateway Stadium is to be the home venue for the city\u2019s two professional soccer teams<\/a><\/strong>: Forest City Cleveland (MLS NEXT Pro) and <\/strong>Cleveland Astra (WPSL Pro). But the stadium isn\u2019t being built around two tenants; it\u2019s being built around a gap in the market.<\/p>\n CSG is requesting a $19.9 million state grant<\/a><\/strong> for a nearly $80 million, 10,000-seat soccer stadium on 14 acres of land on East 9th Street Extension south of Interstate 90. Much of the site is owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The Cleveland Metroparks has an option to buy the land, but be paid by CSG.<\/p>\n Cleveland currently does not have a venue of this size and caliber built for this purpose, and demand is already lining up to fill it. NEOtrans broke the story<\/a><\/strong> that a competing soccer stadium at Cleveland State University was dropped. More than 34 soccer matches a year are envisioned for Forest City Cleveland and Cleveland Astra.<\/p>\n Plus, the stadium has signed letters of intent with St. Ignatius, St. Edward High School and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, alongside professional men\u2019s and women\u2019s lacrosse and rugby.<\/p>\n Add in the potential of youth sports, tennis tournaments, national collegiate championships and community programming, and the calendar fills in fast \u2013 a conservative 65+ events and 400,000+ visitors to downtown Cleveland every year, and a new venue that strengthens the region\u2019s hand in bidding for national events the city just couldn\u2019t ask to host before.<\/p>\nExpanding Cleveland\u2019s sports hub<\/h4>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\nBuilt for more than two clubs<\/h4>\n