LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said on Thursday the city “must embrace the growing demand for soccer in our city and strategically prepare for long-term growth” following the release by Louisville Forward of a study conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure and Legends that confirmed a soccer-specific stadium is needed to maintain and grow professional soccer in Louisville.

“While Louisville Slugger Field has been a good first home for professional soccer, we must remain competitive, and sharing fields is not sustainable,” said Fischer. “Louisville City Football Club is off to a great start, and we must embrace the growing demand for soccer in our city and strategically prepare for long-term growth.

“Having vibrant arts, sports, entertainment and recreational activities is a core strategy for any competitive city,” Fischer added, while also stating, “we can only consider building a stadium if a significant portion of funding is committed by the private sector.”

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Louisville City FC President Amanda Duffy welcomed the findings of the study.

“The Louisville City ownership and entire organization appreciate Mayor Fischer’s and Metro Government’s support to conduct this study,” said Duffy. “We are thrilled this study confirms the support, steps and feasibility for a soccer-specific stadium in Louisville. The success Louisville City has experienced on and off the field has been resounding, and we look forward to working closely with members of Metro Council and other civic leaders to take the next steps as recommended by this study.”

Louisville has averaged more than 7,000 fans per game over its first two seasons in the USL, and this season set a club record with a crowd of 10,062 fans for its River Cities Cup clash with FC Cincinnati. The study calls for a soccer-specific stadium that would have the ability to hold up to 10,000 seats to be built by the year 2020.

No specific locations were named in the study, but both the USL and Major League Soccer have a stated preference for stadiums located in or around downtown urban core areas, to enhance the market potential for professional soccer in terms of audience and growing fan base.

The site selection portion of the study was due to concerns the publication of that information likely would lead to land speculation that could ultimately cost the City (and the taxpayers) more money.

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Louisville advanced to the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 USL Playoffs, and is strongly placed for another strong playoff run this season with nine games remaining in the regular season. Coach James O’Connor said the opportunity for the club to continue its growth in the community with the construction of a soccer-specific stadium was massively appealing.

"Obviously, for us and the community the benefit of a stadium is that it's a focal point for youth and an academy to come in and participate -- play where the pros play,” said O’Connor. “There are so many factors that become critical to a soccer program. A stadium is definitely one of them."

In addition to the city study, the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau is conducting a separate study that examines the feasibility of building an amateur youth sports complex, which could house sports such as soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball and soccer, and draw new visitors to Louisville for regional and national tournaments.

“The Louisville CVB has a feasibility study currently underway on how a potential Sports Complex would create opportunities to grow our vibrant sports market,” said Karen Williams, president and CEO of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Working with the Louisville Sports Commission and others, Louisville has been successful with tourism business from hosting youth volleyball and basketball particularly. Adding youth soccer tournament capability would be another offering to add to this economic development mix.”