Will Fresno soccer club and city find downtown stadium site? Until they do, interim home OK’d
While Fresno city officials continue to seek space downtown for a soccer stadium, a deal between Fuego FC and Fresno State is in the works, city and university sources told The Bee.
Many details about the deal remain unknown, but sources told The Bee the deal outlines Fuego’s use of the Fresno State Soccer Stadium for multiple years.
A university public information officer could not confirm details with The Bee, and a Fuego official declined to comment for this story, only saying the club will host a news conference soon.
While operating out of Fresno State, Fuego FC will continue to work with city officials to develop a permanent downtown soccer stadium, sources said.
The USL League One season is scheduled to start April 2, and the first Fuego game at home is May 7 against the Greenville Triumph SC, a three-time League One finalist.
Fresno State’s women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse programs used to share the soccer stadium. Fresno State dropped women’s lacrosse along with wrestling and men’s tennis last October, making the fiel available in the spring.
The Fresno State soccer stadium currently only has seating on the west side, so part of the deal includes adding seating, sources said.
Fuego FC shortly considered playing at Chukchansi Park, but Fresno State makes more sense since it’s about a quarter of the $1 million-plus price of playing 15 home games at the Grizzlies’ stadium in downtown, sources said.
In the meantime, Chukchansi Park will continue to host exhibition professional soccer games, sources said. A match between Mexican rivals Chivas and Pumas UNAM is scheduled March 23.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has said he intends to find space to build a soccer stadium downtown.
Last year, the Fresno City Council declared several downtown sites as surplus, the first required step in selling the properties. Fuego FC and other entertainment developers expressed interest in purchasing the Fresno Convention Center, including Selland Arena, Valdez Hall, and the Saroyan Theater, among other locations.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.