Today the City of High Point announced plans to take the next step to bring more sports offerings downtown. The City will move forward with upgrades to Truist Point, with the goal of bringing a professional men’s soccer team to the stadium. Opened in 2019, the $38M stadium holds 5,000 fans and will be enhanced for soccer matches prior to the inaugural season in 2024. This move highlights efforts to continue to make the venue a multi-use, multipurpose destination providing even more entertainment options for the Triad area based on the 2017 strategic goal.
In 2017, High Point City Council established a strategic goal to create a downtown catalyst project to increase the commercial tax base and create a public gathering space – drawing residents and visitors year-round. The anchor of the activity within the redevelopment area is the City’s $38 million multi-use stadium – home of the High Point Rockers baseball team and designed to accommodate soccer, football, and lacrosse.
The plan had an original target of $100 million in tax base growth around the stadium over a 10-year period following completion of construction. The target has been surpassed ahead of schedule and is projected to hit $300 million within a 10-year window.
The Core is an ideal soccer market with a local population of 1.6 million within 12 counties and is home to multiple club and recreational teams that will create a dynamic ecosystem of players, soccer enthusiasts, and a diverse community of fans. The soon-to-be announced professional soccer team will begin playing in the spring of 2024. The team’s ownership group is led by Megan Oglesby, Matt Penley, and Mark Penley of Carolina Soccer Ventures, LLC and includes local entrepreneurs Alex Moore and Ryan Burkett of Stratagon, Mike Kren and David Bennett of Benchmade Ventures, and Leah and Chase Hazelwood.
"By bringing the world's game to the Triad, we will create countless opportunities for those who want to access the sport and will lift up the community both on and off the field," states Megan Oglesby, Principal Investor of NC Pro Soccer. "The Triad’s soccer community has a rich history and a bright future. This is far more than a financial investment for our group, this will be a long-term investment into individuals and communities with untapped potential and a major driver of economic development in the region," says Oglesby.
Mayor Jay Wagner supports the renovations and is excited to bring additional economic development to High Point through professional soccer._ “_The partnership with NC Pro Soccer is another opportunity for the City of High Point to position Truist Point Stadium as a destination for all to come and enjoy. Our community has embraced baseball, and we are thrilled to welcome soccer fans in the near future. Investing in this next phase of stadium improvements is consistent with the original vision of a multi-use stadium. The City has exceeded the initial private 10-year investment goal in the Catalyst Influence Area, and Council intends to build on this successful momentum.” says Wagner.
The City of High Point aims to serve as the catalyst for bringing together the community’s human, economic and civic resources for the purpose of creating the single most livable, safe and prosperous community in America.
For more information on the City, visit _www.highpointnc.gov_.
