Nearly five years after TQL Stadium hosted its first match, FC Cincinnati wants to expand the stadium − sort of.
The Major League Soccer club recently applied for $136.3 million in Ohio’s unclaimed funds to finance improvements at the West End-based stadium on Central Parkway. The money is part of $1 billion in unclaimed funds that state lawmakers have set aside for new sports stadiums and other upgrades. (The Cleveland Browns have already been promised $600 million for a new domed stadium at Brook Park.)
Over 20 other professional sports teams, including FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bengals, are vying for the remaining $400 million.
Here’s what FCC plans to improve at TQL Stadium
According to an application filed with the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, FC Cincinnati wants to use the money for stadium “expansion.” The money would go to:
This doesn’t mean TQL Stadium is literally getting bigger.
The project is part of a combined $545 million development that includes FC Cincinnati’s future mixed-use district going up directly north of TQL Stadium. The club is building a mixed-use entertainment district with apartments, a hotel, music venue, public events plaza and more.
Prepping for MLS schedule change, more events
Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management declined to provide FC Cincinnati’s full application as it’s still under review to potentially receive the unclaimed funds.
According to Chief Revenue Officer Chad Munitz, the $136 million grant would largely help prep the 26,000-seat stadium for use during the winter months and to accommodate more events, not just club matches.
“Outdoor venues and stadiums deal with a lot of wear,” he explained, “so we’re constantly looking at reinvesting money into our infrastructure and other physical assets to make sure it’s the best quality for the club and our fans.”
The Enquirer reported in November that Major League Soccer will shift its calendar to a summer-to-spring schedule in 2027 to align with the world’s top soccer leagues. (The current regular season runs from late February through early November.) Munitz said everything from stadium technology to heating and plumbing needs upgrades to withstand colder weather.
That’s not all.
Because home matches “virtually sell out every time,” Munitz said the club wants to use the money to address the congestion and long lines in the bathrooms and concessions that clog up the concourses. He declined to detail exactly how those spaces might be upgraded.
Munitz also shared the club hopes to attract more events and concerts in June and July when FC Cincinnati isn’t playing. (In 2025, TQL Stadium hosted around 250 events including corporate meetings and conferences.)
“Good global stadiums are real civic assets and used year round,” Munitz said. “While this is an essentially privately-funded stadium, we still feel it should be treated as a public asset and for everyone to have lots of opportunities to experience it.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati requests $136M from Ohio for TQL Stadium ‘expansion’
Reporting by Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
