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One Spokane Stadium

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One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is home to the professional soccer teams Spokane Velocity of USL League One and Spokane Zephyr FC of the USL Super League and USL W League, as well as Spokane Public Schools high school teams in several sports. Opened in September 2023, it succeeds Joe Albi Stadium, the city's football and soccer venue from 1950 through 2021.

ONE Spokane Stadium
Aerial view from northeast in October 2023
Map
Spokane is located in the United States
Spokane
Spokane
Location in the United States
Spokane is located in Washington (state)
Spokane
Spokane
Location in Washington
AddressJoe Albi Way
LocationSpokane, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°40′03″N 117°25′09″W / 47.66750°N 117.41917°W / 47.66750; -117.41917
Elevation1,900 feet (580 m) AMSL
Public transitSpokane Transit Authority
Parking2,000 (shared)[1]
OwnerSpokane Public Schools
OperatorSpokane Public Facilities District
Capacity5,000[2]
SurfaceArtificial turf[3]
Construction
Broke groundNovember 30, 2021
OpenedSeptember 26, 2023;
13 months ago (2023-09-26)
Construction cost$37.9 million[4]
ArchitectALSC Architects
BuilderGarco Construction
Tenants
Website
https://www.onespokanestadium.com

The stadium is located in the North Bank district of downtown alongside two other sports facilities: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to the southwest and The Podium to the south.

History

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Background

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Opened in 1950, Joe Albi Stadium in Northwest Spokane had served as the city's main outdoor stadium for soccer, football, and other large events.[5] Compared to the new Downtown Spokane Stadium, Joe Albi was a much larger stadium with a capacity of 25,000-plus spectators.[6]

By the first decade of the 2000s, the stadium's age began to show and cause issues for tenants. In 2006, the artificial turf was deemed unsafe, which ultimately led to the Spokane Shadow ending their time as tenants. The Spokane and Mead school districts agreed to pay $1 million to replace the turf.[7]

Joe Albi continued to deteriorate over the following years, and by 2017 Spokane Public Schools began exploring options to replace the then 67-year-old stadium. Options floated included demolishing and rebuilding a smaller stadium at the Joe Albi site or building a new stadium downtown.[8] In 2018, the school district's proposals were put to an advisory vote with two separate but related questions posed to voters within District 81 boundaries. One was on a $495 million bond for the school district, $31 million of which would be allocated for the stadium project. The other was on the preferred location of the stadium: the Joe Albi site or downtown. Voters passed the bond proposal, but preferred the Albi site by a 2-to-1 margin.[9]

Project moves forward

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In early 2021, a new proposal to revive the downtown stadium plan was brought forward by the Downtown Spokane Partnership, an organization composed of downtown Spokane business interests. Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, along with a representative from the United Soccer League (USL), made a pitch to Spokane Public Schools asking the district to reconsider their plans to build a new stadium at the Joe Albi Site.[10] The new proposal included a promise from USL to bring a professional team to Spokane and to pledge $2 million to the construction. It was also claimed that the central location would be better for parents and students attending high school games. The location adjacent to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena and the then under-construction indoor track and field venue The Podium would help create a proper sports and event district in the city center.[10]

Spokane Public Schools voted on the new proposal in May 2021 and approved it by a 4–1 margin. This vote took place after the Spokane Public Facilities District, the agency which manages the adjacent Spokane Arena and the Podium as well as the Spokane Convention Center and First Interstate Center for the Arts across the Spokane River, agreed to meet a set of parameters put forward by the school district. These parameters included parking issues and congestion concerns, as well as ensuring that Spokane Public Schools would retain complete ownership rights over the new stadium.[11]

Construction

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Stadium groundbreaking on November 30, 2021 with The Podium in the background.

Groundbreaking on the stadium took place on November 30, 2021.[12] On May 11, 2023, a topping ceremony took place as the final beam was set in place for the stadium structure. At the time of the topping ceremony, stadium officials expected the stadium would be open for events by the final week of September 2023.[13]

On July 12, 2023, the Spokane Public Schools board of directors voted to approve the name of the stadium as ONE Spokane Stadium. The capitalization of the word "one" in the name is meant to reflect unity among the schools and entities which will use the stadium.[14] A previous named proposed as part of a Kalispel Tribe of Indians sponsorship, "North Bank Stadium", was rejected by the board after the Spokane Tribe raised objections over a lack of consultation for the facility, which is built on their ancestral lands.[15]

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on September 26, 2023.[16]

Facility

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One Spokane Stadium during a Velocity game

The stadium is located north of The Podium, separated by Joe Albi Way, previously a section of W Dean Ave. Joe Albi Plaza was created on the southwest corner of the property near the Spokane Civic Theater, and the original statue of Joe Albi was moved to the plaza from the demolished Joe Albi Stadium.[17] There are 17 entry gates along the west, south, and east sides of the facility, with 5,000 permanent seats: 2,491 plastic and 2,509 metal bench.[18] For other events using the field, such as concerts, the facility can accommodate up to 15,000.

The playing field is 98,930 square feet (9,190 m2) of artificial turf in a traditional north-south alignment, with the grandstand and press box along the west sideline. While the stadium hosts Spokane Public Schools football and soccer games with both sport lines painted on the field, the field can be repainted for soccer only to abide by USL and FIFA field of play regulations.[19] In the northeast corner is a 20.5 foot by 36 foot Daktronics digital display with 660,960 pixels.[18] An additional 2.5 foot by 246 foot field-level ribbon display is expected to be installed in March 2024.[20]

The approximate elevation of the playing field is 1,900 feet (580 m) above sea level.[citation needed]

Tenants

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The facility is shared by Spokane Public Schools high schools and the United Soccer League.

Spokane Public Schools

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Spokane Public Schools uses the venue for football and soccer games for its five traditional high schools:

United Soccer League

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The United Soccer League (USL) and franchise owner, Aequus Sports, LLC (led by Ryan and Katie Harnetiaux), announced three teams:[21][22][23]

References

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  1. ^ Elias, Karina (July 20, 2023). "PFD nears agreements for One Spokane Stadium". Spokane Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Nichols, Dave (October 2, 2023). "ONE Spokane Stadium User's Guide". Spokesman Review. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Elias, Karina (July 20, 2023). "PFD nears agreements for One Spokane Stadium". Spokane Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Nichols, Dave (September 7, 2023). "'Finally': ONE Spokane Stadium to open for high school sports, pro soccer, concerts in downtown". Spokane Journal. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Marie Mullin, Larkin. "Joe Albi Stadium: Local Teams Find A Home to Play". Spokane Historical. Eastern Washington University. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Thomas, Virginia (March 25, 2021). "Stadium replacement is in early development stages". Spokane Journal of Business. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Camden, Jim (May 31, 2006). "Spokane, Shadow end Albi deal". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Edelen, Amy (December 8, 2017). "Spokane Public Schools could downsize, replace Joe Albi Stadium". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Allen, Jim (November 6, 2018). "Voters, by 2-to-1 margin, say build new outdoor stadium on Albi site". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Criscione, Wilson (March 18, 2021). "The proposal to build a downtown Spokane stadium is back. Has the pitch improved since three years ago?". The Inlander. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Criscione, Wilson (May 13, 2021). "Spokane Public Schools approves proposal to build downtown stadium". The Inlander.
  12. ^ Allen, Jim (November 24, 2021). "Downtown Spokane stadium groundbreaking set for Tuesday". The Spokesman-Review.
  13. ^ Tannenbaum, Guy (May 11, 2023). "Final beam placed in Topping Ceremony for Downtown Spokane Stadium". KHQ-TV. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Perry, Elena (July 13, 2023). "'ONE Spokane': Downtown sports stadium name approved by school officials Wednesday". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Hill, Kip; Cabeza, Garrett (April 13, 2023). "Spokane Public Schools delays decision on final name for new downtown sports stadium amid tribal concerns". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Nichols, Dave (September 7, 2023). "'Finally': ONE Spokane Stadium to open for high school sports, pro soccer, concerts in downtown". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  17. ^ Deis, Derek (September 27, 2023). "Joe Albi's legacy still standing at new One Spokane stadium". KXLY. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Nichols, Dave (October 2, 2023). "ONE Spokane Stadium User's Guide". Spokesman Review. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  19. ^ FIFA. "5.3 Pitch Dimensions and Surrounding Areas". FIFA Publications. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  20. ^ USL Spokane (February 29, 2024). "Visual Experience at ONE Spokane Stadium Features Top-Notch Technology from Daktronics". Spokane Velocity. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "New soccer club owners in Spokane announce addition of professional women's team". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "USL Super League". USL Spokane. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  23. ^ Traub, Matt (May 16, 2023). "USL Super League Announces Initial Markets". SportsTravel. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
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