The first physical marker of Oklahoma City's impending multiuse stadium was celebrated on Monday, with community leaders coming together to raise a flag above the future site, signaling another milestone in the city's ongoing redevelopment saga. The stadium, which is earmarked for completion in spring 2027, will be situated east of the OKC Convention Center and south of Bricktown, specifically on a nine-acre property donated by local investment firm Echo, as per the announcement made at the flag-raising event covered by the City of Okalahoma City.
The flag, set to rotate between "OKC for Soccer" and "OKC es Fútbol," serves not only as a beacon for the forthcoming stadium but also as a visual commitment to expand the local sports and entertainment district in downtown OKC, the flagpole stationed to catch the eyes of those traveling along I-40; present at the flag-hoisting ceremony were Mayor David Holt, Echo’s CEO Christian Kanady, MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board Chair Teresa Rose, LCDA CEO Salvador Ontiveros and OKC for Soccer President Court Jeske, showing the community and political support backing this development, as reported by the City of Okalahoma City.
Diving deeper into the stadium specifics, the facility will boast a United States Soccer Federation-approved pitch, 12,300 seats, locker rooms, and suites, carrying a $71 million price tag for construction that is anticipated to begin in fall 2025. Echo, the majority owner of OKC’s professional soccer club, emphasizes its commitment to the OKC for Soccer | OKC es Fútbol effort and has confirmed it will operate the stadium, which is set to host both women's and men's soccer teams upon completion.
About MAPS 4, it's a debt-free public improvement initiative, funded by a temporary one-cent sales tax expected to raise approximately $1.07 billion over eight years, approved by the City of Oklahoma City voters back in a special election on December 10, 2019; this investment will span neighborhood and human needs, improving the quality of life and fostering job growth, and the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board, with its six subcommittees, guides its implementation, advising the City Council which retains final say.
Regarding Echo, the firm behind the stadium's site donation, it represents a multi-strategy investment entity established by Christian Kanady in 2010. Positioned in the Ziggurat building downtown, Echo melds investments across multiple sectors, including energy, life sciences, national security, and sports & entertainment, and is known for its holdings which encompass notable commercial properties, a substantial portfolio in oil and gas royalties, and extends through to the ownership of OKC’s professional soccer club.
