soccer stadium set for construction in colorado springs

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks soccer team may soon have a new and large home for their matches.

Plans have been announced in Colorado Springs for the construction of 10,000-seat stadium for the game that will go up on the southwest side of the city’s downtown area.

That property is known as the City Gate and is a former industrial site that city officials have for the last decade been trying to find a new use for.

Bordered by Cimarron, Moreno, Sierra Madre, and Sahwatch streets, the 16-acre property was identified in a 2007 document as a prime location for future commercial and residential growth.

The new stadium, which is also expected to be used for music concerts and other events, will cost at least $20 million to build.

The Switchbacks play in the United Soccer League, which wants all of their member teams to have their own stadiums.

Upon the announcement of the new facility, former World Cup player and Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh said in a statement that the “downtown stadium will help us compete at a higher level and represent the city well.”

Construction could begin later this year on the new stadium, which will be paid for through a combination of Switchbacks and state funding, among other sources, with a targeted completion date of spring 2020.

Up to now, the Switchbacks have been playing at the 5,000-seat Weidner Field, built in 1985 and roughly 10 miles to the southwest of the new City Gate site.

By Garry Boulard

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