Sounds Stadium Will Host Nashville’s Minor League Soccer

Nashville’s minor league soccer team will play their inaugural season inside a baseball stadium.

Wednesday morning, standing inside the diamond normally occupied by the Nashville Sounds, NashvilleSC’s marketing director said First Tennessee Park is a good fit.

“It checked all the boxes for everything we wanted,” James Cannon said. “The spectators are going to be close to the experience. It’s a great downtown location, the amenities are fantastic, it’s got everything from club level to proximity to the field.”

The team will work around the Sounds’ schedule and Cannon says the baseball grounds crew will be up to handling the additional wear and tear from soccer. According to renderings, the pitch will run along the first base line with no additional seats filling in the outfield.

Club owner John Ingram thanked the Sounds for being so “open minded” about the arrangement. The businessman from Tennessee’s richest family is also behind the city’s push for a major league soccer franchise which will require its own, sport-specific stadium to earn the bid.

“This partnership represents the growing support for professional soccer in this city, demonstrating that Music City is Soccer City,” he said in a statement.

NashvilleSC will begin its season at First Tennessee Park next March.