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Fresno FC

Fresno FL Issues Statement in Response to Comments Made by City of Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and Councilmember Miguel Arias

October 11, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Fresno FC News Release


Fresno Football Club would like to thank the fans, sponsors, and members of the community who have supported the team throughout our first years. This statement is in response to Councilmember Miguel Arias and Mayor Lee Brand's statements on Thursday, October 10 in regard to their involvement with Fresno FC in finding a potential stadium location.

Fresno FC's original vision was to find a downtown site at which to build a stadium. From the beginning, Fresno FC connected with city officials to assist in the search. Fresno FC and the city then discussed the following sites: Selland Arena, Convention Center Parking Lot, and Lot 1 on H Street across from Chukchansi Park.

Selland Arena & Convention Center Parking Lot - Upon a walkthrough of the facility with an architectural firm, the recommendation was made to reconfigure the parking area to fit a soccer-specific stadium. The site plan needed an adjustment to the private parking on site. The city stated that they would not get involved in the negotiation of private parking. Negotiations ended without a positive end result.

Lot 1 - The same firm evaluated Lot 1 and advised that the site needed to be widened to fit a soccer-specific stadium. Increasing the size of the site would have required in turning H Street between Kern and Mono into a one-way street. The city stated they would not make that change to the road.

Chukchansi Park - Fresno FC also requested the City of Fresno subsidize the rent at Chukchansi Park to afford more time in a search for a permanent venue. This request was denied by the City.

The private sites that were identified by Fresno FC inside city limits did not make logistical sense for a stadium plan. Following the failed attempts to stay in downtown Fresno, club leadership has had to explore other options. The club is continuing to look outside of the city limits for potential stadium locations.

"We are disappointed that we could not make a stadium site work within the City of Fresno thus far. We thank the fans for their continued support up to now and into the postseason. Fresno FC will continue to work on solutions for the future." said Frank Yallop, General Manager of Fresno FC.

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