New Mexico United get $4.1 million (out of a hoped for $30 million) towards stadium

As Dan Boyd reported prior to the 2020 Legislature, The New Mexico United  were hoping for as much as $30 million to build a new soccer-specific stadium in Albuquerque. The Club did manage to obtain $4.1 million (see sports & cultural center on page 3 of this document) but $4.1 million  is a far cry from $30 million and according to league bylaws all expansion teams must be in soccer-specific stadiums within three years.

Estimates are that the stadium could cost $100 million. The City of Albuquerque is also expected to put money into a facility, but the State with its oil and gas money has the deepest pockets.

We understand that Mayor Keller is pushing hard for the stadium to be built at the Railyards. With a price tag of $50-$80 million to simply prepare the Railyards site the stadium could turn into a costly boondoggle VERY quickly.

Worse, the Railyards couldn’t be a worse location for a stadium as the site is tucked away by still-functioning railroad tracks, is not easily accessed from major highways (despite being near I-25, and isn’t really close to the City’s “wonderful” ART bus system.  Perhaps a new Rail Runner station is in the offing?