This November, a new soccer stadium in Milwaukee received a $9.3 million boost from Governor Evers. The Iron District will be the future home for Milwaukee’s new professional soccer team as well as Marquette University’s men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse teams. The massive 11-acre space was purchased from the university.
Milwaukee professional soccer is set to play in the United Soccer League (USL), which is the second-highest level of professional soccer in the country. The team is currently unnamed. Kacmarcik Enterprises owns the rights to the future team’s franchise and said in an interview with OnMilwaukee, “Milwaukee and Wisconsin are hungry for professional soccer, which is evident by the more than 200,000 votes that were cast for our name the team competition.” Crammer-Kasselt Marketing Agency is working with Karcmarcik to decide the team’s name, crest, and branding. There are ten team names still being considered. A poll around Brookfield Central showed that the most popular team names were “Milwaukee Iron” with 60% of the votes and “Cream City” with 33.3%. Students at BC also shared their intentions of watching a game at Iron District. 40% of students said they would watch a game for any of the teams and 33% said they would watch a game only for the pro soccer team.
The stadium is only one part of the development of the entirety of Iron District Sports and Entertainment. The package also includes an apartment complex, a 3,500-person concert venue, a hotel, and a retail space. The budget is currently $9.3 million for the stadium and $220 million for the package. The BC poll showed that 80% of students thought this was reasonable. Bear Development has partnered with Kacmarcik Enterprises to bring this plan to fruition, with construction on the apartments already underway and the stadium construction set to begin in Spring of 2024.
The land is bordered by North Sixth Street and Michigan Street. José Pérez, District 12 Alderman and Common Council President, described the Iron District Project as, “a transformative economic project for Milwaukee that will revitalize an underutilized part of downtown with a new sports and entertainment destination.”
Iron District Stadium is anticipated to open in three years. Conor Caloia, one of the founders of Forward Madison FC, is the chief operating officer of Milwaukee Pro Soccer. He said in a press release, “We’re excited for a successful kickoff season in 2026.” Kacmarcik and the USL Championship originally had stated that Milwaukee was to join in 2025. Caloia explained the delay: “As the highest level of pro soccer in the state of Wisconsin, we know we only have one opening day, and we want to make sure we get that product, that fan experience, and our facilities right. The stadium and experience we will bring will be worth the wait.”
Iron District will bring a new aspect of entertainment to the Milwaukee area. In just a few years, the allure of the renovated district and new USL soccer team will surely draw crowds of people from all over the state.
