FC Cincinnati's West End stadium won't open until mid-May, the team announced Thursday.
How many fans can be present for the club's matches once the stadium opens is still in question.
In a statement released Thursday, FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding announced the West End stadium will have its ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 1 prior to hosting its first match around mid-May – about a month after Major League Soccer kicks off the 2021 season
“Mid-May we will open West End Stadium, the crown jewel of a rising Cincinnati. Our new home is built by Cincinnati, for Cincinnati, and we can’t wait!” Berding said in the statement. “As soon as we receive our schedule from Major League Soccer we will share with the public and hope everyone can enjoy a match in our inaugural season in West End Stadium.”
Events planned for West End stadium opening:
May 1 - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and media photo opportunity
May 1 -Open House for our West End neighbors and the first play on the pitch featuring West End Pride youth soccer teams
May 1 -Team Store Grand Opening
May 2 - “Meet Your Seat” event for season ticket holders and FCC Foundation Ball Drop
May 8 - Construction worker appreciation tour and reception
May 12 - Media Day (during a team practice)
FCC is also planning an away game watch party in the stadium before the home opener, with the finalized date for the event to be announced pending the release of the MLS regular-season schedule.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced during a Wednesday news conference the league pushed back its opening day two weeks to April 17. The season typically begins in late February or March.
The most recent delay was caused by collective bargaining negotiations, which officially ended Monday.
It remains to be seen how many fans will be able to attend matches at the new venue once it opens.
Garber, who spoke and was asked questions for about 40 minutes, also said he doubted large numbers of fans would be attend MLS matches this season.
"We just don't know," Garber said of fans in MLS stadiums in 2021. "We are encouraged by the roll-out of the vaccine under the new administration. We obviously have challenges in Canada... I was pleased to see fans in the stadium at the Super Bowl in Tampa and I was pleased to see limited numbers of fans in some of our stadiums, including in Columbus for MLS Cup but we have no exposure to what those numbers are going to look like. I can assure you that I don't have any sense that fans are going to be in our stadiums in large numbers for most if not all of the season."
As a result of the expected empty seats in stadiums, Garber said the league is anticipating more financial hardships and close to $1 billion in losses in 2021.
That would follow a 2020 season in which MLS officials claimed losses amounting to about $1 billion.
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