Kevin Nagle, Sacramento Republic FC managing partner, speaks at
the groundbreaking on Aug. 18.
The stadium, which could be converted to seat up to 20,000 for concerts and other events, is scheduled to be completed in time for SRFC’s 2027 season, officials said at the packed Aug. 18 groundbreaking event at the 31-acre construction site. Pre-construction work is already underway, including grading and utility preparation, with Turner Construction serving as the general contractor.
Sacramento Republic FC, which started play in the United Soccer League in 2014, will continue to play at Heart Health Park at Cal Expo, which holds about 11,500 fans, until the new stadium opens. SRFC, after playing 19 matches this season, currently is in second place in USL’s Group B division with 31 points.
SRFC forward Russell Cicerone advances the ball during the Aug.
16 match against rival Oakland Roots at a sold-out Sutter Health
Park. Cicerone would score a goal during the 3-3 tie.
The franchise’s wild ride began with the first year’s unexpected 2014 USL title run, followed by the years-long buzz of a seemingly inevitable Major League Soccer bid, which became a short-lived reality in 2019 along with designs of a new stadium and development at The Railyards. The MLS bid and stadium plans, however, were shelved in early 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the departure of major investor Ron Burkle.
Assemblymember James Ramos, D-San Bernardino, the first
California Native American elected to the state legislature,
sings a song in indigenous language at the stadium groundbreaking
on Aug. 18.
The search for a new stadium continued, and in November 2024, Republic FC and Wilton Rancheria, a federally recognized Native American tribe of Miwok people, announced a landmark partnership, putting the tribe as majority owners of SRFC. It is the first time a Native American Nation has held majority ownership in a men’s professional sports team.
Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango, Jr. (forefront) and
other tribal leaders during the new SRFC stadium groundbreaking
on Aug. 18.
Monday’s groundbreaking came on the 67th anniversary of the signing into law of the California Rancheria Termination Act, which resulted in the loss of federal recognition for Wilton Rancheria and 40 other tribal nations. Hosting the groundbreaking on that day symbolized the power of reclaiming identity, sovereignty and place for the Tribe and its citizens, Wilton Rancheria officials say.
Members of the Tower Bridge Battalion along with SRFC midfielder
Justin Portillo (leaning on table) at the new stadium
groundbreaking on Aug. 18.
“We’re proud to be creating a modern gathering place here between the rivers,” Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango, Jr., said at the groundbreaking. “Today, we reclaim that legacy by creating and restoring the land to something not exact, but close to the gathering place it once was, a space that honors our past, speaks to our future — a place that brings people together to compete, celebrate and share.”
A section of undeveloped land at The Railyards that is scheduled
to house the new SRFC stadium in time for the 2027 season.
Nagle, who remains an owner of the club and became the managing partner for the joint venture, says the new stadium will add thousands of jobs into the local economy, sparking new housing, shops, offices, restaurants and more.
“This won’t be just a new home for the greatest soccer fans in the country — this will be a new place for Sacramentans to gather and celebrate what makes this community so special,” Nagle says.
Current and former Sacramento mayors Kevin McCarty and Darrell
Steinberg (middle) pose with other local officials in front of a
rendering of the proposed stadium at The Railyards on Aug. 18.
The stadium will be privately financed by Republic FC’s ownership group and while the City of Sacramento has no financial obligation, there’s a 244-acre, $92-million Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districtfacing a one-year pause after the union that represents stadium workers, Unite Here Local 49, gathered enough signatures earlier this summer from residents to delay the expansion of the district, saying the union’s opposition is over the need for more affordable housing units.
Attendees at the Aug. 18 groundbreaking of the new SRFC multi-use
stadium.
“We’re happy for the Republic, for the fans, for Sacramento, and for the Wilton Rancheria about the stadium groundbreaking this week,” Unite Local 49 said in a statement attributed to president Aamir Deen.
“With just 6 percent affordable housing, the vast majority of the housing units planned for the Railyards will be way out of reach for our members and for most people in Sacramento,” the statement reads. “We’re asking the developers and the city to step up to address our housing crisis and provide 25 percent affordable housing at the Railyards.”
Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant points to
the area at the Railyards where the stadium will be built in time
for the 2027 SRFC season.
City officials, however, say the Railyards project will proceed on schedule.
“We had a few hiccups along the way, but today is about moving forward,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said after the ceremony. “This is an exciting day. We have the groundbreaking. We’ll have two years of construction out here, and then 20,000 plus people watching professional soccer in two years. We’re not here today sinking a couple of hundred million dollars into the land and the team if we didn’t have a path forward.”
SRFC and city officials with members of Wilton Rancheria during
the new stadium groundbreaking at The Railyards on Aug. 18.
SRFC is accepting deposits for the 2027 season at RepublicStadium.com. The site also includes stadium renderings and a video showing the unique elements of the stadium, which includes a Supporters’ Plaza, a rooftop club with views of the city’s skyline, an open-air public market and a beer garden.
–
Subscribe to the Comstock’s newsletter today.
Recommended For You
Resurrecting the Railyards
After a major environmental cleanup, ground is expected to be broken this year on a new hospital, stadium and entertainment center
The Railyards, an urban infill project, promises to transform downtown Sacramento, nearly doubling its existing size. The property consists of 240 acres north of the Amtrak station on H Street and east of Interstate 5.
Regaining Lost Land
FROM THE PUBLISHER: When I heard the news about the Sacramento Republic FC ownership change — with Wilton Rancheria, a federally recognized Miwok tribe in Sacramento County, becoming majority owner (while Kevin Nagle maintains his managing partner role) — I joined the entire Capital Region in celebrating what this would mean for Major League Soccer, as well as for the continuing (and delightful) growth of professional sports here.
What’s Next for Hornet Stadium?
UC Davis Causeway Classic win over Sacramento State comes on the heels of new Hornet Stadium announcement
It was a year that started with much promise for Sacramento State with a Top-10 preseason ranking, talk of a new stadium and the hope that Sacramento could use a new facility to position a move from the FCS’ Big Sky Conference to an upper division conference such as the Pac-12.
Sacramento Republic FC Celebrates 10 Years in the State Capital
The soccer club has captured the heart of the region with its successes
While other professional soccer teams have come to town with hype and promise, only to flicker briefly before disappearing — teams like the Gold, Spirits, Geckos, Scorpions, Senators and the Knights — the United Soccer League’s Sac Republic connected with the Capital Region in a major way.