Reno nabs professional soccer franchise to play at Aces Ballpark

A professional soccer team will be playing at Aces Ballpark by 2017 under the terms of a new franchise that will be announced in Reno on Wednesday.

United Soccer League President Jake Edwards will be in town to finalize the franchise for the expansion team being awarded to retail billionaire and Aces team owner Herb Simon.

Simon and Edwards will join Gov. Brian Sandoval and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve at the ceremony announcing the deal at the Aces Ballpark on Wednesday.

The team will begin play in 2017 and its season will overlap the baseball season. Ballpark owners need the time to figure out the details of how the ballpark will be shared.

"We’ll have more to announce related to name, colors, tickets, etc," Aces President Eric Edelstein said. "But still a lot to be determined and we’ll have time to do it right since we won’t launch until 2017 season."

Edelstein said two other stadiums — in Louisville, Ky., and Tulsa, Okla. — are shared by baseball and soccer teams.

The USL operates below the level of Major League Soccer, but did establish a player-development deal with MLS in 2013. The USL is the third tier of pro soccer in America, behind MLS and the North American Soccer League.

Pursuing a soccer franchise was part of Simon’s goal to increase usage of the Aces ballpark, which was built with a substantial public subsidy. Edelstein said no public money would be a part of the soccer franchise deal.