Futbol Club Cincinnati is taking a serious look at three sites for potentially building a new soccer-only stadium, including one that borders redeveloped Over-the-Rhine, The Enquirer has learned.

The upstart franchise, hoping to make the jump to Major League Soccer in the next few years, is looking to build a $200 million stadium possibly on one of these sites:

• West End: Taft high school's football stadium – and some land around it – near Central Parkway, just west of Music Hall and Washington Park.

• Oakley: Land around Oakley Station off Interstate 71 and Ridge Road, including the former Cincinnati Milacron plant site.

• Newport: The site long planned for the Ovation mixed-use development near the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers, land that offers a clear view of the Downtown Cincinnati skyline.

In an interview with The Enquirer on Wednesday afternoon, FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding confirmed the neighborhoods but not the specific sites.

"Our prospective stadium finance plan is being developed," Berding said. "Our effort to land an MLS franchise for Cincinnati starts with $250 million in private investment and would not include a new tax increase as speculated today at the Hamilton County commission meeting."

News of prospective stadium sites surfaced on the same day some citizens launched the No More Stadium Taxes group. The group opposes using taxpayer money for a new soccer stadium, but it also rejects the use of public funds to renovate U.S. Bank Arena.

In recent months, FC Cincinnati has been aggressively pushing to develop a stadium plan in an effort to earn one of four highly coveted expansion spots in Major League Soccer, which prefers team-owned, soccer-specific venues.

Club officials have been shopping their stadium financing and location ideas to regional political and business leaders. Team officials hope to drum up enough support to use public money to help pay for a new stadium, but sources said the club does not intend to push for a new tax increase.

FC Cincinnati's owners and financial backers plan to invest around $100 million into a new stadium, and pay another $150 million to cover the MLS entry fee. It's almost unheard of for a sports franchise owner – or ownership group – to pony up anywhere near half the cost to build a new stadium or arena.

The Bengals, for example, only put in $25 million toward $455 million Paul Brown Stadium, regarded by financial experts as one of the worst stadium deals for taxpayers in American sports history.

The Bengals' sweetheart stadium deal in the late 1990s continues to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Hamilton County taxpayers. Fair or not, it could hurt FC Cincinnati's effort to get a new stadium despite the club's plan to pour in so much private money and not increase the sales tax.

Where could FC Cincinnati build a new stadium?

In addition, FC Cincinnati has two viable options for playing its home games. The club has played at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium since the franchise first kicked off last spring. FC Cincinnati has never played at Paul Brown Stadium, but the downtown-based venue could serve as a backup option if there's ever a scheduling conflict at Nippert.

Both Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley have said they do not see taxpayer money going toward a new soccer stadium.

FC Cincinnati has put down roots at Nippert Stadium, where the club has drawn record crowds that rival – and even surpass – some MLS teams. The question of FC Cincinnati’s long-term stadium plans has dogged the organization since before it played its first game in March 2016.

Berding has long maintained FC Cincinnati’s current lease deal at Nippert Stadium would be suitable for hosting MLS competition. Record breaking attendance – the team this month surpassed 400,000 for its all-time attendance – bolsters Berding’s claim.

FC Cincinnati’s lease at UC can be extended to 15 years. This past offseason, the club undertook a $2 million upgrade of Nippert Stadium that widened the field to bring the venue up to FIFA and MLS standards.

FC Cincinnati officially submitted its application to MLS in January, and league brass have hinted strongly that tenant status in non-soccer specific venues simply won’t work. MLS can now boast of a highly-developed, soccer-specific infrastructure throughout the league, allowing the league to keep more revenue rather having to share money with other stadium tenants.

Cincinnati is one of a dozen cities vying for MLS expansion, and stadium plans are likely to separate true contenders in the fierce battle for the open spots. FC Cincinnati's push to move forward with stadium plans should elevate its bid.



