East New Mexico News

A new publicly owned stadium for the nascent New Mexico United soccer team could be a reality in the near future.

Supporters of the proposed stadium are targeting $30 million in state capital outlay funds that could be provided during the next legislative session, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Capital outlay funds are used for the maintenance, acquisition, repair and enhancement of capital assets.

Overall, the stadium project could ultimately cost $100 million.

"I believe the Albuquerque metro area should finance it,” New Mexico state Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview) told the East New Mexico News in an email interview. “Forty-five percent of the state’s workforce is there with a median income of $50,000. Forty-three percent of the state’s population is there.”

Though Woods believes state government should be focusing on two underfunded pension obligations and highway infrastructure needs, he does see the benefits of the stadium stating that recreation and tourism employ a plethora of New Mexican citizens.

“I’m a strong believer that taxpayers should have a vote to see if they want to raise taxes on their self to finance this stadium,” he said. “The easiest thing in the world to do is to give someone else’s money away.”

The Albuquerque Journal has reported that state Rep. Antonio Maestas (D-Albuquerque) said the stadium could pay for itself within 20 years through ticket surcharges and various tax revenue.

The United soccer club came into existence in 2018 and played its inaugural season in 2019, which culminated in a playoff berth. The team currently plays at Albuquerque’s 13,000-seat Isotopes Park.

The club led the United Soccer League in attendance this year with an average of 12,693 tickets sold per contest, and team owner and CEO Peter Trevisani said he would be interested in possibly moving his team to Major League Soccer in the future, the Journal reported.