It was a big day for DC United, getting final approval from the city to build a soccer-specific stadium in the District of Colombia. The Washington, DC council voted in favor of the DC Soccer Stadium Act, clearing the way to build the stadium at Buzzard Point. The stadium is scheduled for a 2017 opening.
“We are grateful that D.C. United’s future in our nation’s capital is secure,” DC United managing general partner Jason Levien said in a press statement. “This is a historic victory for the team and its fans, the city, the region and the sport of soccer in this country. I am deeply appreciative of the efforts of many city leaders, including Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Mayor-Elect Muriel Bowser, City Administrator Allen Y. Lew and the DC Council.”
DC United spent many years trying to find a more appropriate home than the ageing RFK Stadium. Though that stadium served as the site of many memorable soccer games, it was aging noticeably and costing DC United a considerable amount every home game. The city’s NFL team left RFK for a suburban stadium a year after DC United began play in 1996. The city’s baseball team was briefly tenants at RFK before opening their own baseball stadium near the Buzzard Point site.
