A First Look At Nashville SC’s ‘Spiritual Home’ In GEODIS Park

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Hany Mukhtar at GEODIS Park opening training session on April 12. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

A rainy Tuesday morning couldn’t prevent Nashville SC from showing off a nearly completed GEODIS Park to media and season ticket holders in an open training session.

Fans had the opportunity to see their new, permanent soccer home in person and sample a number of concessions while getting a chance to watch a special NSC practice with appearances from TV play-by-play voices Tony Husband and Jamie Watson.

Two-time MLS Defender of the Year and USMNT captain Walker Zimmerman led the team onto the field and took time to take pictures and sign autographs with fans.

Walker Zimmerman taking pictures with fans at GEODIS Park after open training. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

“It’s incredible, to think it’s our permanent home, a place where 30,000 fans can pack it out cheering for us, it’s amazing,” said Zimmerman in a press conference. “We can’t wait for May 1. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re hoping we can win three points to open it the right way.”

The team’s home opener against Philadelphia Union on May 1 is completely sold out. With the amount of season tickets sold, opening day was sold out within minutes of single-game tickets going on sale.

Club CEO Ian Ayre has been with the team since it initially jumped from USL to MLS back in 2019 and 2020. He has seen the “spiritual home of the team” grow from its infant beginnings as an idea on paper to its full glory with players on the pitch and fans in seats.

“I was talking to somebody earlier that when I got here in 2018 this was some lines on a page. Here we are sitting in the press conference room for the first time ever with fans in the stadium and players on the field. It felt like a sound check for May 1 to me,” Ayre said. “This is a great testament to so many people–too many to mention–who delivered this whole thing across the board. I had the opportunity to walk on the concourse and talk to some fans and I didn’t hear anybody say anything other than great things.”

Pictured (L-R): Nashville SC TV play-by-play voice Tony Husband, club CEO Ian Ayre, and TV analyst Jamie Watson. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

One aspect of GEODIS Park that Ayre emphasized was the food options and the price ranges. Unlike most local and national stadiums, GEODIS Park will offer many local food options, such as Prince’s Hot Chicken, Central BBQ, Daddy’s Dogs and more.

“Reaching ever price point was important,” Ayre added. “We recognized that people have different pockets to spend from. Everything from $12 to the top levels, I genuinely think there is something for everyone when it comes to food, seat choices and obviously a great sport that people can learn quickly and enjoy.”

In its first two seasons in MLS, Nashville SC has seen major success. Both years, the Boys in Gold made it to the conference semifinals and, in 2021, Nashville went undefeated at home as they played at Nissan Stadium.

Nashville General Manager Mike Jacobs was key in building the current team with head coach Gary Smith, and the pair know just how important this new stadium is to creating an identity and attracting players to the club in the future.

“When we talked to players who went through this  journey with us, the idea of opening a new venue was definitely a selling point.” Jacobs explained. “We obviously place a premium price on guys who have MLS experience, guys who know what it’s like with the rigors of traveling the country, and the demands of our league.”

Aníbal Godoy. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

“To be able to open up on May 1 here and see what the future looks like at our own stadium and our own venue, [it’s almost like] our own world if you’d like,” Smith noted. “There are so many things that the guys will look forward to. Like I said, you have to make it your own. The history that the team builds over time will start on May 1.”

NSC midfielder and Panamanian international Aníbal Godoy kept referring to GEODIS Park as ‘castillo,’ meaning castle or fortress. With a new stadium, the opportunity to build a culture is possible and this ‘castle’ gives fans a place to congregate and celebrate the sport.

“This stadium looks different form the other stadiums in MLS,” Godoy mentioned when speaking with media. “In this stadium, if we fill it with fans, [there will definitely] be more pressure for the other teams. This is why I always say without fans football is not possible.

“With a good stadium, good fans and [all of the good things around us], we can try to build something,” he summed.

Nashville SC has already made huge strides this year on the pitch, earning 10 points off of their first six games all of which were on the road. The team has two more road matches, both in California, before they open their new home.

GEODIS Park. Photo: Courtesy of Nashville SC

Players like Zimmerman who have been with the club since the beginning have felt the growing pains, as well as experienced the wonderful journey up to this point. He believes this is a new era in both the club’s history as well as the city’s.

“It’s a great group of guys, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other teammates or any other staff,” Zimmerman said. “It’s been a really wild ride and now it’s going to culminate here with the opening of new stadium. It’ll be the beginning of what I think is a new chapter for Nashville SC and Nashville in general. All these fans can have a home–a permanent home that is ours. It’s really special. That’s the next part of this journey and it’s something we’re all looking forward to.”

Steven Boero
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