The sun is shining down on the excited audience as they impatiently wait to watch the Austin FC soccer team play their first home game in their brand new stadium. The smell of hot-dogs fills the aroma of the stadium as the soccer players run onto the field.

The Austin FC soccer stadium, located near the Domain, is finished but has only opened it’s shop to fans so far.

“I think my favorite thing about the stadium is how modern and sleek the design is; it just looks so awesome,” varsity soccer player junior Brodi Tokar said. “They did a really good job with it, and I can’t wait to see it all in person.”

Season tickets for the inaugural season sold out last year, but Austin FC will not play their first home game at the new stadium until June 19. 

“I have season tickets, so I’m extremely excited to go to games and support the squad, especially the inaugural game against San Jose during June,” Tokar said. “I am really excited to see the team play their first game there, especially to see how they grow and move forward.”

The Austin FC stadium may host other events in the near future, but there have been some restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 as of now.

“I think that the stadium will bring a positive environment and a way for the Austin community to transition away from life with COVID-19,” varsity soccer player junior Matthew Tiedt said. “I think COVID-19 has lowered the ability for fans to visit the stadium and see the new team. Soccer fans should definitely be excited about this new team because Austin is a soccer city and a way for everyone to enjoy the beautiful game.”

The establishment of Austin FC may expand the fan base and popularity of soccer within Austin, as it is the first Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Austin.

“I think soccer fans are quite excited for this new stadium and team because this is the first professional team to be established here in Austin, so many people are becoming fans even if they haven’t watched or played much soccer previously,” Tokar said. “I think Austin having its first professional team will eventually [create] a domino effect, [in which we will] we see more professional teams come into the city.”

The capacity for this new soccer stadium is around 20,500 which means it is around the average size of most MLS stadiums.

“I honestly don’t think COVID-19 has had a major impact on the popularity and attraction to the new stadium, as soccer has always been huge in Austin, so the team itself being added to our city was a very popular decision regardless,” Tokar said. 

The Austin FC soccer team will play in the Western Conference of the MLS.

“The stadium seems so cool and it also looks really nice,” varsity soccer player junior Zach Kos said. “I think it will bring the city together because we will be [cheering for and supporting]the same team. I also think that it will be very useful for many things outside of being just a soccer stadium which could definitely be helpful.”

The largest soccer stadium in the world is in Barcelona, Spain which holds 99,354 people according to Ertheo.

“I have been to many professional soccer games outside of Austin and have enjoyed all of them thoroughly,” Tokar said. 

Tokar is looking forward to watching the team grow and develop over the coming years.

“Witnessing players in their element and also doing something you aspire to do when you are growing up is beyond inspiring,” Tokar said. “I absolutely love watching these games and will probably continue to go to them for the rest of my life.”