From theory to reality: Nashville SC reflect on long road to GEODIS Park opener

Milestones like this lend naturally to quiet reflection. That headspace for contemplation and a little bit of daydreaming is just where Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre found himself.

Ayre was at Nashville SC’s brand new stadium, GEODIS Park, little more than a week before the club play the first match in their beautiful home, unveiling the ground to the country. He physically drifted away from his obligation and wandered into the owners suite, where he’ll be enjoying the game from Sunday.

He looked down at the pitch, perfectly manicured but untouched. He looked at the seats, doused in NSC’s colors, but empty. He gazed around the stadium, serene and quiet. He then mentally drifted away, trying to imagine the scene on Sunday as Nashville host the Philadelphia Union (4 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes) to christen their cathedral.

In mere days – hours, even – that grass will be populated, every single seat filled and the stadium anything but serene and quiet in the music capital of the world.

“I’m most looking forward to how special and unique it’ll be for Nashville,” Ayre told MLSsoccer.com. “It gives me goosebumps just talking about it, to be honest.”

The opening of GEODIS Park, which seats 30,000, has been a marker to look forward to for years. From early planning and renderings to groundbreaking and literally watching a plot of dirt become the newest stadium in the league.

“Along the peaks and valleys to get here, you have dreams and aspirations about what it will look like,” general manager Mike Jacobs said. “You try to stay present and focused, but the idea of moving into this stadium was always so far on the horizon. Someday we’ll have this. And it’s hard to believe that someday is now.”

Nashville SC have managed to forge real, genuine roots in their city. The stadium will only further weld that bond through moments and memories.

The club have sold more than 21,000 season tickets to GEODIS Park. Single-game tickets for the home opener sold out in a flash. Playing at Nissan Stadium their first two years of existence, they averaged more than 18,000 fans at home games in 2021 (a season that started with COVID-related restrictions). That was good for fifth-best in MLS.

“It lies strongly with Nashville as a city,” said Ayre when asked about how quickly the club became relevant in Nashville. “When I was approached about this project, my first question was what kind of city is this? I’ve lived all over the world, everywhere is unique. Nashville has this kind-of-weird-kind-of-awesome feel where it’s more about who you are rather than what you have. Celebrity isn’t really a thing in Nashville, though celebrities live here.”

Nashville is a city that has had parts transformed over the years, though still blends the “old Nashville” with the new as the haven for music continues to grow and evolve. NSC have been cognizant of being a representation of their home since day one, including a pregame guitar riff ahead of every home match.

“We wanted the stadium to fit into this city, this neighborhood,” Ayre said. “A lot of the stuff has been very organic, we let the supporters drive it. The stadium fits in the neighborhood. The food in our stadium is all local, either from Nashville or in Tennessee. These are small things, but it really matters.”

It doesn’t hurt fan support that the team has had immediate success in MLS, either.

In 2020, Nashville set a record for goals against per game for an expansion team. They made the playoffs, romped fellow expansion side Inter Miami (who entered with much more fanfare than NSC), upset Toronto FC and lost to eventual champions Columbus Crew. Last year, they hosted a playoff game, which they won, then were denied only by penalties in the Conference Semifinal.

“It’s been organic,” Jacobs said. “One thing Ian said from the jump was doing things ‘uniquely Nashville.’ It’s not uncommon for a new team to come in and throw shiny toys at fans – be it big-name players or a new venue – to attract them. For us, it’s been real and honest. From the players on the field to how the club conducts our business in the community, I think people see it as a reflection of them. This team reflects the city of Nashville.”

Nashville hope GEODIS Park will be the host of some special days and nights for supporters.

“Whatever your sport or your team is, going to the stadium the team you support calls home is so important,” Ayre said. “We’re a new team, but to think in 10-20 years – maybe one year – that teams will have so many unique memories in our stadium. I’m 59, I think back across 50 years supporting Liverpool, almost all of my greatest memories are at Anfield. This is the biggest contributor.”

With the expansion ramp up in MLS in the league’s recent history – or even its entirety; 26 years is not a long time in the global scale of soccer – expansion projects may seem almost mundane to the hardcore fan.

MLS have added eight new clubs since 2016 and will add two more in the coming years. That is a lot of expansion drafts and new stadiums. But still, the idea of creating a club from thin air is extremely unique around the world. It is nonexistent for a top-flight club.

It’s the kind of opportunity that convinced Ayre to be part of it in the first place.

“The difference with this job than any other job, you almost always go in that you’re fixing something that was broken or needing a lift,” Ayre said. “Whereas here, it was about creating the whole thing and making it right.”

Ayre, a native of Liverpool, England, rose through the ranks in the game and most notably became CEO of Liverpool FC, the club he supported all his life. He was integral to the club hiring Jurgen Klopp, which laid the foundation to Liverpool’s hugely successful reign.

“I love it,” Ayre added. “I can’t look at any of this and go ‘that’s not my fault.’ It’s got my fingerprints all over it – obviously so many great people have done it too – but who gets to build the whole thing? Certainly in the country I grew up in, I don’t think anyone has started a soccer club in 150 years.”

Nashville SC are in their third season in MLS, quickly checking off various milestones along the way as the club, like the stadium, went from theory to reality.

“It’s a dream,” Jacobs said. “I look at a picture in my office from the Expansion Draft, for me, it was always the kind of thing I wanted to be a part of.”

“I’ve had the best time of my life,” Ayre added. “Literally, this is the best role I’ve ever had anywhere. For someone who grew up in Liverpool supporting them, working there was amazing, but this tops that.”