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Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada 

Sports and Recreational Facilities

Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada 

With 30,105 seats, GEODIS Park’s design reflects both the industrial and residential histories of its neighborhood.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | January 24, 2023
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada. Photo: Tom Harris 
Photo: Tom Harris

At 30,105 seats and 530,000 sf, GEODIS Park, which opened in 2022, is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada. Created by design firms Populous and HASTINGS in collaboration with the Metro Nashville Sports Authority, GEODIS Park serves as the home of the Nashville Soccer Club as well as a venue for performances and events.

One mile south of downtown Nashville, GEODIS Park is located in Wedgewood-Houston, a neighborhood with former industrial factories alongside single-family homes. The stadium’s design reflects that history—with both the industrial scale of its high canopy structure and the residential scale of its brick-clad ground-level structures surrounding the concourse. 

The open-air venue is protected by a 360-degree canopy. There are just 150 feet of distance between the touchline and the last row of seats, while a dedicated 3,150-sf safe standing supporters’ section provides the closest-possible sightlines to the pitch. A 65-foot-wide shared concourse features a variety of local concessions. 

Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris

With 65,000-sf of open space surrounding the stadium’s footprint, the venue can be used year round by the community. This area includes a 17,000-sf park with an exterior-facing video board to host away game watch parties as well as community events. Situated within the Nashville Fairgrounds, the concert-ready venue has a capacity of 27,000.

GEODIS Park also offers three clubs: a luxury club experience, another club with a Nashville music-centric theme, and a third that has the feel of a classic sports bar with several televisions.

On the building team:
Owner: Metro Nashville Sports Authority
Owner’s representative: CAA ICON
Design architect: HASTINGS
Architect of record and design architect: Populous
MEP engineer: ME Engineers / DFH Services
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore / Logan Patri Engineering
Construction manager: Mortenson / Messer

Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Park Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Park Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris
Nashville boasts the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada - GEODIS Park Photo: Tom Harris
Photo: Tom Harris

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