News

With 2013 North American Soccer League action about four months away, Minnesota Stars FC announced Tuesday its venue plans for the upcoming season. Stars FC will split time between two venues, beginning the season indoors during Minnesota’s unpredictable spring weather before moving outdoors.

Just as it did in 2012, Stars FC will open its home schedule in downtown Minneapolis at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Unlike 2012, when the club opened in front of nearly 9,000 fans at the Dome, its  downtown stay will be an extended one. Instead of one game at the H.H.H. Metrodome, the team will play the first four home games of the 2013 season in Minneapolis before returning to NSC Stadium on the campus of the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. for the remainder of the NASL’s opening Spring Championship. The club will play the entirety of the Fall Championship outdoors at NSC Stadium.

Exact dates at each venue will not be known until the NASL releases its complete schedule in early 2013.
“We wish to continue to expand our place in the Twin Cities’ sporting consciousness, and we believe the Metrodome is an ideal location to do that,” Stars FC CEO Djorn Buchholz said. “Our 2012 Dome Opener was an exciting event that we feel helped set the stage for a successful season. We believe that the visibility and accessibility of downtown will help us grow our fanbase early in the season during Minnesota’s unpredictable spring before we return to our traditional home outdoors at NSC Stadium.”

NSC Stadium will also be the home of any home games in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and any friendly matches during the July window between the NASL’s Spring and Fall championships. NSC Stadium will also likely host the Soccer Bowl Championship Game if the Stars win the Spring Championship and the Soccer Bowl hosting rights that come with it.

The club is continuing to finalize details for 2013 season ticket packages, which will be available for sale before the New Year.