The Los Angeles Football Club, the Southland’s new Major League Soccer franchise, will build a nearly $30 million training facility and club headquarters on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles under an agreement approved Wednesday by the California State University Board of Trustees.
According to the club, the project will include a renovation of the university’s stadium field and construction of the training facility.
“Cal State LA is the perfect home for our team, and this plan affirms our commitment to building our future with the youth of Los Angeles,” LAFC Club President/Owner Tom Penn said. “We look forward to developing world-class players and talent for decades to come at Cal State LA, which has a history of elevating the communities it serves.”
The training facility will include a natural-gas practice field that will mirror the one at under-construction Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park, where the team will play its home games, according to the team. It will also include locker rooms, sports medicine facilities and office space for coaches and staff. The club will completely fund the project.
“This project will create a great deal of excitement on our campus and will connect Cal State LA to partners who share a commitment to our students,” said CSULA President William Covino. “The benefits of this partnership to Cal State LA and the region we serve will surely multiply over time.”
Construction on the training facility is expected to begin in September and be completed by May. The 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium is also expected to be completed next year, when the team will begin play.
— City News Service