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Sports Business Expert and Director of the Sports Business Program at Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Patrick Rishe, provides insight on the behind-the-scenes that keeps sports running and thriving, covering topics ranging from ticketing to corporate partnerships. Ready for some suite talk?

MarketScale

Sports & Entertainment
Suite Talk: The Business Behind Sports

St. Louis CITY SC Expands Pro Soccer

February 22, 2023
CITYPARK
major league soccer
Patrick Rishe
soccer
+more
Patrick Rishe

Missouri soccer fans have reason to celebrate as St. Louis CITY SC kicks off its expansion year season. And St. Louis is doing it in style with its beautiful, state-of-the-art open-air stadium, CITYPARK. This brand-new facility boasts 22,500 seats, all within 120 feet of the pitch, with the closest seats a mere 15 feet from the touchline. A short walk away from CITYPARK’s central Downtown West location is Gateway Arch and Forest Park.

One person who can’t wait for the St. Louis CITY SC home opener on March 4th is season ticket holder Patrick Rishe, host of Suite Talk: The Business Behind Sports. He recently got a tour of CITYPARK, further increasing his enthusiasm for the upcoming season.

“This is a truly unique story here in St. Louis,” Rishe said. “Not only do you have a female-led ownership group, one of the only ones in major league soccer and all professional sports, but you also have a situation where you have a fantastic ownership group. You have fan support, corporate partnership support that is truly off the charts in this community.”

As for the facility itself? To sum it up in one word: impressive. “The venue, the facility, the entire imprint is all in one physical compound,” Rishe said. “The main pitch, the practice pitch is across the street, the team headquarters, the team performance center, and the merchandise store are all in one physical imprint; the only team in major league soccer that can claim that.”

Article by James Kent

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