For anyone hoping to get along and see Lionel Messi playing football at Miami Freedom Park Stadium, the club dealt a serious blow recently when it was confirmed that the move to the new ground has been delayed by another year. The original plan was to get into the new venue for the 2025 campaign, but it was revealed at the end of July that the club is now targeting the following year as the one that Inter Miami will be moving home.
It means that 2025 will be spent at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, which is less than ideal for supporters that were looking to watch the Spanish star in the club’s new venue.
Inter Miami’s Current Home
When it was confirmed that a new expansion franchise could be placed in Miami, David Beckham and a group of investors decided to get involved. It was officially granted to the Miami Beckham United Group in the January of 2018, with the aim of the new club’s first match taking place in 2020. Obviously a football stadium was needed for the club to play its games in, with the site of the former Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale being chosen.
The 21,550-seat ground opened on the 18th of July 2020 but it was never intended to be the club’s long-term home. Instead it would be the club’s training ground.
Miami Beckham United is proud to share its vision for the new Lockhart Stadium Community Park and future home to Inter Miami’s professional training facilities. pic.twitter.com/93ELM2lBFg
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 1, 2019
There was also a plan for a future USL League One team called Fort Lauderdale CF to play at the stadium, with Inter Miami granted a 50-year lease as a result. The first game played at what would become known as the Chase Stadium was a 3-2 win over the club’s in-state rival Orlando City SC.
The problem for many, though, was the fact that the stadium wasn’t big enough. There was also the slight problem of the club’s expansion agreement saying that a new stadium had to be built in Miami, which the re-development of Lockhart Stadium wouldn’t count as. The ground should’ve been a temporary home but is looking more like a permanent one.
Moving to the New Ground
In the spring of 2022, the city of Miami gave final approval for a new stadium to be built on the site of the Melreese Golf Club, close to Miami International Airport. It came after numerous different locations had been considered, including PortMiami, Museum Park and Little Havana. Freedom Park was chosen in the July of 2018, with the mixed-use venue initially planned to open in 2022.
In the August of 2019, however, it was confirmed that soil contamination was worse than initially though, delaying the possible opening date. When the Miami City Council voted to give Inter Miami a 99-year lease on the ground in 2022, the aim was to open it in 2025.
@fivepointsvids InterMiami FC set to get a new Stadium
Now it has emerged that the opening of the stadium will be delayed yet again. When the club emailed supporters regarding the renewal of their season tickets for the 2025 campaign, it was said that the season would be the club’s ‘final’ in Fort Lauderdale. The email said, “The 2025 Season is expected to be our FINAL season here at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale before moving to the new stadium in Miami.
We Look forward to having you sign and cheering along as we continue our playoff push! Inter Miami will provide season ticket holders who choose to renew the membership “priority access to the inaugural season at Miami Freedom Park.”
Will Messi Play There?
The only question that many Inter Miami supporters are asking is whether or not Lionel Messi will get to play at Freedom Park. Sports betting fans probably wouldn’t stake any money on it, considering the fact that the Argentinian is only contracted with the club until 2025.
There is reportedly an extension option for move that the 2026, though, with many believing that he’ll want to play until the next World Cup, which is obviously due to be hosted by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.