KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Thursday night marked the first step in possibly bringing the Tennessee Smokies back to Knoxville.
“If everything goes according to plan, we’d hope to say ‘play ball’ in April of 2023,” Randy Boyd said.
Knoxville City Council and Knox County Commission members held a joint workshop about a new stadium proposal that would be in downtown Knoxville.
The estimated cost for a stadium in downtown Knoxville is currently around $65 million.
However, Randy Boyd, Tennessee Smokies owner, has pledged to donate the land for the property and a $140 million private development investment. That would include work for living spaces and other amenities around the facility.
You can watch Thursday’s workshop in its entirety below:
The multi-use stadium would be the home of the Double A Smokies baseball team as well as other activities for the community, including concerts, a farmers market, and other events.
Randy Boyd spoke with WATE 6 On Your Side ahead of Thursday’s meeting, and mentioned the possibility of also having a soccer team at the new stadium.
“There’s definitely a potential for soccer,” Boyd said. “We are going to design the stadium and the park so that it could accommodate soccer. That would be up to somebody else that’s interested in investing to bring a team to town to do that. We would be eager to partner with somebody that would like to bring a soccer team to Knoxville.”
Thursday’s meeting was just the first of what’s expected to be many meetings in the future.
You can watch Boyd’s interview with WATE 6 On Your Side below:
WATE 6 On Your Side will continue to follow updates on the project as they become available.
