Energizer Park
In February 2016, Major League Soccer began searching for a downtown site to house a soccer-specific stadium. One of the locations surveyed had previously been intended for a stadium for the St. Louis Rams before the team moved back to Los Angeles. On February 17, an exploratory group of local businessmen calling itself MLS2STL formed with the goal of bringing an MLS franchise to St. Louis. Among its members were St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III and UniGroup President Jim Powers. The group also included Saint Louis FC owner Jim Kavanaugh and Dave Peacock, former president of Anheuser-Busch who had recently co-chaired the unsuccessful NFL stadium task force. On November 18, a proposal for a $200 million stadium was unveiled on land owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The land was the site of off-ramps from Interstate 64 that were the remnants of a North-South Distributor Highway that was never built. The proposal included a request for $80 million in public money, not counting potential additional land purchases. At the same time, the full prospective ownership group was also unveiled, led by Paul Edgerley, the former managing director of Bain Capital in Boston. Opposition grew quickly when Missouri governor-elect Eric Greitens came out against any public funding for the project on December 19. He called it nothing more than welfare for millionaires. Edgerley said that without public funding, it would be hard to get an expansion franchise in St. Louis. A competing prospective ownership group, Foundry St. Louis, offered to pay the $80 million public portion if they were allowed to join SC STL's bid for MLS expansion. By the end of January, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen revised the stadium bill with a public contribution reduced to $60 million. It was passed on February 3 after the 10-week statutory cutoff before the public vote. That approval came on February 9 when St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Michael Mullen issued a ruling allowing the city election board to add two funding measures to the city ballot. The stadium proposal was brought to a public vote on the 4th of April 2017 general municipal ballot where it was defeated 53 to 47 percent.
On the 9th of October 2018, the group MLS 4 The Lou announced a new proposal to build a soccer-specific stadium on the same land next to Union Station. The new ownership group was led by the Taylor family, founders of St. Louis based Enterprise Holdings, and Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of St. Louis based World Wide Technology. The Taylor family members forming the group would make the team majority-owned by women, the first in the league and one of few ownership groups majority-controlled by women in all of professional sports. Unlike previous proposals, the ownership group did not ask for any public funding for the stadium. The stadium would be privately funded and owned by the team, with upkeep funded by a tax on tickets and items sold at the stadium. Despite the lack of up-front public financing, the group did receive over $60 million in tax incentives from St. Louis. On the 20th of August 2019, MLS announced it had approved St. Louis as the league's 28th franchise with the team expected to join in the 2023 season. Construction on the stadium site began in February 2020 with the closure of the exit 39 and 38B ramps off I-64 that crossed the site. The proposal had widespread support from public officials including Missouri Governor Mike Parson and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. The bid met all of the criteria put forth by MLS including a solid financial backing and local government support.
On the 15th of February 2022, a fifteen-year partnership with Centene Corporation was announced renaming the stadium to Centene Stadium. The stadium was due to open in September 2022 with two scheduled matches featuring St. Louis City 2 but a power failure caused by an unrelated construction project forced the matches to be moved. On the 25th of October 2022, St. Louis City SC announced that the name was to be changed to CityPark. Centene backed out as the naming rights sponsor eight months after agreeing to the deal. The club announced that Centene would remain as a sponsor while searching for a new naming sponsor. The stadium opened on the 16th of November 2022 with a friendly match between St. Louis City 2 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga. Leverkusen won 3, 0. The first home MLS match for St. Louis City SC was played the 4th of March 2023 hosting Charlotte FC. The first MLS goal scored in the stadium was scored in the 25th minute for Charlotte by Enzo Copetti. The match ended in a 3, 1 win for St. Louis City SC with goals scored by Eduard Löwen and João Klauss for City SC. An own-goal was also scored by Charlotte's Bill Tuiloma.
The stadium's naming rights were initially acquired by healthcare company Centene Corporation in 2022. It was known as Centene Stadium until Centene rescinded its naming rights agreement later that year. The club announced CityPark as the stadium's new name. On the 31st of October 2024, St. Louis City SC announced that CityPark will be renamed Energizer Park starting in 2025. Energizer, a St. Louis-based company that manufactures batteries, signed a naming rights agreement for an undisclosed fee and length of time. Along with the naming rights, the club announced a new premium seating section presented by Energizer to deliver an immersive fan experience. The sequence shows how corporate partnerships shifted rapidly from public funding debates to private ownership and then through multiple rebranding efforts within just three years.
The stadium features a grass pitch below street level surrounded by two tiers of seating totaling 22,423 seats. There is the ability to add an additional 2,500 seats if needed. A clear plastic awning tops the structure to keep out weather while keeping in crowd noise and avoiding disrupting shadows on the pitch. Every seat is within 165 feet of the pitch making it the closest of any stadium in Major League Soccer. The stadium contains a supporters' section with space for more than 3,000 standing spectators. It includes three capo stands and a long integrated tifo rigging system. A drum platform exists for drum corps during matches alongside a dedicated supporters bar. The design prioritizes proximity between fans and players while maintaining acoustic energy inside the bowl.
The stadium is built within historic Mill Creek Valley, a once-thriving Black neighborhood that was displaced through eminent domain and urban renewal in the late 1950s. Outside the stadium entrance, the Pillars of the Valley monument by Damon Davis memorializes the neighborhood and past residents. This location carries deep historical weight as the site of off-ramps from Interstate 64 that were remnants of a North-South Distributor Highway never built. The area had been cleared decades before the soccer stadium project began. The physical presence of the stadium now sits directly atop land where a vibrant community once existed. The memorial serves as a constant reminder of the displacement that occurred to make way for modern infrastructure projects including this venue.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was Energizer Park officially renamed from CityPark?
St. Louis City SC announced that the stadium would be renamed to Energizer Park on the 31st of October 2024, with the new name taking effect in 2025.
Who owns the majority stake in the team playing at Energizer Park?
The Taylor family, founders of Enterprise Holdings, leads the ownership group and makes the team majority-owned by women.
What is the seating capacity of Energizer Park including potential expansion seats?
Energizer Park features a total of 22,423 seats with the ability to add an additional 2,500 seats if needed.
Where is the land for Energizer Park located historically?
The stadium sits within historic Mill Creek Valley, which was once a thriving Black neighborhood displaced through eminent domain and urban renewal in the late 1950s.
How far are all seats from the pitch at Energizer Park compared to other MLS stadiums?
Every seat is within 165 feet of the pitch making it the closest of any stadium in Major League Soccer.