Hearts of Pine stadium a nice plan with plenty of questions to answer
A Hearts of Pine flag sits Tuesday at Cassidy Point in Portland, where the soccer club is hoping to build a new stadium that will serve as the home for its men’s and women’s teams. The club aims to begin construction in 2027 and open the stadium in early 2029. (Staff photo by Derek Davis) Purchase this image
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Right now, this new stadium the Hearts of Pine have planned for Cassidy Point is just a plan. A good plan, sure. A bold plan, absolutely. But just a plan.
If we know anything about plans, it’s that they change. Sometimes quickly, and sometimes abruptly.
The Hearts of Pine, Maine’s professional soccer club, outlined that plan Tuesday at Cassidy Point, in a cracked parking lot surrounded by concrete blocks next to the pile of coal that currently occupies what team officials see as a bustling soccer stadium. Artist renderings of what might be were on hand to jump start imaginations.
Multiple times throughout the press conference, a speaker had to pause while a plane made its descent into the jetport across the Fore River. The proposed stadium site sits directly in the path of the landing runway. Timing games to maximize air traffic could become a unique home field advantage.
Tuesday morning’s press conference, held where the Hearts of Pine hope there will be a soccer stadium in three years, was overflowing with excitement but lacking in answers. Team founder and chief community officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, president and chief business officer Kevin Schohl, and Jonathan Culley, one of the club’s founding partners, did their best to answer questions, but many questions simply do not have an answer yet. It was more of a pep rally than a thorough vetting of the stadium-building process that’s to come.
This early in the process, that’s fine. The trio gave assurances that answers to all the questions are coming. They didn’t come off as evasive. Rather, they were enthusiastic to share a plan that undoubtedly still needs a lot of ironing out.
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The big question, the one that had electronic tongues wagging in the comment section of the Press Herald’s story breaking news of the Hearts of Pine plan, is parking. Where are 9,000 to 11,000 fans expected to beach their cars to attend a game? If you live in the West End, it’s a short walk. If you’re one of the thousands who attend games from anywhere else, it’s a drive.
Right now, as the stadium site is all dream and industrial waterfront grime, the answer is being worked on. Suitable parking solutions will be found as the team works with the city, Cumberland County and the state. That’s one of those infrastructure issues that needs to be addressed as the plan moves forward. Right now, the area isn’t even zoned for a stadium. Resolve that, then attack parking.
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One commenter suggested slips where some game attendees can moor boats. That solution might depend on the tides, but at least it’s somebody searching for a solution rather than poo-pooing the idea altogether because the idea of parking, and traffic, seem daunting now.
The site has been used for fuel storage for decades. A heap of coal sits there now. How much, if any, pollution has leeched into the ground there? Answers will come with a thorough environmental review.
Will the larger stadium (the team projects a capacity between 9,000 and 11,000, while the team’s current home at Fitzpatrick Stadium holds around 6,000) capture the current raucous atmosphere a Hearts of Pine game brings? Well, that’s up to the fans, and unless the loyal fan base changes dramatically in the next few years, the atmosphere will move seamlessly into the new stadium. If the Hearts of Pine played in the Maine Mall parking lot, you can be sure the Dirigo Union Supporters Club and the Valentine Band would be there and be loud.
A rendering of the proposed new Hearts of Pine stadium at Cassidy Point in Portland. (Courtesy of SMRT Architects & Engineers)
What will the stadium look like? We don’t know, although artist renderings look sharp. Will it feature artificial turf like Fitzpatrick Stadium, or real grass? Hoffman-Johnson said that’s to be determined, but did point out a team playing in Portland is held to the whims of Mother Nature, especially early in the season when winter likes to overstay its welcome. For that reason alone artificial turf seems like a safe choice.
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Will getting tickets be easier in the larger venue? The waiting list for Hearts of Pine season tickets is approaching 8,000 names deep. A bigger stadium will put a dent in that list, but it certainly will not eliminate it. A larger stadium might lower ticket demand on the secondary market. A glance at Stub Hub on Tuesday afternoon revealed two tickets to Wednesday’s game against Connecticut United at Fitzpatrick Stadium could be had for $57 each, with more tickets in the $63 to $87 range.
To the Hearts of Pine’s credit, the team appears open to community input. It set up a spot on its website where fans can find information on the project. They also have an email address dedicated to feedback, [email protected].
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Big dreams require big action, and the Hearts of Pine aren’t inclined to wait around. They want input, and they also want to get moving so they can hit the target of the 2029 season to open their new home. Culley said the goal is to begin construction a year from now.
That mountain of coal on the site needs to go. Maybe it can be used to fuel the new stadium hype train. Even with a lot of questions left unanswered, that’s moving full speed ahead.
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Tagged: Hearts of Pine, Sports Columns, travis lazarczyk
Travis Lazarczyk has covered sports for the Portland Press Herald since 2021. A Vermont native, he graduated from the University of Maine in 1995 with a BA in English. After a few years working as a sports. More by Travis Lazarczyk
