Eric Murphy
Breese Stevens Field.
Breese Stevens Field could get new locker rooms, and 500-1,000 more seats before a women's pro soccer team begins play in future years.
Hundreds of new seats, new locker rooms, and a new playing surface are being eyed for Breese Stevens Field ahead of the launch of a women’s pro soccer team that would call the stadium home. City staff submitted a grant proposal asking for $4 million in assistance from the state to make the improvements, and would add $4 million in local matching funds.
At a May 8 meeting, the Board of Park Commissioners retroactively authorized the grant application, submitted Jan. 30 as a draft pending approval to Wisconsin’s Grants for Local Projects program, launched last November to fund construction projects with statewide benefit. The commission also authorized budget amendments for a local match that would, if the state grant is approved, provide $2 million from park impact fees and $2 million in general obligation borrowing, though staff is directed to seek TIF dollars first.
Commissioners asked questions of staff but did not speak for or against the resolution. Assistant parks superintendent CJ Ryan told commissioners that Breese Stevens “could use millions and millions and millions of dollars in improvements in order to really be the best that it could be. What we’ve identified as $8 million worth of improvements are what we think it would take in order to address many of the needs it has around maintenance and historic renovation.”
While the funding is not guaranteed and design work is yet to be completed, Ryan tells Isthmus that 500 to 1,000 additional new seats and new locker room facilities could be added to the eastern end of the stadium, where Forward Madison FC’s most die-hard supporters currently stand on bleachers during men’s soccer games. New field turf, repairs to other seating and restroom upgrades would also be funded as part of the proposal. Ryan says the field currently seats about 5,000 for athletic events.
Other improvements could include a green room and a more permanent stage for concerts. Big Top Events, which operates the venue, has an agreement with the city that allows it to host seven concerts per year; commissioners approved an expanded calendar of 10 concerts this summer.
During the public comment period, a handful of residents objected to public funds being used for the improvements and a lack of detail about how they will be spent.
“If the city can secure a $4 million grant from the state, I think that’s a good thing. However, this proposal raises a number of questions,” said Alex Saloutos. “This item should be referred because of the dearth of information on its use in the file. It’s not fair to the public, or the commissioners or staff, to make a short oral presentation on the use of $8 million for a project like this.”
When questioned by commissioners, Ryan said if the grant is awarded, the improvements themselves will go through their own future approval process involving multiple committees.
Asked about use of public funds for the project, Ryan tells Isthmus the city’s partnership with Big Top has increased use of Breese Stevens “so that it does not sit idle, and more people get to enjoy the space. Regardless of who operates the venue now or in the future, the funding will go to maintain and enhance the facility itself and benefit the residents of Madison.”
Conor Caloia, Big Top’s chief operating officer, says in an email that Big Top “has invested more than $2.5 million in capital improvements in our time at Breese, and we understand that future improvements would likely require additional investment.” He says the $8 million in funding wouldn’t cover all the improvements that are needed at the stadium.
Between 2017 and 2019, the city spent millions to make improvements to Breese Stevens including a concessions building, more seats and accessible restrooms. Forward Madison began playing games there in 2019.
Forward Madison’s ownership group secured franchise rights for a USL Super League team in 2023, contingent on further improvements to the stadium. The USL Super League will begin play this August with eight teams and is considered a Division One soccer league, on par with the National Women’s Soccer League. The earliest Madison’s team would join is fall 2025, after stadium improvements are completed.
