In a press conference Thursday afternoon, CHI Memorial Hospital announced the naming of the first professional soccer stadium to open in the state of Tennessee.
CHI Memorial Stadium will host the Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club, the Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves, occasional various professional men’s and women’s exhibition games, USL League Two Dalton Red Wolves and college national championships. The stadium will also host year round non-sporting events such as festivals, concerts, family friendly activities and community gatherings.
“We are excited to be able to contribute not only to the appreciation and growth of soccer, but to the community as a whole,” said Janelle Reilly, CEO of CHI Memorial Hospital. “We’ve been fans of this project since its inception and are excited to take our dedication to health and wellness to the next level through this new partnership.”
The 5,500-seat CHI Memorial Stadium will be a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific facility including sky suites, concessions, merchandise, staff offices, locker rooms and space for the team to meet. The player area will include five locker rooms, film room, satellite gym, physical therapy and recovery room, coaching offices and a dining hall for players.
“CHI Memorial is a great fit for this partnership,” said stadium developer and Chattanooga Red Wolves owner Bob Martino. “They share our values and vision for the area and consistently demonstrate a philanthropic commitment to bringing people together and building community. It has been important to us to privately fund the stadium so public funding can go towards supporting public schools and city infrastructure. Major partnerships like this make that possible. We look forward to joining their mission of encouraging a stronger, more connected community.”
CHI Memorial Stadium will serve as the anchor of the $125 million surrounding development, spurring over one thousand new jobs and millions of dollars of investment into the development and Hamilton County as a whole. Since the original stadium announcement, Top Golf, Champy’s Chicken, and Jonathan’s Grill have announced investments in the surrounding areas. When the development is complete, the economic halo effect is expected to generate between $6 to $7 million in tax revenue each year.
“This partnership continues to elevate the single largest private investment and economic boost in the history of East Ridge,” said East Ridge Mayor Brian Williams. “We very much appreciate their decision to invest not only in East Ridge, but Hamilton County and the state of Tennessee. Their decision has inspired other local and national companies to choose East Ridge for future investments all while utilizing private funds to do so. Today, we thank them for their shared vision and leadership.”
On top of economic growth, CHI Memorial Stadium will serve as a spark in turning the area into a sports tourism epicenter.
“This innovative regional venue and Chattanooga Red Wolves professional soccer team have already provided the opportunity to pursue multiple new sporting events that will drive incremental community benefits through sports tourism,” said Tim Morgan, president of Chattanooga Sports Committee, a division of the Chattanooga Visitors Bureau.
CHI Memorial Stadium is expected to host games for the Chattanooga Red Wolves’ upcoming second season in USL League One. The naming rights deal marks a massive step forward for the development which will ultimately include hotels, restaurants, bars, retail, condos, apartments, office space and a convention center.
About CHI Memorial Hospital
CHI Memorial is a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to the healing ministry of the Church. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and strengthened as part of Catholic Health Initiatives, it offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer and cardiac care, orthopedic and rehabilitation services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with 3,500 associates and more than 600 affiliated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia and Northwest Alabama. To learn more, visit www.memorial.org.
About Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Founded in 2018, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC is a professional soccer club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The USL League One founding member is led by business executive Robert Martino and President Sean McDaniel. The club is constructing a state-of-the-art 5,500-seat soccer-specific stadium in Chattanooga for the 2020 season. For more information, visit https://www.chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com/.
