Ever since Sacramento Republic FC became a professional soccer team in 2014, club leaders have pushed for a downtown stadium they hoped would help secure the team's Major League Soccer status. Today, that vision moved closer to reality as developers broke ground on a new 12,000-seat stadium and entertainment district in the Downtown Railyards.
The development is starting even as a one-year pause in city financing continues to hang over the project. Earlier this summer, Unite Here Local 49, a union that represents stadium workers, gathered enough signatures from residents to trigger a pause in the city's expansion of a $92 million Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District. The plan would have reimbursed developers for sidewalks, sewers and other infrastructure using future city tax revenue.
Unite Here Local 49 leaders said the plans for the development only included a 6 percent affordable housing promise and the city should have called for more.
Aamir Deen with Local Unite Here 49 said their concern has always been about housing, not the stadium itself.
“We’re really glad for the Republic, for the fans, for Sacramento, for the tribe that the stadium is going forward. Our opposition’s always been about the housing issue.”
Deen said most members would not have been able to afford living in the market-rate apartments planned for the district.
“The housing units in the Railyards are way out of reach for 95% of our members,” Deen said. “They would have a very difficult time paying rent. Most people in Sacramento would also. Those were going to be luxury apartment units.”
Deen added that the union has been unfairly portrayed.
“There was an attempt to paint this picture that we were anti-Republic or anti-stadium, but that’s not the case,” he said.
Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, who represents the Railyards district, said the petition added costs and didn’t create new housing.
“We were about to issue bonds to start reimbursing for the infrastructure work,” Pluckebaum said. “The unions challenged the formation of the EIFD [Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District] … ostensibly to try and get more affordable housing. No, not one more affordable housing unit can or will be provided as a result of this challenge. All we did was delay the reimbursement for sidewalks and sewers.”
Pluckebaum added that the city chose to wait out the one-year pause rather than fight the challenge in court. He said the approach ensures the project can still move forward while avoiding more back and forth.
Mayor Kevin McCarty and Republic FC President Todd Dunivant at the team’s stadium groundbreaking in the Railyards, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadioMayor Kevin McCarty said the financing delay won’t stop construction crews from getting started and the city can arrange a new financing deal after the year-long pause.
“There’s a financing district on some of the outside areas which could happen in a year, but in the meantime, the construction can begin,” McCarty said. “We have an existing approval for this project and all systems are a go. So, you’re going to have hundreds of construction workers here this summer getting the stadium built for the 2027 season.”
For Wilton Rancheria, the stadium represents more than just a new sports venue. The tribe, which last year became the first Native American tribe to hold majority ownership of a professional sports team, is building on land that once belonged to its ancestors.
The groundbreaking carried added meaning, members of the Wilton Rancheria Tribe said at the event. The groundbreaking fell exactly 67 years after Congress passed the Rancheria Act, which stripped tribes like Wilton Rancheria of their federal recognition and land.
“Today is a day of celebration, but also reflection,” Chairman Jesus Tarango said. “Sixty-seven years ago, Congress passed the Rancheria Act to erase our existence. They failed. We are still here and more determined than ever. Now we continue that investment by building something that will belong not only to the tribe, but to Sacramento forever.”
A new hub for soccer, jobs and nightlife
The project is more than just a stadium. McCarty said the larger entertainment district will provide jobs and become a downtown gathering space.
“I want people to say, ‘Hey, what are we doing this weekend? Let’s go to the Railyard. Let’s go to a soccer match. Let’s go to Live Nation and see a concert. Let’s go have dinner down there. Let’s go see the riverfront,” McCarty said. “It’s a big job center… restaurants, nightlife. This is going to be the happening spot."
(From Left to Right) Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango, Mayor Kevin McCarty and Chris Franklin, of the Wilton Rancheria, at the Republic FC stadium groundbreaking in the Railyards, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant said public support for the project has been overwhelming, pointing to years of consistent political backing from the city.
“Public perception is through the roof,” Dunivant said. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a more politically popular thing than our stadium site. I think that’s why we’ve never lost a city council vote, not a single vote from a single member.”
Dunivant also noted that demand from fans has been strong well before construction began.
“Already before we even announced the site, people somehow found the site and were already putting down deposits,” Dunivant said.
Deposits for 2027 season tickets start at $9.16, with each including a contribution toward building new community mini-soccer pitches.
Republic FC midfielder Justin Portillo said he is eager for it to be built and to play on the pitch.
“As a player, it’s something about just playing in a stadium and seeing the support from all the fans, which I know will definitely show up every game,” Portillo said. “That atmosphere just brings it out more and makes you run even harder. I think this is a great location for it as well.”
The new Republic stadium is scheduled to open in 2027, with room to expand to 20,000 seats and host concerts, festivals and other community events as part of the Railyards entertainment district.
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