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February 12, 2025

Study: Planned Bridgeport soccer stadium could generate up to $3.4B in economic output

Courtesy photo An early rendering of the proposed soccer stadium in Bridgeport.
By Harriet Jones

The Connecticut Sports Group, a company looking to develop a professional soccer stadium in Bridgeport, has commissioned an economic impact study from the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis.

The report projects that the most ambitious iteration of the $1.6 billion waterfront development anchored by the stadium will generate $3.4 billion in economic output and sustain 1,300 new permanent jobs annually until 2050.

The study analyzed two scenarios—one with a 10,000-person capacity stadium for Connecticut’s MLS Next Pro team CT United, and another with a full-scale 22,000 capacity MLS stadium anchoring the waterfront development. 

The smaller stadium is estimated in the study to generate $2.2 billion in economic impact and 700 jobs annually.

Besides the stadium, the development proposes 1,005 apartments, a hotel and conference center, 68,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and a riverwalk and park with improved pedestrian access.

“Development partners and investors have made it clear the stadium is a must-have to trigger their investment in the housing and hotel, both desperately needed in Bridgeport,” said André Swanston, a partner of Connecticut Sports Group, in announcing the impact study.

Connecticut Sports Group owns the new Connecticut United Football Club, for which the stadium will provide a home. In 2024, CT United FC was announced as the newest team in MLS Next Pro, a professional men’s soccer league in the tier below Major League Soccer.

Entrepreneur Swanston announced his ambition to own a soccer club in the wake of his successful multimillion-dollar sale of tech company Tru Optik in 2020.

“This development will serve as a cornerstone for the Bridgeport region’s resurgence,” said Dan Onofrio, president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. “It is designed to generate sustained economic benefits, attract investment, and create a thriving community hub.”

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