At its meeting on February 28, the Los Angeles City Council voted to uphold the approval of a future stadium for USC women’s soccer and lacrosse, denying an appeal which sought to block the project's construction.

Rawlinson Stadium, announced in June 2023, would expand upon the existing Soni McAlister Field at 3000 S. Hoover Street, where both the soccer and lacrosse teams already play. The roughly $38-million project would be a three-story structure with capacity for nearly 2,500 occupants, as well as features such as a press box, a box office, concession stands, an entry plaza, and an LED video screen. Inside the building, plans call for dedicated locker rooms for both the soccer and lacrosse teams,  as well as meeting rooms and facilities for sports medicine.

Aerial view of Rawlinson StadiumUSC Athletics

Soni McAlister Field, open since 1998, has capacity for roughly 1,000 spectators. At the time Rawlinson Stadium was announced, it was noted that the USC women’s soccer team has won two national championships and the women’s lacrosse team has been to five NCAA tournaments.

Crawford is designing the facility, per a landing page on the firm's website.

When the project was announced, it was expected that construction would begin in 2023, with the facility slated to open by 2025.

Future site of Rawlinson Stadium - Soni McAlister Field, Google Maps

Subsequently, a wrench was thrown into that timeline due to the appeal by USC Forward, which describes itself as "a broad coalition of students, community organizations, and union members (including SEIU Local 721)." They argued that the project should be set aside until USC can conduct additional environmental review to account for its " unabated student growth."

A staff report, finding no evidence to support the appeal, recommended denial.

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