Lincoln’s new soccer team, Bugeaters FC, has found a home.
The upstart amateur soccer team will play its first season at the Lincoln Sports Complex, formerly known as the Abbott Sports Complex, according to the team’s owner, Jonathan Collura, and General Manager and former Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce Director Tim Pendrell.
The complex houses more than a dozen soccer fields. The Bugeaters will play at the stadium in the southwest corner of the complex, which seats about 2,500.
“Ultimately, we plan to launch an academy and additional teams at the Sports Complex,” Pendrell said. “It ticked all of the boxes and will allow us to expand the club and properly host matches. It just needs a little love.”
The facility is situated just north of Salt Creek, on the east side of North 70th Street south of Interstate 80 in Lincoln. An official announcement of the partnership is set for Tuesday.
The team plans to renovate the stadium, focusing on the playing surface.
“We’re going to put a lot of money into fixing it up and making it a good home for us,” Pendrell said.
The Lincoln Sports Complex plans to apply for a liquor license to sell beer at games, including a specialty brew being developed for the team.
The Bugeaters are expected to begin their inaugural season in the United Premier Soccer League in early March. The league schedule has not yet been released.
The team expects to reveal its 2018 jerseys at a launch event on Jan. 25 in Lincoln. Season ticket packages are on sale now on the team’s website, www.bugeatersfc.com.
