As Memphis 901 faced their future at the end of the USL’s 2024 season, they came to a disappointing conclusion: continuing to operate without a clear path toward a stadium wasn’t feasible.
Consider Memphis’ conundrum. The club had announced plans for a $52 million, 8,000-seat venue and expected the State of Tennessee to foot much of the bill. Instead, legislators committed $350 million to upgrades for the Memphis Grizzlies, the University of Memphis, and the minor league Memphis Redbirds – nothing for 901.
901 shared built-for-baseball AutoZone Park with the Redbirds throughout their existence, but paying a hefty rental fee to play on a torn-up diamond was never profitable. Before folding, the club considered moving to the University of Memphis’ 60,000-seat football stadium (too cavernous and expensive) and 2,500-seat soccer complex (not adherent with USSF regulations, smaller than the club’s attendance average) and decided that neither option was tenable.
