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New Mexico United has long had its sights on its own stadium.

That gaze has now moved away from Balloon Fiesta Park and onto the 鈥� should the soccer club secure the bid to be the primary tenant for the venue at the fairgrounds鈥� proposed redevelopment. Groundbreaking is expected this year and the new stadium completed possibly as early as 2028.

鈥淚f we win the bid, (the fairgrounds are) our first choice right now just because the other one is still in court and we鈥檙e just waiting,鈥� United President Ron Patel said Friday. 鈥淭he court case is between the city and the neighbors, the 11 households. It鈥檚 been tied up for three years and I don鈥檛 see the case being settled before the end of this year.鈥�

Balloon Fiesta Park was initially selected in 2023, two years after a Downtown stadium proposal 鈥� funded publicly 鈥� was overwhelmingly rejected by voters. Plans for the Balloon Fiesta site called for the 8,000- to 10,000-seat stadium to take up 7 acres east of the Sid Cutter Pilot鈥檚 Pavilion, with United privately funding the $30 million facility. The state, however, allocated nearly $14 million to improve the park鈥檚 infrastructure.  

The project was approved by the city鈥檚 Environmental Planning Commission in April 2024, and in February 2025, the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 City Council approved the sale of a $30 million bond for the stadium. 

But three nearby neighborhood associations filed a lawsuit over potential light and noise pollution and the impact on local traffic. The suit is in the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

鈥淚鈥檝e been to many a community meetings, gone to Starbucks with all the neighbors, trying to show them that we have good intentions,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to ruin anyone鈥檚 day, we鈥檙e just trying to improve our state.鈥�

Now, it appears United will try to do that at the State Fairgrounds.

In March, state and local leaders on the State Fairgrounds District Board 鈥� including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Mayor Tim Keller 鈥� voted 6-1 to build a sports stadium and mixed-income housing on the site鈥檚 southwest corner apart from Tingley Coliseum. With it, the approval to spend $114 million in legislative appropriations once the fiscal year begins in July. 

The project will be broken up into phases with the first for infrastructure and retail space.

Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa was the lone dissenting vote. Her district encompasses the State Fairgrounds. 

鈥淲hat I like about (the site) is it鈥檚 more on brand than anything I鈥檝e seen since the site we looked at back in 2020,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an area of town that needs TLC. None of the development works without an anchor, right? We can be that anchor that brings people to the area and that generates that revenue for that district that then spawns the housing and all the other stuff. So to me, I like it best because we can have a positive impact on the area.鈥�

Patel sees the positive impact as not only happening through sporting events 鈥� United matches and different high school games from soccer to football to lacrosse and rugby 鈥� but also food festivals, concerts and private festivities. It would be a way to build on the various community outreach United does in the International District, Patel said.

In short, the vision is to make the stadium and surrounding area a communal place that can be enjoyed on more than just United match days.

How quickly that can happen goes back to the bidding process to be the primary tenant, one of the requirements set forth by the USL, the league United plays in, for its clubs to have in place by 2026. United, which has subleased Isotopes Park from the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Isotopes since its first season in 2019, was given an extension by the USL. Another requirement is for a venue to have a 5,000-seat capacity. 

The total cost and size of the stadium have not been announced. But Patel said United is committed to contributing $30 million in private capital toward the project.

Since United is not in charge of building the stadium, the club is not in charge of setting the timeline for its construction. But Patel said once United is notified, it will be ready to do so. 

鈥淲e do know that they want to try to break ground on this project this year,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淪o to do that, they would have to get the timeline pretty quickly here so they could start doting their 鈥榠鈥檚鈥� and crossing their 鈥榯鈥檚鈥� because they鈥檒l have to decide how the stadium comes forward and who鈥檚 operating it and then get a plan, and get drawings done.鈥�

The soonest a stadium could be completed is 2028.

鈥淭hat would be my target,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淲hether that can happen, we鈥檒l see.鈥�

And if this latest plan doesn鈥檛 work? United would go to Plan B 鈥� waiting to see how the Balloon Fiesta Park lawsuit plays out.

After that?

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if there is (another plan),鈥� Patel said.

It鈥檚 why those sights are set on the New Mexico State Fairgrounds.

鈥淐onstantly staying on someone else鈥檚 couch, you feel like you鈥檙e a nuisance sometimes, even though the Isotopes are great hosts,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淏ut after a while, you feel like you might be overstaying your welcome. So, I think it鈥檚 just a great place to be able to tell the story of New Mexico better out of our own house and be able to kind of set our own boundaries, and write our own story. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 proven that if sports teams don鈥檛 have their own place, they don鈥檛 last, they don鈥檛 survive. And we know that鈥檚 a potential scenario if we don鈥檛 get our own facility.鈥�

David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X .