Raleigh, N.C. – When North Carolina FC submitted its initial request for Wake County’s Room Occupancy and Prepared Food and Beverage Tax funding in early January, the report stated that the preferred location for its proposed soccer stadium and retail complex remained the state-owned Halifax Mall site on the north end of downtown Raleigh.

When North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik stood before a work group considering requests for these interlocal funds last Thursday, he decided to add more definition and clarity. Malik informed the interagency group that Raleigh developer John Kane and his Kane Realty Corp, Malik’s partner in the proposed Downtown and Entertainment Sports Center, has secured 40 acres in southeast Raleigh for a multi-use facility to be anchored by a soccer stadium.

“You’re going to see every new stadium going into an Opportunity Zone, and a lot of people don’t know what they are yet,” Malik says. Once touted as a MLS stadium first, Malik now underscores the multi-use function of this retail and sports complex. Malik cites the NCFC Youth tournaments series, which book 31,000 hotel rooms a year. Malik says his North Carolina FC and NC Courage teams will be the anchor tenants for the stadium portion of the DESC, under a lease that matches the term of the financial commitment.