‘Big on doing things right.’ What will game-day experience be like for Lexington SC?
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Pro soccer in Central Kentucky: A guide to Lexington Sporting Club’s inaugural season
Click below to read more coverage from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com, including player bios, a look at LSC’s opposition in USL League One, the 2023 schedule, a history of pro sports in Lexington, and more.
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Lexington Sporting Club’s first ever home match is just days away.
LSC will host Forward Madison FC at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8 at Toyota Stadium near the campus of Georgetown College in Georgetown.
In February, Lexington SC announced Toyota Stadium would be used as the team’s home venue for the 2023 season while the club continues progress toward establishing a permanent home stadium.
LSC’s first three professional matches — two in USL League One and one in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Louisville City FC — are all on the road.
What can fans expect from the club’s home debut in terms of the match day atmosphere and experience?
“It might be a temporary venue, but when you walk in that’s not what you’re going to feel, that’s not what you’re going to notice,” Lauren Schuster, Lexington SC’s fan and community engagement manager, told the Herald-Leader. “Just making sure we build that experience, where every fan of every age, every race, every background, can come in and enjoy it.”
Schuster has a significant background in sports marketing in the commonwealth: She previously worked as the marketing and community engagement coordinator for both Louisville City and Racing Louisville FC, which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Schuster stressed the importance of LSC staying true to “Lexington culture” when implementing game-day traditions and other fan engagement opportunities during the club’s debut season.
“We have some good stuff going on behind the scenes as far as some different promotional nights and theme nights that we want to put on this year,” Schuster said. “Some different giveaways and exciting contests that we want our fans to be a part of. Just making sure that we’re interacting with our fans.”
Schuster was at Racing Louisville for that team’s debut season in 2021, but said she senses a more exciting buzz around the establishment of Lexington Sporting Club and the club’s upcoming home debut.
“From the beginning with this club, the fans have really gotten to be a part of it. They’ve had town hall meetings about the crest and the colors and what the vibe is before I got here,” Schuster said. “So kind of walking into, ‘OK, here’s our big idea. How do we narrow that down?’”
Lexington Sporting Club to play in Georgetown
The fact that LSC is using Toyota Stadium in Georgetown — a 5,000-seat stadium that is currently having new artificial turf installed — as its temporary home venue led the club to take steps to make sure the stadium feels as much like a home field as it can.
“We’ve got the merchandise store there that’s already set up on the campus that they’re going to allow us to use. We’ve got signage and branding that they’re going to allow us to take over until their seasons start,” Schuster said. “I think once our fans get there, they’re going to say, ’OK, we might be playing at Georgetown College, but nothing about this says this is Georgetown College athletics.’ This is Lexington Sporting Club, at least for the season being and then once Georgetown sports start and whatnot it’ll look a little different.”
“It is year one. We are in a temporary venue. Let’s see what we can work out now and see what sticks and then develop later on in the process,” Schuster added. “We’re really big on doing things right and not right now.”
A significant part of this distinct look figures to come from The Railbirds, an LSC supporters group that was co-founded by Alan Clark, Jon Lunsford, Jesus Robles and Sam Spencer.
The group’s designated location at Toyota Stadium is a grass hill behind one of the goals.
“I hope people want to join us, (that) they want to get involved with us singing and drumming because we really need people to help us,” Robles said. “‘Wow, those guys at the game, they never stopped singing. ... They’re pretty passionate. I would like to be in that section.’ That’s what I would like to see.”
“We need a village,” Robles added. “We have people who are interested and want to help us, but we need people to show up. Come out to a game or to a meeting and get to know us. Let’s form a plan, form an idea, and let’s just try to make something happen.”
While excitement exists about LSC’s first season and upcoming home debut, that doesn’t mean the process has been without growing pains.
Robles described initial frustration at a lack of communication between the club and The Railbirds, although he said that’s improved in recent weeks.
There was also frustration among fans about season ticket prices, Robles said.
On the Lexington Sporting Club website, season-ticket prices range from $240 to $720. Season ticket prices for the supporters section aren’t listed.
How to get tickets
Visit LexSporting.com/tickets for a full range of choices and to place orders for home games.
Season tickets: Prices range from $240-$720 for the entire 16-game home schedule, depending on seating location.
Game day walk-up tickets: $22 to $65
Supporters section tickets: Email lschuster@lexsporting.com for details
This story was originally published March 30, 2023 at 11:42 AM.
