JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Armada has been in the community for years, and the team was supposed to have a new stadium built and opened on the Eastside this year — so far, it’s still not there.
Last year, the previous owner sold the team to a local attorney and businessman.
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Renderings of the new Armada stadium show a site where thousands of soccer fans would cheer on their local team, but the groundbreaking has been pushed back multiple times.
The last deadline for the stadium opening was for Spring 2026.
Back in 2024, we talked with Armada’s team president and general manager, Nathan Walter, who has been looking forward to the opening, but it’s been delayed.
The team’s stadium will be built on the Eastside, in a historic community that is less than a mile from the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium. The new stadium will bring life to a corner that has been a series of vacant lots and a place for tailgating during football season.
Community leaders like Suzanne Pickett, President/CEO of Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, have been looking forward to it too. I asked her how it felt not seeing the stadium - just yet.
“We’ve had several questions and follow up questions from the community about the stadium if it was going to happen and if it would still happen and we are excited if its moving forward,” Pickett said .
In 2024, the City of Jacksonville agreed to sell property for $1 to team owner RP Sports Investment Inc. for the stadium. In November of the same year, the team applied for a construction permit to build a 14,000-square-foot stadium and office facility with 2,545 seats and a second phase would include more seating.
The principal owner at the time, Robert Palmer, sold the team in 2025 to Jacksonville attorney Chris Campione. So far, there has been no groundbreaking.
According to the City of Jacksonville, there have been FDOT road improvements next to the property that have delayed progress and that have led to the city extending its deadlines for the team and its construction.
Another delay comes with the natural changes of any business. According to News4JAX Sports, with a new owner, the team has to be accepted into the MLS Next Pro League again. It’s the same league under the previous owner.
While the community waits for the groundbreaking, Pickett said the Eastside will support it when it’s built.
“We are working with them, and we hope to work with them on community benefits coming into the eastside and we are looking forward to that and looking forward to them becoming a great partner,” Pickett said.