The scene is almost impossible to imagine: the seats packed, the air thick with excitement and the roar of the crowd — Idaho soccer fans, at last, filling a professional stadium. As the news spreads that Boise will finally have its own men’s and women’s professional soccer teams, it’s clear: those chants, those dreams, have been heard. With the announcement that Boise will finally have its own men’s and women’s professional soccer teams, the city’s long-awaited dream is coming to life.
Brad Stith, Boise Pro Soccer’s CEO and co-founder, is excited about Boise finally having professional soccer teams.
“Boise is one of the best, if not the best market in the United States that didn’t have a soccer team at the professional level,” Stith said. “When you’re looking at the U.S. landscape, Boise’s got a unique spirit. There’s an immense beauty and character, Boise is positioned as one of the best unique markets in the United States, and we couldn’t be more excited to be bringing a team here.”
According to uslsoccer.com, signed agreements between Expo Sports & Entertainment and the Board of Ada County Commissioners mark a major step forward, transforming the 27-acre Expo Idaho Phase 2 site into a dynamic sports and entertainment hub.
Stith says the development agreement commits the club to build a 6,000-seat stadium in the near term, with plans to expand to over 11,000 seats over time. The privately funded Expo Idaho Phase 2 redevelopment will also include additional fields, pitches, and related facilities over the next decade.
Boise Pro Soccer’s men’s team will compete in the United Soccer League. The women’s team will play in the USL Super League, starting in the fall of 2027. The men’s team will kick off play one year from now in March 2026.
Playing soccer in Idaho is tough if players have the desire to play at the next level. With no high-level colleges close or any professional teams, talented players who have the talent to play at the next level are being ignored and overlooked due to the lack of eyes and resources.
A professional team changed that aspect and will bring the eyes and the recognition that the state and players in the state have been asking for.
Boise is the premier region of soccer talent for club, high school and youth soccer. The professional team will make a huge difference in developing and recruiting young soccer players at the high school and college levels.
Co-founder and Vice Chairman of US Youth Soccer, Bill Taylor, who has been a part of the Boise youth soccer community for years, sees right now as the perfect time to improve youth soccer in the Treasure Valley and the state of Idaho, and sees the professional team as a way to do that.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to reach the levels they want to reach,” Taylor said. “Up to this point in Idaho, it’s been tough for our kids here to be seen, and to have you have to go out of your way to be seen and have the opportunities that you would otherwise have when there’s a professional team in your marketplace.”
“When you have academies and other things, there you have professional coaches, and you have all the resources that a professional organization brings to the community and a state,” Taylor said.
With the first kick not scheduled until 2026, the dream and anticipation of the professional team are on the horizon. The impact that 11 players and a ball at their feet could have could change the landscape of soccer in Idaho forever, giving the fans a team to look forward to and chanting the team’s name throughout the stadium. The future of soccer in Idaho has never looked better.