SPOKANE, Wash. — The path to ONE Spokane Stadium began more than 70 years ago when Joe Albi Stadium opened in northwest Spokane.
Albi himself, a local civic icon, spearheaded the effort to build more sports facilities in Spokane.
The stadium bearing his name served as the city’s main outdoor stadium for soccer, football and other large events for decades. But the constant use took a toll, forcing the city to undergo dramatic repairs, or tear it down and start over.
In 2018, voters asked for a new stadium rebuilt on the original site, but in 2021, a downtown stadium plan took hold.
The stadium would host Spokane high school athletics, but it would also host new professional men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Groundbreaking on the new downtown stadium happened Nov. 30, 2021. Two years and $31 million later, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place Sept. 26, 2023.
ONE Spokane Stadium represents a new era for the city, but one that preserves the history of the man who paved the way. Fans and concertgoers will walk along Joe Albi Way when visiting and be greeted by a bronze statue of the man himself.
