Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 18, 2026 13 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 | 860.242.8586 | pdsec.com Flex Shop Space For Rent CONSTRUCTING EXCELLENCE PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC Startline Business Park 100 South Satellite Road, South Windsor Individual Bays 1,200 SF to 10,000 SF INCLUDES • Bathroom • Unit Heater • 14' Overhead Door CONTACT DANJ@PDSEC.COM IF INTERESTED. Disabilities Act compliance, and field and drainage infrastructure. Recently elected Norwich Mayor Swarnjit Singh made the stadium a focus of his campaign last year, opposing suggestions from some city councilors to sell the troubled prop- erty. The uncertainty over its future had also prompted discussions about the Sea Unicorns leaving the city. "In my campaign, I said, Dodd is actually a regional asset and it should be treated that way — we need to find a solution," Singh said. Singh says he first met with Swan- ston in December to pitch the stadium, and they stayed in touch as the Bridgeport negotiations were playing out. Once state funding to support a Bridgeport stadium was finally nixed, Dodd was already top-of-mind for CTSG. The group has agreed to an initial two-year lease with options to extend, and has committed funds to improve areas tied to team operations and the fan experience. However, responsibility for major infrastructure upgrades will fall to the city. Norwich has already committed $400,000 for new lighting and is prepared to invest up to $1 million, Singh said, with the hope that the state will help cover the remaining costs. "We're going to be very conserva- tive in our approach because we do understand we might have to do it in phases," he said. Swanston acknowledged the task ahead, but said he is hopeful the state will see revitalizing an existing asset as a more attractive opportunity than building a new stadium. "It needs a lot of TLC just to get it up to the standards of being able to host a professional match," he said. "But when we think from a time standpoint and a money standpoint, that's going to be a much shorter turnaround and a much lower price tag." Filling a void Swanston said he's not fazed by the move from Bridgeport to eastern Connecticut and the much smaller Norwich, noting the team always intended to have a statewide presence. "We named the team Connecticut — it was very intentional," he said. The team's youth academy already operates out of Danbury and will remain there. CT United has also held community clinics and public events in Bridgeport. The team has played its inaugural home matches in New Haven and Storrs. Swanston says while Dodd will be the team's primary home, it will still host occasional matches in New Haven and elsewhere. " United as one market, Connecticut is 3.6 million people," he said. "No city or county in the state could justify a major league team. But together, it's a top 25 opportunity in all of America in terms of media market." The shift to eastern Connecticut comes as the WNBA's Connecticut Sun prepares to relocate to Houston for the 2027 season after more than two decades at Mohegan Sun. Both Swanston and Singh said they see an opportunity for soccer to help fill the void that will be left in eastern Connecticut when the Sun departs. CTSG has also reached an agree- ment to host a franchise in a new women's league, WPSL Pro, which is set to launch in 2027. Singh said the timing aligns with broader economic developments in the region. As Electric Boat ramps up hiring and Norwich advances plans for a proposed 184-acre industrial park off I-395, both projects are expected to increase demand for workforce housing and bring an influx of resi- dents who could support a more active sports venue. "It's an exciting time for the City of Norwich," Singh said. "For decades we were sitting on a losing asset. Now it's really going to not just generate resources for the City of Norwich, but it will take tourism to the next level in the whole of eastern Connecticut." Conor Geary, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, team owners André Swanston and his wife Michelle Swanston pose for a photo after the announcement of MLS NEXT Pro's planned Bridgeport launch. Photo | Shahrzad Rasekh/CT Mirror

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