Could a state grant help Toledo USL soccer project?

When Ohio lawmakers last year set aside a mountain of unclaimed state funds for a new Cleveland Browns stadium, it didn’t take long for other cities to start clearing their throats.

What about us?

And, yes, that includes Toledo.

Who’s up for pro soccer in a gleaming stadium on the riverfront?

A statewide gold rush could help make it happen.

We now know 22 organizations applied for a cut of a $1 billion fund earmarked for new or renovated pro sports facilities in the latest Ohio budget.

Of that total, $600 million is already allotted to the Browns’ suburban playland.

The remaining $400 million? That’s where the scramble begins.

In Toledo, two major stadium projects are in the mix.

The Mud Hens are planning a $17.6 million renovation of Fifth Third Field.

And — here’s where it really gets interesting — a group led by former ProMedica CEO Randy Oostra is proposing an $83.6 million, 7,500-seat stadium to bring a franchise in the United Soccer League to town.

Both submitted grant applications to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, obtained by The Blade through a records request.

The Hens asked for $4.4 million from the state fund; Summit Street Sports — the soccer group — requested $20.9 million. Organizations can seek up to 25 percent of project costs.

Now, we’ll see what’s next.

There’s no guarantee the state will even be allowed to release the money. A lawsuit challenging the transfer of unclaimed funds led a Franklin County judge to hit the brakes. A federal case is pending, too.

But count us intrigued.

Especially by the continued reimagining of the riverfront.

I caught up Wednesday with Oostra and Aaron Swiggum — a partner in the push for downtown soccer — for more on their plans.

While still in the blueprint stage, the application lays out the vision: a stadium ready for the 2028-29 season, hosting 142 annual events, mostly soccer games, but also concerts and more.

The target site is the Vistula Historic District, on dormant land off Summit Street, next to Toledo Pickle Company, directly across the river from Glass City Metropark.

The anchor tenant would be a professional USL team, or teams, with hopes for both a men’s and women’s squad.

If that sounds familiar, the franchise would be separate from Toledo Villa FC, which competes in the semi-pro USL League 2. This club would play under a different name in USL League One, a fully pro circuit stretching from Spokane, Wash., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla, with markets like Omaha, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Charlotte in between.

At least that’s where it likely would start.

In a cool twist, the USL is set to roll out a European-style promotion-relegation system connecting its three pro leagues — Premier, Championship, and League One. Perform well, and Toledo could climb to the very top of the USL, just below the MLS. (Interestingly, seven former USL clubs — Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, Orlando, Cincinnati, and Nashville — are now in the MLS.)

How would Toledo pay for the stadium? Good question.

To qualify for the state grant, the main tenant has to cover at least 50 percent of the costs. Oostra said a local ownership group, about 10 strong now, is growing. It will have to be a true public-private partnership, different from the Hens and Walleye model.

“Toledo is a great sports town,” Oostra said. “Many would argue it’s the best minor league sports town in America. … [I think of] the impact this can have on downtown, and just the success of the USL. If you begin to see some of the markets and the attendance, what they draw, the excitement they create, the ancillary development, from our perspective, this is the perfect time.”

Done right, I agree.

With soccer now the third-most popular sport in the United States — trailing only football and basketball — I’m interested to learn more.

The Hens, meanwhile, are looking to punch up an already standing community gem.

Their plans fall into two buckets: the fan experience and the behind-the-scenes mechanics that keep the 24-year-old stadium running smoothly.

This year, fans will notice one of the main concession stands is now an Amazon Just Walk Out station, similar to the grab-and-go area at the Huntington Center and many major league ballparks. Proposed future changes focus on bringing the county-owned venue more in line with industry trends, which is to say more social areas.

Look, for example, for the seats in Section 101 down the left-field line to be taken out and replaced with drink rails and table tops, and a new bar to back the standing-room setting. (If you’ve been to Progressive Field in Cleveland, think of a smaller version of the District in right field.)

“We want to keep things fresh, keep things looking good, and keep mixing in new and creative ideas that make people want to attend games,” Mud Hens general manager Erik Ibsen said. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity to apply for the state grant, and excited to see what happens.”

All makes sense to me.

For my money — literally (I still have $10 to claim!) — the Toledo projects are a fine use of idle capital.

Both aspire to enrich our community and the money is actually needed.

Same with many of the other 14 applicants still in the running (eight were deemed ineligible, including Monkey Business Parkour in Maumee).

No, I can’t say the same about the Browns.

Owner Jimmy Haslam is probably the last man on earth who needs a handout.

His family sold Pilot Flying J — the truck-stop chain Jimmy’s father, Jim, founded in 1981 — to Berkshire Hathaway not long ago for $13.6 billion. Jimmy is worth $8.5 billion, per Forbes, and just last year he closed on a $25 million beachfront mansion in south Florida.

He bought the Browns for $1 billion in 2012, and, despite his best efforts to pile-drive them into the ground, the franchise is now valued at $5.15 billion, lifted by the NFL’s soaring media rights deals.

Now, Haslam wants a mixed-use fantasyland in which the Browns will own the stadium, parking, and much of the surrounding development.

And he wants you to help him pay.

As we’ve written before, giving him money to build a personal ATM disguised as a stadium is like donating water to the ocean.

But we digress.

Paradoxically, the Browns’ extreme gift should help Toledo’s more modest cause.

Because the high courts tend to side with the billionaire class, the release of the unclaimed funds almost certainly will be allowed.

A rare win by the Browns could be a victory for the Glass City, too.

Contact David Briggs at dbriggs@theblade.com or on X @DBriggsBlade.