These days a 15,000-seat soccer stadium can cost $100 million to build, including $15 million in tech infrastructure. If that seems like a lot, consider this: tech costs over the 30-year life of that same venue could exceed $100 million as well.

These numbers may sound implausible, but for USL club owners, they’re worth unpacking to understand why they’re not.

First, some historical context.

In 1980, a building new NFL stadium cost roughly $100 million. By 2020, that figure had risen to around $1 billion. That implies an average construction cost growth rate of approximately 6% CAGR over 40 years. This is not a forecast—it’s history.

Technology costs within those stadiums grew even faster. In the 1980's, technology represented roughly 2% of total stadium cost—about $2 million. By 2020, technology had grown to roughly 20% of total cost—around $200 million. That implies technology investment growing at approximately 12% CAGR over the same period.

To model future USL stadiums, we could assume tech costs continue growing at 12–15%, which recent NFL data suggests. But we don't. The USL and NFL are obviously different. And we don’t need to stretch the point to make it.

Instead, we use a very conservative assumption: 2% CAGR for stadium technology costs to build our illustrative USL model.

- A $100 million stadium (capex) - $15 million in technology at opening (15% of capex) - $1.5 million in annual tech operating costs in Year 1 - Major system refreshes every 7 years - A 30-year planning horizon, because the average lifespan of modern stadiums has fallen to roughly 30 years—meaning a replacement venue is plausible in Year 31.

Even under this 2% CAGR assumption, the total cost of ownership for stadium technology—operating costs plus refreshes—exceeds $100 million over 30 years.

In other words, owners will spend as much on tech over the life of the stadium as they spend to build it in the first place.

This isn’t a prediction. It’s a directional model. Real-world outcomes will vary. Technology will change. Some costs may flatten. Others may accelerate. A.I. and automation may unlock efficiencies.

But even at a deliberately conservative growth rate, the conclusion is hard to ignore. Technology is a dominant lifetime cost of a stadium, and mis-managed, it can strain the economics of a franchise—especially for emerging leagues.

What can franchise owners do to build a tech-forward stadium while containing costs?

That's the question Ampthink is built to answer.

Addressing inefficiencies in construction alone can shave 20% off capex costs. Well-designed systems last longer, cost less to operate, and adapt more easily over time. Planning for usability and lifecycle management from the start changes the math.

Eliminating avoidable costs and driving long-term efficiency isn’t optional anymore. It’s foundational. It’s the focus of our work, and it's crucial for new franchises that have the opportunity to get it right from day one.