By Shawn Collins
Austin FC, the new Major League Soccer club in Austin, is finally playing at home at the soccer-specific Q2 Stadium near the Domain. The season started with eight games on the road as they completed the stadium, and now we’re in for a summer and fall of matches in Austin.
In late May, Austin FC and Austin Public Health announced that the stadium could be at full capacity (20,500).
The club sold out of season tickets and there are approximately 20,000 on the waitlist to get season tickets. If you are looking for tickets, consider joining one of the supporters’ groups, such as Los Verdes or Austin Anthem, where members sell tickets to fellow members for face value.
If you were lucky enough to get tickets to the whole season or a single game, now you’ve got to figure out how to get there.
There are many ways to get to Q2 Stadium: bike, bus, car, rail, and rideshare.
Bike
Fans who bicycle to Q2 Stadium on match days will be able to use the Bike Valet system. This is a free service located on the east side of the stadium behind Live Oak Park. Some members of the Los Verdes supporters’ group are planning bike rides for matches: an eleven-mile ride starting at Treaty Oak Park and a five-mile ride that starts at Northwest District Park.
Bus
CapMetro is increasing frequency on game days for routes near Q2 Stadium. It looks like the quickest and easiest way will be route 335 transferring at the West 38th Station to either route 803 or 3, both of which drop off in front of the stadium.
Car
There is not a lot of parking around Q2 Stadium, and the lots owned and controlled by Austin FC are only available to season ticket holders in club sections. Other fans can park nearby using the Pavemint app to pre-purchase a parking spot. Be sure to do this before leaving for the stadium. There is no fan parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Rail
The MLK Station (roughly a 30-minute walk depending on where you live in Mueller) on the red line of the MetroRail takes about 20 minutes to get to the Kramer Station, which is then around a 15-minute walk to the stadium. Construction will begin on or around March 1, 2022, for a MetroRail station at Q2 Stadium.
Rideshare
Rideshare services such asUber and Lyft will have a dedicated drop-off zone on West Road on the west side of Q2 Stadium. There will be two spots for rideshare pick up, one north of the stadium on Brockton Drive and one south of the stadium on Rutland Drive.
If you don’t have tickets, there is a network of bars and restaurants that will be showing Austin FC matches with sound and B.D. Riley’s is part of the Austin FC Pub Club.