On May 15, 1999, American soccer changed forever when a visionary sports entrepreneur christened the country’s very first soccer-specific stadium in a midsize Midwest market with no existing professional sports infrastructure. It turned out to be the first crackle in a building boom that has brought the sport and first-rate facilities to fans in cities of all sizes across the country.

Why and how it came together is a longer story. But what it taught us is not. As stadium general manager of the MLS’ Columbus Crew at the time, McCullers Group founder Mark McCullers was the legendary Lamar Hunt’s right-hand man on the project. These are some of the lessons he learned in the planning, execution, and aftermath of the project, many of which are now central to the process we employ in helping our clients design, deliver, and operate sports venues to this day.

Don’t rush.

The nine-month build schedule for what would be called Crew Stadium was admittedly “insane.” While it was a bulwark against inflation and saved on the cost of capital, it was a mad dash. The team had strict milestones in place with some contingencies, but there was virtually no room for error. And that included doing concrete work in cold weather and finishing up small projects on opening day. Somehow it all got done, but it was by no means ideal or a replicable model.

Develop public-private partnerships.

Hunt knowingly described the $17 million initial budget as “spartan.” He was right. Though that budget eventually rose to a more appropriate $27 million, it was mostly the owner’s own money. The $300,000 the City of Columbus contributed in utility improvements was needed and welcomed, but also demonstrated the critical need for larger public-private partnerships on projects like these. While it remains possible to get them done without, it’s hard to make them pencil without a tax-abated building or public-backed money.

Build great relationships.

It was a very hands-on design-build process. The team, in partnership with NBBJ Architects and Kokosing Construction, chose a modular design, with four buildings (front office and retail, locker rooms, building services, and hospitality) connected by grandstands. Items like the lights and scoreboard were self-procured – a project management masterclass. Building and nurturing those contractor and vendor relationships paid great dividends when punch lists grew and the days got short. And while building at the Ohio Expo Center was the best bet from a land cost and parking standpoint, it demanded strong, diligent, patient partnerships with state and city governments. But it paid off. Good people who are well prepared and work hard are an extraordinary asset, and the bond they developed is one of the project’s greatest legacies.

Use your natural assets.

Lamar Hunt was a geologist by training. So when the excavators unearthed glacial boulders on the site, rather than having them removed he turned them into a Monument Garden where fans could gather and key team milestones and accomplishments could be marked. It’s one of many examples on the project that showed how important small details are in creating unique and authentic fan experiences. Crew Stadium nailed it.

Premium amenities pay.

Premium amenities are critically important to any stadium’s business model. When the suite and club spaces at Crew Stadium were first designed, they weren’t enclosed for a variety of reasons. But when the temperatures dropped during playoff season, that miscalculation became evident and was quickly remedied. The lesson: Don’t scrimp on the things that drive the business.

Study the traffic.

Because the Ohio Expo Center brought most of its traffic in from the main interstate exit south of the stadium, there was no north side access on opening day. And while parking was plenty, the flow was slow. It improved dramatically once the city added access to parking from an existing exit north of the site, but it was a reminder that you’ll never waste time getting the traffic and parking plan right.

Control the ancillary development.

When Crew Stadium was in the planning stages, there was no adjacent land available for development. But once the stadium became a reality, parcel owners started selling and retailers took advantage of the new venue’s draw. It was a missed opportunity and an object lesson in how important it is to control the surrounding land if you also want to control the makeup of and revenue from the ancillary development.

Think outside the rectangle.

Building a venue is one thing; programming it is another. That’s something the team kept well in mind when designing and configuring the stadium. If you want to host major concerts and music festivals, you need infrastructure for load-ins, equipment, and staging. If you want to be considered for World Cup qualifying matches, College Cup finals, and state championship games, you need extra locker rooms. Crew Stadium had it covered. In fact, the now-legendary USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying legacy probably doesn’t exist without Crew Stadium, which hosted some critical matches in the rivalry on a thawed field in the dead of the Ohio winter. And the Women’s World Cup would never have come to the stadium without that heritage. If you want to go big, you’ve got to think big.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” McCullers recently reminisced. “I’m proud of what Crew Stadium means to the sport of soccer in the U.S. and the stadium building boom it inspired. It was the right time in the right place with the right people to make it happen. I’m blessed to have been a part of it.”

A quarter-century on, Columbus now boasts an entire Arena District, with shops, hotels, restaurants, and offices alongside state-of-the art downtown stadiums for its NHL franchise, AAA baseball team, and the now three-time MLS Cup champion Crew. Which just goes to show what a grand vision, a little entrepreneurship, and a few lessons learned can do for midsize markets looking to make their sports venue dreams come true.