A new hub for youth soccer in Southwest Baltimore
Coppermine Health and Fitness has unveiled an $8 million plan to transform the former Cardinal Gibbons School into a 40,000‑square‑foot soccer academy that will serve as the organization’s new headquarters.
The facility is scheduled to open by summer 2027 and will convert the existing 30,000‑square‑foot building into classrooms, offices and specialty areas, while the former gymnasium will become a 10,000‑square‑foot indoor performance center.
Three new turf fields and an additional 250 parking spaces will be added, and Babe Ruth Field will be redeveloped into a 1,000‑seat stadium that can host matches and community events.
Coppermine will lease the campus from Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, which purchased the land in 2012 for $9.6 million but never fully developed it, with an option to buy the property in the future.
Founder Alex Jacobs said the academy is intended to give local youth a clear pathway to play professionally in the MLS, especially as the club now competes in the MLS NEXT Allstate Homegrown Division.
Although D.C. United has proposed a $200 million stadium and academy nearby, Coppermine’s project is already moving through the permitting process, while United’s plan may take years to secure financing.