Access Louisville Live: Our next live podcast is 4 p.m. Oct. 29. Join us as we talk money and college sports with University of Louisville AD Josh Heird and University of Kentucky Deputy AD Marc Hill. Details and registration here.

Soccer is big in Louisville — but is the stadium big enough?

LBF Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about his recent interview with John Neace, chairman of Soccer Holdings. Soccer Holdings owns Louisville City FC, Racing Louisville FC and the venue where both teams play — Lynn Family Stadium.

The stadium has 11,700 permanent seats, with a total capacity of 15,300 when standing room is considered. But in the interview, Neace told Schmidt efforts are under way to look at ways to increase the capacity to 15,000 permanent seats in an effort to satisfy the requirements of being part of a Division 1 U.S. Soccer league, which the United Soccer League (USL) plans to launch in 2028.

Of course, this topic also gets us talking about the recent news that the United Football League's new Louisville Kings franchise is planning to use the venue starting in March. The stadium’s size was an ideal fit for the new UFL team — a team that was officially revealed just last week.

Late in the show we talk about a couple of other projects going on around town, including the Kentucky Humane Society's new facility.

The nonprofit is planning to build a new $37 million Animal & Community Campus off Preston Highway at 1111 Orchard Ave. CEO Alisa Gray recently told LBF's Joel Stinnett. Stinnett is also on this week's show and notes that the approximately 54,000-square-foot headquarters will allow KHS to consolidate the majority of its services and staff into one location, Gray said, while increasing space for dogs and cats by 30%.

We also go over the news that a new 27-story tower proposed in Downtown Louisville recently cleared a hurdle with a downtown building getting approval for demolition.

Accesss Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Access Louisville Live: Our next live podcast is 4 p.m. Oct. 29. Join us as we talk money and college sports with University of Louisville AD Josh Heird and University of Kentucky Deputy AD Marc Hill. Details and registration here.

Will you be at Lynn Family Stadium next year when a new American football team kicks off?

We chat about the newly unveiled Louisville Kings on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt has been following news of the new team all week — from initial rumors and speculation, to the actual announcement and eventual a chance to hear from the people behind it.

On the show he tells us about the ownership structure of the league, how Louisville was decided upon and how it fits in the sports landscape of Kentucky. We also chat about how we think fans will react to it. Louisville supports its baseball and soccer teams but other sports, such as minor league hockey, have come and gone.

After the sports discussion we chat about a major merger involving the largest law firm in Louisville — Frost Brown Todd.

Reporter Olivia Estright is on the show to tell us about the firm's merger with Gibbons P.C. of New Jersey, creating a new 800-lawyer national firm named FBT Gibbons LLP.

The combined firm will serve Fortune 500 clients to growth-oriented start-ups and mid-sized businesses across the nation.

If you follow the legal scene here in Louisville also be sure to check out our recently announced 20 People to Know in Law.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Access Louisville Live: Our next live podcast is 4 p.m. Oct. 29. Join us as we talk money and college sports with University of Louisville A.D. Josh Heird and University of Kentucky Deputy A.D. Marc Hill. Details and registration here.

We've got a roundup of recent restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast.

We start with Ramen House’s relocation. Reporter Michael L. Jones details how the popular eatery moved from its original spot in MidCity Mall to a new, larger location at 204 South Spring Street, previously home to Gary’s on Spring. The move was prompted by the expiration of the Ramen House’s lease and the owner’s desire for a long-term arrangement, which was complicated by the MidCity Mall's potential sale.

The owner, Jonathan Ham, took on the role of general contractor for the new space, facing numerous challenges including a flooded basement, the need to replace major appliances, and even a break-in that resulted in stolen tools.

Despite these setbacks, the new location offers expanded kitchen space, a parking lot, and plans for a cocktail menu once the liquor license is secured, Jones said.

After that, we chat about By Golly’s Bar & Grill, an Ohio-based pub-style restaurant chain, in Clarksville, Indiana, which opened at the site of a former Hooters. Jones explains that By Golly's is using the Louisville area as a launchpad for regional expansion

We also highlighted the growth of Parlor, a successful local pizza chain, which recently moved its New Albany, Indiana location to a more visible spot on West Market Street.

In other pizza news, we note that Louisville Pizza King recently opened a third location on West Oak Street.

Late in the show we discuss a new season of “Wrestlers,” a show that previously aired on Netflix and showcased Louisville’s Ohio Valley Wrestling organization.

And lastly Jones shares a story about Groundhog Archeology, in which Patrick Donley, a local artist, discovered valuable historical artifacts beneath his Germantown studio after a groundhog unearthed china and bottles dating back to the post-Civil War era.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.