Wasn't sure where else to put this, but I know I've seen it pop up here before Harrisburg proceeding with new stadium plans: http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/03/city_islanders_new_stadium_pro.html
Hopefully it's actual seats and not bleachers like the drawings impy. We're looking forward to taking a trip out there once it's done.
Seriously, though, Harrisburg's facility has been a trouble spot for USL Pro for a bit now. With Dayton apparently making a commitment to facility upgrades (though it's still a high school football stadium, so come on now) thinks appear to be improving, little by little.
Dayton at least claims that they're planning to build a stadium. It seems like something that wouldn't be terribly difficult if they really wanted to get it done - no municipality is going to build it for them, and when you're drawing less than 900 fans a game, the NIMBYs don't have much of a case against your facility. So on one hand, I take it with a grain of salt. On the other hand, they have to be losing substantial piles of cash in USL Pro, and there's no reason to stay in business unless they have a plan to stop losing substantial piles of cash.
That was in November. And while they did say when this latest (30-year?) deal was announced that they would "continue searching for a stadium site in the area" that "might take two to three years," I'd take the over. These things take a while. And they have a big incentive to stay put (or at least not a huge incentive to build their own yard, especially with the level of interest and the size of their market). By the way, who signs a 30-year deal with any minor-league soccer team? They're not all going to be Charleston or Richmond. The thing about NIMBYs....they always find a way. They don't have to be rational. I'm not sure they're spending a substantial pile of cash, much less losing it. Their pro team has seemed to have been an afterthought behind their academy system. They surely have yet to show that they can sustain good results (16-35-23 in three years, though they did make the playoffs last year) and draw crowds (712 per game over the three years). I would venture a guess they're one of the lower-spending teams in the league.
I don't want to put words in their mouths (or articles) for the DDL, but maybe the 30-year deal was partially for their academy system too? They have already helped install new grass fields on the same site too.
Very well could be. But ask yourself who the owners are and where they would have come up with the wherewithal to own all these teams?
I do believe that Houston Dutch Lions are owned by a different owner than Cincinnati and Dayton. They are all just affiliates of each other. May not make it that much more understandable, but it's at least one less team under the ownership umbrella. With that said, if someone wants to own some soccer teams, so be it! I'm not going to complain with the more soccer I can watch and engulf myself in. I do hope it continues and is sustainable...
I'm saying...wasn't it two former Division II players who own Dayton? Like, guys who didn't make Beckham-type money during their careers?
I know what you were saying. I also don't know they do (career-wise, investment-wise, or even inheritance-wise) in Holland. I do think some of the ownership played DI at Xavier (unless they were a different affiliation when playing there). There's a lot of different ways to make money and I am not the type of person (not saying you are, or anyone who is) who will wonder where money is coming from, especially when it pertains to investing in the beautiful game. I just like seeing the growth and hope the growth is sustainable.
Surely. But...don't you ever wonder "How can someone afford this?" I mean, that's just reasonable, isn't it?
Oh, by no means am I saying it isn't reasonable...I just don't think of it really. It's just something I don't do. I mean, there's a lot of money out there -- I don't have any of it. So, it's usually something I don't think about because I'll never be at any point to even think about how much money it takes to do any number of things. People make their money a variety of ways, I'm happy for them (and even envy them at times).