Peter Wilt
01 Aug 2005, 08:27 PM
MILWAUKEE PROFESSIONAL SOCCER COMPLETES BUSY WEEK:
WILT MEETS WITH MLS OFFICIALS, INVESTORS TAKE IN HISTORIC AC MILAN VS. CHICAGO FIRE MATCH AND SUPPORTERS MEET AND FORM COMMITTEES
Milwaukee (August 1, 2005) – Milwaukee Professional Soccer (MPS) completed a busy week that saw the recently launched organization moving forward on three fronts in its effort to develop a 20,000 seat soccer stadium and acquire a Major League Soccer team. The team and stadium are part of a planned $300 million mixed use development in downtown Milwaukee to be completed in time for the 2008 MLS season.
MEETINGS WITH MLS LEADERSHIP: On Saturday, Chief Executive Officer Peter Wilt met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS Chief Operating Officer Mark Abbott in Columbus, Ohio. League officials gathered in the Ohio capital for the MLS All-Star Game, which saw the MLS All-Stars defeat English Premier League club Fulham by a 4-1 score. "The meetings with the League officials were very good," Wilt said. "We were able to provide Don and Mark with updates on the progress we have made locally and explain in more detail the nature of the project.
"The combination of a soccer stadium with a mixed use commercial, retail and residential development is at the cutting edge of stadium development in the United States," Wilt said. Last Thursday, Global Sports and Entertainment was the latest developer to enter the stadium mixed use development arena. Global announced that it had purchased charter MLS team D.C. United from AEG. Global plans to build a soccer stadium in conjunction with a mixed use development in the D.C. area.
"The platform for an international sport, an office building hosting more than 1,000 jobs and retail and residential components is an exciting opportunity that will spur significant economic activity for an area," Wilt said. "Commissioner Garber plans on visiting Milwaukee later this month when he will meet with leaders of MPS, the City of Milwaukee and the soccer community," Wilt said.
MPS INVESTORS TAKE IN AC MILAN VS. CHICAGO FIRE: MPS CEO Peter Wilt also joined members of Milwaukee Professional Soccer's investment group, potential investors and leaders of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association at Soldier Field last Wednesday for the Chicago stop of the World Series of Football Tour, presented by Samsung. The match was between the Major League Soccer leading Chicago Fire and Italian super club AC Milan.
The trip was an opportunity to showcase Major League Soccer and the type of international events that could be hosted by a downtown stadium in Milwaukee.
"The game was a real spectacle," said Marty Greenberg, a partner in Pegasus ParkEast Partners, the managing member of Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC. "Our group was impressed by the high level of play and the contagious atmosphere created by the passionate fans," Greenberg said.
The tour featured English Premier League Champion Chelsea FC and 2005 UEFA Champion's League runner-up A.C. Milan playing in a four-match series, which included matches against the three-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion Chicago Fire and defending MLS Cup Champion DC United. The game concluded a busy period of international soccer that saw more than 100,000 fans attend three soccer events at Soldier Field in an 11-day stretch.
"There is a huge appetite for high-level soccer and we hope to feed that hunger in Milwaukee with the downtown stadium," Wilt said.
SOCCER SUPPORTERS MEETING: More than 30 soccer supporters took part in a meeting at the Highbury Pub in Bay View last Tuesday. The meeting lasted more than three hours and started with a description of the project and updates from CEO Peter Wilt. "It is important to get details on the project out to the public.
"Many people are not aware that this is a privately funded mixed used development that will not create any new taxes. The public needs to know that this is a $300 million mixed use development. In addition to the benefits of the soccer team and stadium, it will bring more than 1,000 new permanent white collar jobs to Milwaukee through the commercial, retail and residential development next to the stadium. The construction cost of the stadium is less than one fourth of the overall development. Even the Mayor's chief of staff has been misinformed on the number of jobs this would bring downtown based on his quotes in the paper over the weekend," Wilt said.
In an effort to educate the public on the project and generate further support, Tuesday's meeting at the Highbury led to the creation of three committees.
* MPS STREET TEAM: Led by Marquette University Senior Michael Norton, the MPS Street Team will promote the project at youth soccer tournaments and other public gatherings. The MPS Street Team includes Dan Kushlan, Brian Thomas, Patrick Stanly and others. Contact Norton at 630-730-5103 for more information on joining the MPS Street Team.
* MPS SUPPORTERS CLUB: A group of dedicated fans of Major League Soccer have taken it upon themselves to form a supporters club for Milwaukee's Major League Soccer team. The leaders of this group will include:
Greenfield's Zach Schaefer(zschaefer@isiamerica.com), Madison's Zach Pennycook (zpennycook@hotmail.com), Waukegan, Illinois' Jamie Sundquist (jamie@section8chicago.com), Milwaukee's Ben Foldy (iwishiweremingus@sbcglobal.net) and Highbury proprietor Joe Katz (Joe@theHighbury.com).
"Our first task is to get a great turnout of loud and passionate fans to sit behind both the Chicago and Milwaukee goals for the exhibition game in Milwaukee next month (September 10th, 7 pm at Uihlein Soccer Park)," Pennycook said. "We want to create an atmosphere that will give Milwaukee a taste of what it's like to go to an MLS game."
If anyone would like to be part of the MPS Supporters Club, please contact one of the individuals above via email.
* PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE: The purpose of this group is to educate the general public, the soccer community, governmental representatives and local influencers on the benefits of this project.
The committee is led by Franklin's Steve Perrigo and includes, Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association's Sue Walter, Soccer Source Editor Sandra DeChant and former Marian Center for non-profits CEO John Toutenhoofd. Those wishing more information on the Public Information Committee may contact Peter Wilt at 414-908-4252 or PWilt@milwaukeeprosoccer.com.
“The meeting established a dialogue with the soccer community, allowed us to provide the facts, listen to those the project will benefit and share ideas to make it successful. Additionally, we provided soccer supporters with enough information to help us educate the public and publicly support the project.”
ABOUT MILWAUKEE PROFESSIONAL SOCCER:
Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC was formed in 2005 with the goal of developing a 20,000-seat soccer stadium in downtown Milwaukee and securing a Major League Soccer team for Wisconsin in 2008. A group of local investors formed Pegasus ParkEast Partners, LLC to become the sole managing member of Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC. On July 13, 2005, MPS hired veteran soccer executive Peter J. Wilt as Chief Executive Officer to lead its efforts. Wilt, a longtime Milwaukee area resident joined MPS from MLS' Chicago Fire where he successfully launched the expansion team in 1998. For more information on Milwaukee Professional Soccer, visit its website at www.milwaukeeprosoccer.com
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER:
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is America’s only Division I men’s outdoor professional soccer league featuring top stars from the United States and around the world. The twelve teams that comprise MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Club Deportivo Chivas USA, FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and the defending champion D.C. United. Major League Soccer's tenth season kicked off April 2, 2005. For more information about MLS, visit the League's official Web site at www.mlsnet.com.
WILT MEETS WITH MLS OFFICIALS, INVESTORS TAKE IN HISTORIC AC MILAN VS. CHICAGO FIRE MATCH AND SUPPORTERS MEET AND FORM COMMITTEES
Milwaukee (August 1, 2005) – Milwaukee Professional Soccer (MPS) completed a busy week that saw the recently launched organization moving forward on three fronts in its effort to develop a 20,000 seat soccer stadium and acquire a Major League Soccer team. The team and stadium are part of a planned $300 million mixed use development in downtown Milwaukee to be completed in time for the 2008 MLS season.
MEETINGS WITH MLS LEADERSHIP: On Saturday, Chief Executive Officer Peter Wilt met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS Chief Operating Officer Mark Abbott in Columbus, Ohio. League officials gathered in the Ohio capital for the MLS All-Star Game, which saw the MLS All-Stars defeat English Premier League club Fulham by a 4-1 score. "The meetings with the League officials were very good," Wilt said. "We were able to provide Don and Mark with updates on the progress we have made locally and explain in more detail the nature of the project.
"The combination of a soccer stadium with a mixed use commercial, retail and residential development is at the cutting edge of stadium development in the United States," Wilt said. Last Thursday, Global Sports and Entertainment was the latest developer to enter the stadium mixed use development arena. Global announced that it had purchased charter MLS team D.C. United from AEG. Global plans to build a soccer stadium in conjunction with a mixed use development in the D.C. area.
"The platform for an international sport, an office building hosting more than 1,000 jobs and retail and residential components is an exciting opportunity that will spur significant economic activity for an area," Wilt said. "Commissioner Garber plans on visiting Milwaukee later this month when he will meet with leaders of MPS, the City of Milwaukee and the soccer community," Wilt said.
MPS INVESTORS TAKE IN AC MILAN VS. CHICAGO FIRE: MPS CEO Peter Wilt also joined members of Milwaukee Professional Soccer's investment group, potential investors and leaders of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association at Soldier Field last Wednesday for the Chicago stop of the World Series of Football Tour, presented by Samsung. The match was between the Major League Soccer leading Chicago Fire and Italian super club AC Milan.
The trip was an opportunity to showcase Major League Soccer and the type of international events that could be hosted by a downtown stadium in Milwaukee.
"The game was a real spectacle," said Marty Greenberg, a partner in Pegasus ParkEast Partners, the managing member of Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC. "Our group was impressed by the high level of play and the contagious atmosphere created by the passionate fans," Greenberg said.
The tour featured English Premier League Champion Chelsea FC and 2005 UEFA Champion's League runner-up A.C. Milan playing in a four-match series, which included matches against the three-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion Chicago Fire and defending MLS Cup Champion DC United. The game concluded a busy period of international soccer that saw more than 100,000 fans attend three soccer events at Soldier Field in an 11-day stretch.
"There is a huge appetite for high-level soccer and we hope to feed that hunger in Milwaukee with the downtown stadium," Wilt said.
SOCCER SUPPORTERS MEETING: More than 30 soccer supporters took part in a meeting at the Highbury Pub in Bay View last Tuesday. The meeting lasted more than three hours and started with a description of the project and updates from CEO Peter Wilt. "It is important to get details on the project out to the public.
"Many people are not aware that this is a privately funded mixed used development that will not create any new taxes. The public needs to know that this is a $300 million mixed use development. In addition to the benefits of the soccer team and stadium, it will bring more than 1,000 new permanent white collar jobs to Milwaukee through the commercial, retail and residential development next to the stadium. The construction cost of the stadium is less than one fourth of the overall development. Even the Mayor's chief of staff has been misinformed on the number of jobs this would bring downtown based on his quotes in the paper over the weekend," Wilt said.
In an effort to educate the public on the project and generate further support, Tuesday's meeting at the Highbury led to the creation of three committees.
* MPS STREET TEAM: Led by Marquette University Senior Michael Norton, the MPS Street Team will promote the project at youth soccer tournaments and other public gatherings. The MPS Street Team includes Dan Kushlan, Brian Thomas, Patrick Stanly and others. Contact Norton at 630-730-5103 for more information on joining the MPS Street Team.
* MPS SUPPORTERS CLUB: A group of dedicated fans of Major League Soccer have taken it upon themselves to form a supporters club for Milwaukee's Major League Soccer team. The leaders of this group will include:
Greenfield's Zach Schaefer(zschaefer@isiamerica.com), Madison's Zach Pennycook (zpennycook@hotmail.com), Waukegan, Illinois' Jamie Sundquist (jamie@section8chicago.com), Milwaukee's Ben Foldy (iwishiweremingus@sbcglobal.net) and Highbury proprietor Joe Katz (Joe@theHighbury.com).
"Our first task is to get a great turnout of loud and passionate fans to sit behind both the Chicago and Milwaukee goals for the exhibition game in Milwaukee next month (September 10th, 7 pm at Uihlein Soccer Park)," Pennycook said. "We want to create an atmosphere that will give Milwaukee a taste of what it's like to go to an MLS game."
If anyone would like to be part of the MPS Supporters Club, please contact one of the individuals above via email.
* PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE: The purpose of this group is to educate the general public, the soccer community, governmental representatives and local influencers on the benefits of this project.
The committee is led by Franklin's Steve Perrigo and includes, Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association's Sue Walter, Soccer Source Editor Sandra DeChant and former Marian Center for non-profits CEO John Toutenhoofd. Those wishing more information on the Public Information Committee may contact Peter Wilt at 414-908-4252 or PWilt@milwaukeeprosoccer.com.
“The meeting established a dialogue with the soccer community, allowed us to provide the facts, listen to those the project will benefit and share ideas to make it successful. Additionally, we provided soccer supporters with enough information to help us educate the public and publicly support the project.”
ABOUT MILWAUKEE PROFESSIONAL SOCCER:
Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC was formed in 2005 with the goal of developing a 20,000-seat soccer stadium in downtown Milwaukee and securing a Major League Soccer team for Wisconsin in 2008. A group of local investors formed Pegasus ParkEast Partners, LLC to become the sole managing member of Milwaukee Professional Soccer, LLC. On July 13, 2005, MPS hired veteran soccer executive Peter J. Wilt as Chief Executive Officer to lead its efforts. Wilt, a longtime Milwaukee area resident joined MPS from MLS' Chicago Fire where he successfully launched the expansion team in 1998. For more information on Milwaukee Professional Soccer, visit its website at www.milwaukeeprosoccer.com
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER:
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is America’s only Division I men’s outdoor professional soccer league featuring top stars from the United States and around the world. The twelve teams that comprise MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, Club Deportivo Chivas USA, FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and the defending champion D.C. United. Major League Soccer's tenth season kicked off April 2, 2005. For more information about MLS, visit the League's official Web site at www.mlsnet.com.