JJCoolbean
15 Aug 2007, 12:54 AM
It seems like Collinsville is probably a done deal, but while we wait for the official response I was thinking about my "perfect" MLS situation in the St. Louis area, if I had the sway to make things happen. Basically, the premise here is what I would do if I could influence Jeff Cooper.
POINTS:
1) I'm like just like just about everyone here not from Illinois in that I would prefer the stadium be located in Missouri, specifically downtown. To me, the perfect location would be to tear down St. Louis Centre mall and build the stadium there. This location is not only scenic; it features an eclectic and vibrant surrounding environment. This is the center of the recent downtown development. It is right across the street from the convention center and has plenty of surrounding hotels and tourist attractions. It features a Metrolink stop on-site on Washington Avenue and plenty of parking spots. (Metrolink means a non-automobile option is viable.) With all of the people moving into lofts, there will be plenty of people within walking distance of the stadium. Also, the people living in that area are mostly young, diverse, have good jobs, and are well-educated - the perfect group to create a lively game atmosphere. Plus, even as is, there is an outdoor plaza being built right next to Old Post Office that would be great for fan gatherings and the Dubliner and other hangout spots are within blocks. The game could be part of a great night/day out. As for the view, if you remove the St. Louis Center, the surrounding architecture is incredible. This would be the PERFECT location! It would really show off the city and region.
2) Yes, I know that that location is going to be turned into lofts in the future, but I would have loved for it if Cooper and Pyramid (the new developer) could have partnered as the Cordish Company has teamed with the Cardinals on Ballpark Village mixed-use project. If you include the mall parking lot you would have from Broadway to 7th Street and from Locust to Washington to work with, minus the Stifel-Nicolaus Building. So, the longest part of the stadium could go from Broadway to 7th while using Locust to the Stifel-Nicolaus building width. That leaves 6th, Washington, 7th and the northern side of the stadium for mixed-use development. Since it is right next to the convention center/dome, as well as a Metrolink stop, it could be very valuable property even on non-soccer game days.
3) "St. Louis Centre has been a dark spot in the otherwise bright downtown development picture. With other properties in the heart of downtown undergoing revitalization, St. Louis Centre is currently the core's biggest problem property," said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay in a statement last year. I imagine the soccer-friendly Mayor would have had an interest in at least discussing a proposal involving a soccer stadium at that location.
4) For the loft development, Pyramid has requested $34.3 million in TIF from City of St. Louis for the redevelopment of St. Louis Centre, while $8 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits has already been set aside. Wouldn't that money be nice for the development of the stadium? That's over twice the money that Collinsville is proposing.
5) Dan McGuire has been working to try and get the Bottleworks development off the ground in an area nearby. I wonder if he would be interested in such a joint venture with Cooper. After all, Cooper has said he would like to bring in more investors, and such a plan would be a lot more attractive to an investor, one would think, at such a choice location over the higher risk and lower reward of Collinsville. Also, at such a choice location, one could charge higher advertising and naming rights simply because more people will see the stadium and it will have a higher profile.
6) I wouldn't want to leave Collinsville complete out. If I were Cooper, and if I could get the deal done at St. Louis Center, I would consider putting the team's training facility in Collinsville. Yes, I know that the city isn't going to give $20 million for a soccer equivalent of Rams Park. It should be noted, though, that Rams Park does pump money into Earth City. I would think of the training facility development as a means of saving face with the Collinsville officials, while including Cooper's Metro East. If you sell it as Rams Park without the city having to contribute tax money, I don't think they would complain too loudly. Also, even without building a training facility in Collinsville, if Cooper went through and moved his taxable multi-million dollar law practice to Collinsville, I'm sure he could convince the leaders of Collinsville to not bash him in the media for opting out of the deal.
7) As for the roster, it's pretty obvious where the emphasis should be placed. Area players should be the premium. Taking crappy local guys just because they are local is not the way to go, but there are a lot of good St. Louis players and they need to play for St. Louis.
8) With the redevelopment of downtown, the region as a whole seems to be enjoying a newfound pride. Continuing the St. Louis theme of the last point, I would LOVE to see that same approach taken with other aspects of the team, specifically with the stadium. Instead of selling the concessions sales to Sportservice where they can sell crappy food and drink for ridiculous prices, I'd love to see individual stands throughout the interior where local breweries such as Schlafly, O'Fallon and Square One can peddle there wares. And how about letting Bob Cassilly or one of the other local artists to work on the interior of the stadium to give it a unique "St. Louis" look instead of the generic norm of cold concrete? This could all contribute to the niche of this MLS team with the city. That is, Cooper's team could be seen as a symbol of St. Louis pride. While the other local teams have out-of-town owners and, mostly, have a corporate feel, Cooper's team could be marketed as local, distinctive, and personal. And isn't pride the best ingredient when trying to create that great soccer crowd "atmosphere"?
9) Toronto has done a nice job of involving the community with their efforts in drawing in the pub crowd. For St. Louis, I believe it is important to follow the example of the old St. Louis Steamers during their heyday. To do this, I would make an appeal to Catholic schools. The sport of soccer in St. Louis has largely been driven by the Catholic grade schools and high schools, as well as the Catholic Saint Louis University. Most of the top St. Louis players, both amateur and professional, are Catholic and developed their games Catholic schools. So, like the Steamers, I would actively promote the team by sending players out to the various Catholic schools to visit with the kids. No, I am obviously NOT suggesting that the team should only value Catholics. What I am suggesting is that the team try and engage a potential large segment of the population that is likely to respond favorably. Likewise, similar appeals to the Bosnian population of Bevo and the Hispanics of Cherokee street should also be pursued. Some may suggest that appealing to kids will bring out a crowd filled with soccer moms and the like. I disagree, you do see children at international matches and developing them as fans is important in not only making them potential ticket buyers as adult fans, but it helps raise the profile of the game and, hopefully, will lead to more and more players developing into great soccer players.
POINTS:
1) I'm like just like just about everyone here not from Illinois in that I would prefer the stadium be located in Missouri, specifically downtown. To me, the perfect location would be to tear down St. Louis Centre mall and build the stadium there. This location is not only scenic; it features an eclectic and vibrant surrounding environment. This is the center of the recent downtown development. It is right across the street from the convention center and has plenty of surrounding hotels and tourist attractions. It features a Metrolink stop on-site on Washington Avenue and plenty of parking spots. (Metrolink means a non-automobile option is viable.) With all of the people moving into lofts, there will be plenty of people within walking distance of the stadium. Also, the people living in that area are mostly young, diverse, have good jobs, and are well-educated - the perfect group to create a lively game atmosphere. Plus, even as is, there is an outdoor plaza being built right next to Old Post Office that would be great for fan gatherings and the Dubliner and other hangout spots are within blocks. The game could be part of a great night/day out. As for the view, if you remove the St. Louis Center, the surrounding architecture is incredible. This would be the PERFECT location! It would really show off the city and region.
2) Yes, I know that that location is going to be turned into lofts in the future, but I would have loved for it if Cooper and Pyramid (the new developer) could have partnered as the Cordish Company has teamed with the Cardinals on Ballpark Village mixed-use project. If you include the mall parking lot you would have from Broadway to 7th Street and from Locust to Washington to work with, minus the Stifel-Nicolaus Building. So, the longest part of the stadium could go from Broadway to 7th while using Locust to the Stifel-Nicolaus building width. That leaves 6th, Washington, 7th and the northern side of the stadium for mixed-use development. Since it is right next to the convention center/dome, as well as a Metrolink stop, it could be very valuable property even on non-soccer game days.
3) "St. Louis Centre has been a dark spot in the otherwise bright downtown development picture. With other properties in the heart of downtown undergoing revitalization, St. Louis Centre is currently the core's biggest problem property," said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay in a statement last year. I imagine the soccer-friendly Mayor would have had an interest in at least discussing a proposal involving a soccer stadium at that location.
4) For the loft development, Pyramid has requested $34.3 million in TIF from City of St. Louis for the redevelopment of St. Louis Centre, while $8 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits has already been set aside. Wouldn't that money be nice for the development of the stadium? That's over twice the money that Collinsville is proposing.
5) Dan McGuire has been working to try and get the Bottleworks development off the ground in an area nearby. I wonder if he would be interested in such a joint venture with Cooper. After all, Cooper has said he would like to bring in more investors, and such a plan would be a lot more attractive to an investor, one would think, at such a choice location over the higher risk and lower reward of Collinsville. Also, at such a choice location, one could charge higher advertising and naming rights simply because more people will see the stadium and it will have a higher profile.
6) I wouldn't want to leave Collinsville complete out. If I were Cooper, and if I could get the deal done at St. Louis Center, I would consider putting the team's training facility in Collinsville. Yes, I know that the city isn't going to give $20 million for a soccer equivalent of Rams Park. It should be noted, though, that Rams Park does pump money into Earth City. I would think of the training facility development as a means of saving face with the Collinsville officials, while including Cooper's Metro East. If you sell it as Rams Park without the city having to contribute tax money, I don't think they would complain too loudly. Also, even without building a training facility in Collinsville, if Cooper went through and moved his taxable multi-million dollar law practice to Collinsville, I'm sure he could convince the leaders of Collinsville to not bash him in the media for opting out of the deal.
7) As for the roster, it's pretty obvious where the emphasis should be placed. Area players should be the premium. Taking crappy local guys just because they are local is not the way to go, but there are a lot of good St. Louis players and they need to play for St. Louis.
8) With the redevelopment of downtown, the region as a whole seems to be enjoying a newfound pride. Continuing the St. Louis theme of the last point, I would LOVE to see that same approach taken with other aspects of the team, specifically with the stadium. Instead of selling the concessions sales to Sportservice where they can sell crappy food and drink for ridiculous prices, I'd love to see individual stands throughout the interior where local breweries such as Schlafly, O'Fallon and Square One can peddle there wares. And how about letting Bob Cassilly or one of the other local artists to work on the interior of the stadium to give it a unique "St. Louis" look instead of the generic norm of cold concrete? This could all contribute to the niche of this MLS team with the city. That is, Cooper's team could be seen as a symbol of St. Louis pride. While the other local teams have out-of-town owners and, mostly, have a corporate feel, Cooper's team could be marketed as local, distinctive, and personal. And isn't pride the best ingredient when trying to create that great soccer crowd "atmosphere"?
9) Toronto has done a nice job of involving the community with their efforts in drawing in the pub crowd. For St. Louis, I believe it is important to follow the example of the old St. Louis Steamers during their heyday. To do this, I would make an appeal to Catholic schools. The sport of soccer in St. Louis has largely been driven by the Catholic grade schools and high schools, as well as the Catholic Saint Louis University. Most of the top St. Louis players, both amateur and professional, are Catholic and developed their games Catholic schools. So, like the Steamers, I would actively promote the team by sending players out to the various Catholic schools to visit with the kids. No, I am obviously NOT suggesting that the team should only value Catholics. What I am suggesting is that the team try and engage a potential large segment of the population that is likely to respond favorably. Likewise, similar appeals to the Bosnian population of Bevo and the Hispanics of Cherokee street should also be pursued. Some may suggest that appealing to kids will bring out a crowd filled with soccer moms and the like. I disagree, you do see children at international matches and developing them as fans is important in not only making them potential ticket buyers as adult fans, but it helps raise the profile of the game and, hopefully, will lead to more and more players developing into great soccer players.