Interesting article from Jeff Carlisle @ ESPN: http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-...ami-investment-group-adds-todd-boehly-sources To summarize: - Beckham has added another investor - Sources expect this to clear the way for the purchase of the remaining land for the stadium site - Some MLS owners are raising questions as to why the $25M-gift-expansion fee should extend to ownership interests beyond Beckham, himself. The plot thickens.
Nice little summary from SI Straus: https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/20...estor-st-louis-sacramento-nashville-san-diego I highlighted a few key points. the first and most important being the fact they've completed blueprints and are installing "stadium" infrastructure around the site. The site was originally going to be residential, so that is a big investment to install the stadium utilities. It is also a big investment to actually pay for blueprints. Unless, of course, they know something (just wanted to throw that tidbit out there) Another is the "unprecedented" level of corporate support. It was nice to see Straus acknowledge that point, since he cited corporate support as a potential issue in an earlier expansion bio. I'd already heard that corporate/sponsor support was well addressed at Garber's visit- basically a non-issue. Whitman was brought in as "icing on the cake", to add another level to it, with her tech connections. The final point is the last one highlighted: Sac leads the lower divisions (USL and NASL) in revenue. I will always give props to Cincy for their attendance, but Sacramento's ability to sell 9K+ in STHs. at the prices they charge, is HUGE. Has anyone seen the digital field advertising boards? We are the only minor league team using them; its because of our strong sponsorship/advertising support the makes them cost effective. I promise you, MLS looks at this point (revenue) more than any other. Our killer branding and overwhelming community support doesn't hurt either
Seems like Chic-Fil-A and Atlas Disposal are happy enough with the advertising to keep coming back paying for ads. In regards to the stadium, haven't they said they will build a stadium there regardless of an MLS bid? Not pouring water on it, but in the unlikely, lame scenario Sacramento doesn't get in to MLS, they would still play in the 2nd division and just have a stripped down simpler stadium built there as their permanent home. I think most people recognize PMP is not a good long term home.
I doubt it. The owner of the Railyards property, Larry Kelly, is part of the MLS investor group. Without MLS, he's moving on, AFAIK. He'll build taxpayers on the stadium site, as was originally planned. If SRFC is left out of MLS expansion, I would imagine a permanent stadium being built at Cal Expo eventually. Continued partnership, built in parking for revenue capture, etc. Maybe a scaled down San Antonio style stadium in the Railyards(??) but that is a longshot, IMO. Wouldn't be the development catalyst Larry Kelly is looking for.
Some type of MLS related announcement coming in next few weeks. Not "the" announcement, but likely we are on short list of this round of expansion.
Here's some more bad rumors to ruin your day: Smith and Nagle have yet to actually agree to a deal. Rumors were that it was to happen a month ago...hasn't yet. https://t.co/xHw3bALkJA— Evan Ream (@EvanReam) May 14, 2017 Unclear how many people are aware of this, but Sac Republic have an excellent chance of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory re: MLS— Evan Ream (@EvanReam) May 14, 2017
Poor Evan. I think his "source" is a low level person that's probably not going to be with the team when it moves to MLS.
Hearing that Warren Smith and Kevin Nagle have finally reached a deal for the sale of the Republic brand. Announcement coming tomorrow— Evan Ream (@EvanReam) May 14, 2017
My birdie just shook his head at what Evan Ream has been alluding to. He said we are solid with MLS. They are a big fan of Kevin Nagle and his investment group; he emphasized "big". The right group of heavyweights MLS wants to bring in
863881850233552896 is not a valid tweet id Not sure, but this is an excellent first step https://t.co/VOnntrv0EQ— Evan Ream (@EvanReam) May 14, 2017 Hearing city hall announcement tomorrow 10AM with details about deal between @SacRepublicFC and MLS investors. Bodes well for Sac exp bid.— stevelarge (@largesteven) May 15, 2017 So, instantly, with an announcement, things are getting better in Evan's eyes???? Sorry, Evan is grasping. I'm not joking. I'm pretty sure his source is someone in the SRFC office with little insight on the MLS discussions. He's getting fed low level office scuttlebutt.
If what Evan Ream reports is true, the bid literally could not get much stronger. That's great news! I'm just not convinced that MLS knows what they want at this point.
In case you haven't checked your email today... Dear Friends, It’s official: the deal is done. Earlier today, we finalized agreements for Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings to acquire Sacramento Republic FC. The terms ensure that the Republic FC name, crest, brand identity and history will represent Sacramento at the Major League Soccer (MLS) level. In reaching this milestone, we’ve achieved what both of us, Mayor Steinberg, and all of you have sought from day one: for Sacramento to ascend from USL to MLS as one club and one community. It’s now time to turn our full attention to the core mission: delivering the MLS club that our fans want and deserve. Fortunately, Sacramento has never been closer to reaching our goal. Our ownership group remains steadfast in its commitment to MLS and to Sacramento. Our fans continue their dominance of USL. And our stadium plan continues its steady march towards 2020. Having come so far, it’s now time to finish what we’ve started. To close the deal. To Bring it Home. At 10:00am today, we will join with Mayor Steinberg at City Hall to announce the new program we call #BringItHome. #BringItHome will embody both our playbook and our mindset down the homestretch of the MLS bid effort. With so much of our bid already in place, we want to complete this journey in the same way that we started: powered and inspired by the people of Sacramento. In the weeks ahead, we’ll begin rolling out a series of initiatives that reflect the #BringItHome spirit. They’ll include: 1. 20,000 Voices. The new stadium will seat 20,000 people. With that in mind, we will connect with 20,000 Republic FC fans and Sacramentans by December directly through town halls, surveys, forums, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations to ensure our fans and community guide the future of the club. We want every fan in every seat to have a voice in the club’s future. 2. Keep It Local. We will ensure strong participation by local workers and local businesses in the construction and operations of the new stadium to deliver new jobs and opportunities to our region. 3. Farm to Field. We will harness the renowned agricultural base of our region and build stadium concessions partnerships with a broad and diverse group of local farms, restaurants, and breweries. 4. Citizen Architects. We’ll challenge SRFC fans to submit design proposals for a portion of the plaza surrounding the stadium to be developed by and for the public. 5. Seat at the Table. We’ll ensure that fans have a direct and consistent audience with the Republic FC Board via representatives selected by the fans. Make no mistake, while confident in the strength of what we’ve already accomplished in our bid for MLS, we cannot afford to get complacent or rest on our laurels. Instead, we’re going to do what we’ve always done: be bold, rally together, and bring out the best of Sacramento. Our destiny as an MLS city is within reach. Let’s #BringItHome. Glory Glory Sacramento! Kevin Nagle Warren Smith
Sacramento Republic FC formally joins Major League Soccer bid From ESPNFC: http://www.espnfc.com/sacramento-re...ng-for-mls-team-acquires-usl-club-republic-fc
why only 20,000? I don't understand it. surely the Sacramento fanbase has demonstrated an ability to fill more seats than that. is it just so they can charge higher tix prices? it seems like planned obsolescence to me. I hate it. I hoped the recent big expansion crowds in New York, Orlando and Atlanta, not to mention Seattle and Toronto, would push MLS to be more ambitious with new stadium construction, but MLS gonna MLS I guess...
Gotta keep it real, don't want to build bigger than you think right away. The last thing you want is a huge stadium that's half full. Sac can pull those numbers easy but better approach is like what Portland has done, expand when waitlist is obvious