Circuit of the Americas

This is very interesting news that we've heard as a rumor for a while. One of the big sticking points for a while was a soccer specific stadium for a professional team to come to Austin and stay. This seems like a great possibility, especially since one of the other rumors I've heard is that COTA would like to bring International matches to the stadium as well.

What I really hope is that the walk to the stadium is significantly less, as I would imagine we'd have a much better chance of tailgating at the stadium versus being banned. Oh, and for those who've prioritized this, beer would likely be for sale at the match!!

So may things that may be possible if this comes to fruition.

 

Beer, a grass field, international matches? The future looks very bright if it happens.

 

I'm of the opinion that tailgating is vital to ANY stadium they put out there. The distance is a huge negative factor, but could well be compensated for by building a destination that we can turn into an all-afternoon event. When I introduced a soccer-virgin (one who had not even played FIFA, only once watched a 2009 Confederation Cup match with me) by dragging him down to Houston for the last Aztex preseason friendly against Dynamo, we arrived 3-hours early IIRC and joined up with a group of central American tailgaters and we had an awesome time. The whole trip turned him into a convert. Tailgating adds a whole new experience to the game-day and essentially can double the value of your ticket by turning a 2-hour entertainment program into maybe 5+ hours.

Have some small, level, turf or grass areas by the parking lot so we can kick a ball around, maybe play 3v3 or something before a game while we wait for the stadium to open too. Throw in a grill and beer, maybe some good trees to provide shade and ticketholders may never leave!!

 

The irony of ending up with a stadium out past where the Lonestars went to die would almost be too much for me to stand.

Done a little googling and binging and I don't think there's any way I could be talked into liking this idea. I'd even take Cedar Park over this.

 

Almost all of us would agree that a SSS with a central location would be ideal. It just doesn't seem realistic to me that soccer will have that opportunity here in Austin, especially considering the booming cost of downtown land.

At first mention of a SSS at COTA my gut reaction was that it is too far, don't like it. After visiting COTA for the F1 weekend I have completely changed my tune. It really isn't as far as I once thought. Everything at the facility was top notch. If they are interested in building a soccer stadium, as they have mentioned, I'd be thrilled. Certainly there would be public transportation options as well as plenty of room for tailgating. Most definitely there would be beer/alcohol. I've talked with some folks plugged into real estate development, and there will be more development of bars/pubs along the streets that lead up to the facility.

If a stadium and ownership group do things well, a suburban SSS can work. My best example would be Livestrong well outside of KC. If you haven't been there, it is a fantastic venue but no where close to downtown.