http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBP106N2CE.html Ok, according to this, Hillsborough County is thinking about building a $40 million sports complex, which would also include a "20,000-seat lighted football-and-soccer stadium." Ok, I'll say that about $25 million will be spent to build this stadium, so it'll probably be just 2 large bleacher grandstands. But the thing that pops up is this quote: Norman sees the complex as a hub for local athletics, a draw for amateur sports tournaments and possibly home for a new professional soccer team. MLS recently talked to Bucks County about a SSS. Maybe they should contact these folks about any MLS/SSS possibilities. And seeing this is the Tampa Bay area...there is a certain billionaire owner that has a little interest in soccer... The article also mentions the Disney Sports Complex. Maybe MLS can convince Disney to get back in the sports business. Disney United FC?
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? The article also mentions the Disney Sports Complex. Maybe MLS can convince Disney to get back in the sports business. Disney United FC?[/QUOTE] Several years back I know Disney was interested in buying an mls team that would probably play out of Orange County and possibly play in Anaheim. Wasn't that cool! But the plan never got off grounds.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Interesting, but the site is 25 miles from downtown Tampa, but if Glazer wants a team in MLS this is his chance.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? The stadium is bare bones, but if it's a $25 million stadium, the price could be doubled to $50 million, which would make it PHP/PAETEC quality. If an MLS team was guaranteed, more public funds could be raised and/or the investor would fill in the gap.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? what makes you think the price would be doubled? and why the hell would you want public funds for a stadium? I don't think you understand what taxes are. Taxes are monies that pay for programs that the government has determined is SO important, like national defense, that if you don't pay, they put you in jail and sell everything you own until your "debt" is paid. do you think a soccer stadium is that important? I don't. It is true that taxes have paid for stadiums and other less important things, but that does not make it right. I would like to see everyone get out of the habit of turning to tax money to pay for stadiums. if no investor steps up to pay for these things privately, then tough crap, you don't get a stadium. believe me, if someone thought they could make money from a soccer stadium they would invest in it. that doesn't mean that there aren't some people missing a great opportunity (like in Philadelphia, where I live). but if the free, private market isn't going to support a private enterprise (like a soccer team) then why should the public sector? and don't use the "economic engine" argument: it has yet to be proven that stadiums serve as economic engines to their neighborhoods or cities. and the best way a local government can be an economic engine is to provide a system in which private enterprise is rewarded with economic incentives, such as tax breaks, opportunity zones, and reworking restrictive local ordinances that make it difficult for developers to build. but just giving them a handout is wrong, plain and simple.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Well, this facility is planned to be built COMPLETELY with public funds anyway. But I see your point about public funding for sports in general.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? This stadium idea is way too far from Tampa to ever work. Even Lockhart was heavily populated Ft Lauderdale area. Zephyr Hills and Plant City? Forget about it. Amatuer sports might work out there, but no way a MLS team works. No way.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? High school football is huge in Florida and that's what caught my eye with the article. I think the problems with a MLS team in the proposed stadium would be lack of control and the number of games played on the field, especially in the fall. But starting a USL team in the Tampa area might be the perfect first step towards bringing professional soccer back to Florida. There seemed to be a couple of groups talking about USL a while back. Whatever happened to them?
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? All the USL potentials have decided that so far that it isn't worth the money. However, USL continues to tell the fanbase that a "pro team is coming"! Tim Holts just said it 3 weeks ago on Sunday Night Soccer. I'll believe it when I see it. Its sad when you can't get one pro team for your league in your home state and in a state that boasts the 4th or 5th largest population in the US. Just use the downtown Unv. of Tampa Soccer stadium (~1,500 capacity) or the nice north Tampa location of USF's soccer stadium (~4,500 capacity).
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? That would be great if tampa got a team. I would be a season ticket holder for sure. I wasnt living here when tampa had a team.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? What kind of joke is this? Glazer is responsible for destroying the Mutiny. It was the lack of any chance of getting a good stadium deal that kept investors away. It was no investors, not lack of interest that was responsible. I'd like to see a partnership with USF. Their soccer stadium is run down and if they built a 30-35 k seater their football team could play their as well and get a better deal than at RJS.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Besides if Glazer wants a MLS team, I think he will just dump them in the Raymond James, considering he controls all revenue streams from the stadium already.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Not necessarily. Look at Lamar Hunt and the Wizards/Chiefs/Arrowhead situation. It doesn't always make sense just because you have synergies.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? I have no idea what kinds of controls Hunt has at Arrowhead, but Glazer does control all revenues at RJ Stadium. It is one of the reasons (among others) that the Mutiny could not turn a profit once the Glazers assumed control of the stadium. However, to return to the topic at hand, if the Glazers wanted a MLS team, I think they would place it downtown Tampa at "their" stadium over placing anything at a less-profitable stadium that was 30 miles away and in the middle of cow fields and orange groves.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Glazer doesn't care about soccer, he cares about money, if he did care about the game he would never have let the mutiny go under, he would have bought them. The ManU deal was strictly about $$$ and he's proved that through his actions, so I wouldn't get my hopes up about Tampa getting a team under the Glazer family.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? I wouldnt be surprised if USF builds a new stadium in the near future (I predictg it'll be less than 10 years. Problem is that in the USF area, there isn't much land to build upon. I am a former student and the locations I have heard rumors of 2 locations that could be used. The following link is a map of the USF area: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/astrobull21/map.png Location #1 in the Univrsity Square Mall. i have heard that within a few years, a new mall will open up to the north of the USF area (off of this map) and that many of the University mall stores will transfer to the new mall. This would open up the land for USF to build a stadium. Location #2 is the USF Golf Course. Not sure why they would use this, maybe not many people use the course, but the land is already owned by USF and can easilly be closed to use for a tract of land for a stadium.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? I see your point, but there's another side to it. If the Glazers kick in a bit of money to make the stadium better, get more public funding, build a PHP, and put an MLS team in there, yeah, it'll cost them some money. But with Harrison a done deal, MLS profitability is on the horizon. But that's not really a big deal either way. The important factor would be that this would be an important step in winning over ManU fans, esp. those who actually go to OT, the ones behind Shareholders United. Even if he loses a bit of money on the Rowdies, it's quite possible he makes it up in goodwill for ManU.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Tampa Bay Mutiny did try to renovate USF Soccer Stadium but the college wasn't interested because of the problem you stated, no room. The stadium could have been increased but there would've been no room for parking.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Good point, also he could probably bring ManU over to Tampa during the preseason to play a few friendlies in Tampa, and get the people there interested a bit. I'm sure part of Glazer's plan is to really crack the US market with ManU, jersey sales etc.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Absolutely. I thought about that DURING the process of buying ManU, and how things may have been different if he had jumped on the bandwagon in Tampa in the first place. Of course I must admit that I'm biased, seeing that my parents and many other family members live in the Tampa Bay area (Pinellas Park/St. Pete/New Port Richey/Tampa/Clearwater/Largo), and I would LUV to be able to catch games while I was down there visiting them.
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? Guys, Glazer is never going to invest in any stadium when he already controls the RJ. Some other investor might go for this new Orange Grove and Cow Field SSS but not Glazer. And at the least, Unv of Tampa (downtown) or USF (north of Tampa) could use a USL pro team to occupy them. Please?
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? I agree totally with this, most likely USF's area would get it. They will have a new soccer stadium in the near future and the old stadium will become a track and field stadium
Re: A stadium and MLS team in Tampa Bay? AstroBull, where is the new USF soccer stadium going to be? When is it supposed to be done?