El Paso, Memphis, and Omaha will never be expected to leave their baseball stadiums, because they are owned by the baseball teams. Tulsa and New Mexico will, because they aren’t, and what USL really wants is for the teams to control their stadium revenue.
It depends. If the owners can get some sort of sweetheart deal to incorporate a soccer stadium, or soccer and new baseball park, I'm sure they'd be tempted. Apparently the sight lines in El Paso are terrible "You can't see almost one third of the pitch. If the ball gets taken down into the 'left field' portion or the pitch, you have to look up to big screen to follow the action." Read More: El Paso Locomotive Need Their Own Stadium | https://klaq.com/el-paso-locomotive-need-their-own-stadium/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Omaha talked about building a SSS next to their ballpark, too. I mean, I get if the owners feel motivated to do it, I’m just saying that USL is never going to insist that these clubs in particular move out their ballparks.
Found this story about El Paso Locomotiv on Soccer Stadium digest: ...the long-term plan does include a soccer-specific stadium in or near downtown. “It is something that we very publicly want to do and have every intention of doing". Memphis have no such plans Q: Are there any plans to build a soccer-specific stadium?Unger: "Short answer: No. ... Moving out of downtown would lose a lot of the atmosphere. @AutoZone_Park intimidates other teams and is the best park in the USL."— Memphis 901 FC (@Memphis901FC) November 22, 2019 Omaha are at a very early stage.
----------------So for the teams that "won't" move out of baseball stadiums, then maybe modifications to the stadium (beyond maybe what may have been done already) should be considered to improve the soccer experience. Or in the future, if any markets are thinking of the baseball stadium being replaced, make sure the designs go next level in being able to accommodate soccer. I guess its kind of like in the NFL where I would think all the new stadiums should be able to by now to accommodate a soccer field.
I believe El Paso reconfigured their stadium so that the stands came closer to the field although a fan review said they still couldn't see 1/3 of the pitch. They also have a retractable pitcher's mound.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/s...soccer-baseball-conversion-faster/2954486002/ It’s pretty neat. I didn’t realize that it was designed by Wayne Estopinal.
You seem to be writing a lot of checks that the ticket sales aren't going to pay for. Minor league soccer is already rich people donating their money to the fans, it's really hard to insist that they spend even more.
----------------- Only fair since cities wrote the checks for most stadiums, you would think the city would have a vested interest in using the facility as much as possible. I would think in most cases, its the outfield fences that would need to be adjusted and the movable mound is a big time saver for the grounds crews.
Jay Heaps tweeted this after Legion's first home game. 1388692409605758977 is not a valid tweet id Update: the pitch is still as bad.
-------------------- I watched that USL game and the field blew me away. So for football when they paint the while lines, will they be where the light and dark sections met?? I guess it helps with marking off 10 yards?? For soccer, I guess, helps the linesmen with offside calls?? Hideous is all I can say about the looks. Also looked to me some players were slipping. Not sure how soft/cusion a feel it gives. Ugh
I’m pretty sure it’s designed to be removed before a football game and replaced after, since it also covers the track.
= wow, thats wild, but I guess it then makes the field wider for soccer, rather the tradition of fitting the soccer field inside the track. Still crazy.
Wait... that's real? I thought that was some bullshit like NBC does in the NFL on 3rd downs. But they bought a florescent field?
11k seats, 15k capacity is not "MLS quality" these days. It would've been awesome 15-20 years ago, however.
Austin Bold FC are likely to relocate to Fort Worth following the conclusion of the 2021 @USLChampionship season. New ownership already lined up.— Mark Bay (@mchbay) August 12, 2021 Probably for the best. Fort Worth is an untapped market.