I think Ceaser mentioned State of LI address at the staart of the new year... With the holiday period upon us I think that is likely the reality.
http://bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=35881 So the Cosmos are going to Nassau County, NY officials Wednesday for a trophy representation. Hmmmm? Could it be?
Agreed.... But if it ends up being a stadium announcement it's definitely short notice and opportunistic.
Seems like the Senator wanted to use it as a bully pulpit... http://www.empireofsoccer.com/senat...for-new-york-cosmos-belmont-stadium-proposal/
Well I guess if you're gone to use a bully pulpit, you couldn't pick a better place than Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building.
Actually it was more to say that the town and county support the club and the development of the stadium. The area has a championship team that can draw the media that was there, and is seriously interested in making the sizable investment into the community which will benefit everyone in the community.
I found this quote from Senator Martins interesting: "...talk to them about the ability of opening up a train station at Belmont which will allow them access so they won’t have to take three buses to get to work or school or a doctor’s appointment." While I haven't been combing the sands for info on this, this is the first direct mention of the LIRR opening a full time station at the currently "only open for events" station.
Hey everyone…with the holidays here and the boys in green not playing I have been a bit incognito from the boards! I will say that the trophy presentation was a great moment for the team. I wish I could say that it was well attended but it wasn't. Tthen again I don't; know if it was meant to be well attended. It wasn't advertised at all. I was invited to go by the supporters groups but found out so close to the date that I couldn't get off of work. I personally would have loved to go but one of the things that I took away from this presentation was that if it was ever unclear on whether this was a predominant Long Island team, I think its pretty clear now. This team looks to be focusing their attention on Long Island and Queens fans. Thats fine with me as I grew up in Queens and live in Long Island. Just this weekend they had players at an indoor flea market in queens signing autographs and taking pictures. Looks like they have started to make themselves visible in the community now in the off season. I've said it before and I will say it again…I love this team. Its the off season but the team still stays visible…I expect them to be all over Queens and Long island throughout the winter until its time to train for the spring season. As far as the stadium, no news yet. I still think this will come out in January. If January comes and goes and there is no announcement then I would be worried. If you haven't done so already and have a twitter account - follow Senator Jack Martins. His team provides updates every now and then on Long Island news including the stadium. This is no longer a Cosmos news headline but a huge Long Island headline. The jobs, tax revenue, shopping mall, recreational fields and overall positive impact in the neighborhood that it would be built in is a huge positive for Nassau County. Of course it goes without saying that Nassa County would have a professional team seeing as how they are losing the New York Islanders to Brooklyn. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I cannot see this deal not being approved. But then again…I know nothing about politics and how these things work! Hope everyone is well!
Hi, I had planned on going to ceremony. Called team to find out the time of presentation. I had spoken to team after seeing the post announcing ceremony here and was told it was a closed meeting, not really open to public. That's why I did'nt go support. perhaps others in the same situation.
By the way after seeing room that ceremony was held in they could not accommodate many more. Cosmos are the best team I have been associated with in regard to reaching out and respecting fans. By far #1. I just wish this stadium dealwould be settled. Can't wait for opener. Does anyone know when schedule come out?
In semi-related news, looks like NYCFC might be getting their stadium in the Bronx. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/artic...1/bloomberg-departs-soccer-arena-deal-emerges
NYC FC closing in on Bronx stadium... I hope we beat them to the punch on ours: http://nypost.com/2013/12/10/bronx-scores-400m-soccer-stadium/ You are telling me this Emirate Sheik can't just turn his couch cushions over to pay for this stadium? Really?
Is what Cosmos and NYCFC proposing vastly different? Are the Cosmos not using any public funding mechanism at all? If not, I really don't understand why anyone would oppose it.
The understanding is that the Cosmos are privately financing the stadium. I guess we'll find out more in January.
What would it mean if the Cosmos got their stadium in Long Island, marketing to LI and Queens and NYCFC would get their stadium in the Bronx? Who would NYCFC target marketing wise in that case? Theoretically speaking, is there enough room for both teams to do well in their respective parts of the city? I assume, geographically the Red Bulls would not interfere with anyone's targeted audience, right? I am just wondering if the 3 teams could coexist in New York drawing support from their respective parts of the city and create a "London-like" rivalry (even though, the Cosmos will not get to play regular games against the other 2 teams except USOC maybe and the Red Bulls are not actually in New York).
A Bronx stadium is great news for the New York Cosmos, if they have any interest in ever joining MLS. If the New York City FC stadium was in Flushing Meadows Queens, that would pretty much kill their chances of ever joining MLS with a stadium on the Long Island border. Given the proposed locations of the NYCFC and Cosmos stadiums, three teams could easily coexist in the market given how massive it is (hell a fourth team in Manhattan or Brooklyn one day far down the line might be feasible as well)...
I think at this point LI gets the stadium just out of spite and the kicker? The Mets become partners.
Can NYCFC and Cosmos co-exist? Sure they can. I mean, do the Yankees and Mets co-exist? And just like the Yankees and Mets exist they do so with different mentalities and fan bases. I can tell you right off the bat that these two teams will cater to different markets. When I say different I don't only mean geographically (Cosmos - Long Island & Queens / NYCFC - Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx) they will cater I am sure to the different demographics that make up NYC. I can tell you for sure - that the younger hipper crowd that knows nothing about Soccer in the US will get sucked up into NYCFC. The world cup will come and go in 2014 and they will be aware of Soccer and hopefully want to watch soccer in their backyard. With that awareness, in comes NYCFC and they get lured to be fans of them. Its that type of mentality that is oblivious to what the Cosmos have done in the past. The Cosmos have not ramped up marketing the way NYCFC has because to be honest, there is not that much a need to do so. I mean the Cosmos of course have their history to fall back on and they just finished winning the NASL Championship again. The knowledgeable soccer fan that knows that this is not a passing fad and likely appreciates the Cosmos and will easily side with them. Lets face it - 8000 fans showed up already to Hofstra this year to support the Cosmos - the knowledgeable and loyal fan base is already there. But you cannot stop there. 2014 is a huge year for the Cosmos from the perspective of growing their fan base. And lets face it - if you don't put fans in a 12,000 seat stadium, why exactly are you looking to build a 25,000 seat stadium? The battle for the unsure soccer fan is definitely on in 2014! Going back to NYCFC - sure they can nail down a new stadium and they can announce all sorts of things. But the fact remains that there will likely be no player announcements with respect to the team until late 2014. Not only that, but there will be ABSOLUTELY NO SOCCER being played by a NYCFC squad at all in 2014 no matter which way you look at it. The Cosmos will be playing both their spring and fall seasons and I think if you are a Cosmos fans, winning the NASL trophy is a must knowing that a new team is coming in 2015 looking to make an impression on New Yorkers. The Cosmos team marketing efforts can definitely use a bit of a boost and a player signing or two would definitely help. Regardless of what happens - I think these two teams can co-exist. Will one have a larger fan base than the other? Who knows and frankly - who cares. Going back to my original comparison. Are there more Yankees fans than Mets fans in NY? Probably - but who cares. For now, both the Mets and Yankees operate independently and have done so for years. If the Cosmos operate their club the way they have planned and have success - then they could care less what NYCFC does over in the Bronx. One thing I know for sure however -this guy will stay a Cosmos fan forever, and if I ever step foot in the NYCFC stadium it will be because the Cosmos are in the house to settle the NY debate on who the best soccer team is in NY!
Fully privately financed, team will pay all state and local taxes for land use, no floated bonds, integrated commercial development into the stadium site plans (hotel, commerce, etc.), added parkland, and the current site is already zoned for sports and entertainment so no re-zoning of public or private land needed. In other words, its about as good as it can ever get for a stadium proposal in the USA. There is literately no cost or downside to the residents (except for those that simply want to keep status quo or otherwise don't like sports because alternative is nothing but empty lots and no development). The only potential expense would be with the MTA and what they do with the Belmont spur stop and station, not sure if Cosmos would be offering anything on that end, but i know Nassau execs are pushing that so it could be viewed as a separate infrastructure improvement.