Expansion News 2-27-03

Why do I have a bad feeling about all this expansion talk. The boards are filled with this discussion, but the truth is there are no new investors, and no new deals or stadiums. It is all speculation. You will see the announcement at the end of the year will be to announce plans for 2005 ,2006 , further announcements to come soon, blah,blah,blah. I mean what is it a fact as of today, the only fact we know is the Galaxy stadium is under construction, can anyone name another fact, I sure can't.

 

Dallas will have a new home come 2005.

 

The A-League Seattle Sounders are playing this season at the new Seahawks Stadium. While a large stadium it was designed with soccer in mind. The pitch is FIFA approved FieldTurf. The lower bowl apparently seats around 30,000 and this is what would be used for soccer. Seattle has proven to draw soccer crowds. Paul Allen's First and Goal group has had some talks with the MLS. At what level I don't know. So Seattle has a stadium, investor, a good soccer tradition, and improves the MLS footprint.

 

In San Jose, Uncle Phil kicked out the Sharks. Great news there.

In Dallas, Uncle Lamar has taken over the Burn. Great news there.

Pray for the health of these two men.

 

Wrong. I mean, wrong at the point that you claim "Seattle has a stadium, investor...."

That's just pure speculaton. Seattle has a stadium that COULD be used for MLS IF Paul Allen buys into MLS.

And Seattle's conspicuous absence form the list of expansion cities Garber mentions in today's KC article doesn't give me much confidence in Allen's interest in becoming an MLS investor.

 

It is true that at the moment that there are no new investors, deals or stadiums.

However, in OKC, there is a potential investor. Which is more than we've had since Milwaukee was discussed. I sure wish there were investors being talked about in the other situations. It'd make me feel a bit more optimistic about the expansion chances.

 

OKC also has plans for a new stadium, architectural drawings anyway, and a good location to put it. I know the stadium isn't built yet, but I think, as is the case with most of the possible expansion cities, a new stadium won't be built until MLS awards them a team.

 

I am not an expert, and dont claim to be, but the way I see it the league should move towards having more than 3 owners before it starts creating more teams. Maybe its just me, but it sure makes sense to me...

 

If they give us a team in OKC we could have four owners. By the way, I look forward to seeing your Wizards play here on 3/29. Come down for the game.

 

My point was a response to Soccerfan's claim that other than the Galaxy's new home there are no stadiums ready or available. It is not speculation that the stadium is there. Of course it isn't and MLS stadium until a MLS team is there. Seattle's stadium will be home field to the Sounders this year. Also as I said I don't know the level of talks that First and Goal and the MLS have had. However they do point out regularly that the stadium is to MLS spec. This is from the First and Goal web site:

Seahawks Stadium is a world-class, premier sporting facility and home to the Seattle Seahawks. The Seattle Sounders will also call Seahawks Stadium their home for the upcoming 2003 season. Built as both a state-of-the-art football and soccer venue, Seahawks Stadium features superior amenities for world-class soccer. The stadium meets NFL, MLS and World Cup Soccer field and sight line requirements, provides separate locker rooms for soccer and includes camera-well locations designed for optimal television coverage of the sport. To learn more about Seahawks Stadium and Exhibition Center, visit www.seahawksstadium.com.

Also on a Feb. 6, 2003 list given on the MLS website Seattle was included.

http://www.majorleaguesoccer.com/content/03/tcs0206.html

Which list is more accurate I don't know.

 

Silence doesn't necessarily mean inactivity.

Some people may have unreasonable expectations about what we should expect to know or hear about. Business people discussing potential deals usually make every effort to keep those discussions limited to as few people as possible. These are all small, private companies. It's not at all hard to keep conversations - and even serious negotiations over very large matters - quiet.

I've worked on the legal end of several very large deals - involving big publicly traded companies and much, much more money than any potential MLS deal - and those negotiations were all easily kept under wraps until the various public announcements.

My point is that just because you're not seeing media releases, press conferences or interviews, or various rumors bouncing around doesn't mean that there are no negotiations underway. Of course, there may very well be no negotiations under way after all. But the lack of publicity is itself not a sign of a lack of activity.

 

Paul Allen has been consistent as to MLS in Seattle in his gridball stadium AND NHL in Portland in his arena. He's said nothing, the organizations provide lip service, and nothing really happens.

(Some of that is just, well, Allen says nothing about his sports ventures, and barely anything more about anything else. I just want to hear him actually speak from the heart one of these days, on ANY subject. Just a personal peccadillo...)

I don't think he's shutting either "second" team out on purpose. I think he wants to collect rent, which is really what shuts both sports out of the respective venues.

 

Re: Silence doesn't necessarily mean inactivity.

there are so many speculations all around that I am at the point that i don't belive anything anymore. I see the pictures in LA the stadium is on it way to be ready in a few months. Hunt hasn't yet taken the Burn not officialy yet anyway, just so you know. And untill a shovel is not in the ground on new locations for SSS all is just a speculation, rumor and dream . My question to you all was to point out " facts " and to realize there aren't to many. Someone please explain why potential investor would not admit " if asked " if he has an interest to join MLS, what is a big deal. ? A simple statement "yes I have an interest ,but negotiating with MLS, hopefuly it will all work out,wait and see." - yes I would like one. And yes it is nice to dream, at least that much we all can.

 

OKC has the investor. Express Sports with owner Bob Funk who is a multi-millionaire who really wants a top-flight pro team in the city (they've tried for the NHL several times before with, thankfully, no success). He created Express Personel.

OKC also has the stadium. Though not built yet, the designs are made and the financing is there (a combination of financing from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond Public Schools and Express Sports).

If the MLS says "here's a team", everything will be done.

 

With that many tenants are they planning on using artificial turf at the stadium?

 

No. It should be grass. A MLS team will be primary tennants through the spring and summer and even during football season I believe. They'll work it out so that no more then one team is playing on the field each week. ex. UCO team is away when MLS is home, etc.

There is the concern for the field being torn up, but it'll be quality stuff and they'll manage it well. I've actually heard that the high schools might not even play at the new stadium (or at least until the MLS season is over) but I'm not positive on that.

 

OKC and Rochester (at least from all the info on these threads and news articles) are way ahead!

Both have plans for SSS(both of which i believe, not certain) have the go ahead.

Both have investors (OKC is being backed by Express Sports)

These teams(unless someone else comes up) are almost certainly our new teams.

Wallydrag you seem to be like the biggest source on the SSS and investor can you correct me/back me up here?

 

Well certainly there has been speculation for several weeks that Seatte was off the list. I'm not sure about Paul Allen, but it would seem that Seattle is not in MLS' immediate plans, which was somewhat confirmed by the above article.

Not a bad thing at all to me. MLS certainly doesn't need to purposefully expand into another NFL stadium, at least not without solid plans for at some point getting out of that NFL stadium into an SSS. Paul Allen or no Paul Allen. I think many in Seattle put too much faith in Doug Logan's promise, and in the idea that that stadium was being built "with soccer in mind".

 

Has there been a target number for ticket sales for the pre-season Wizards-Burn game ? The ticket sales to date per the MLSINOKC.com site are 2,189. I am sure that there may be a decent walk-up crowd, but that 2,189 does not sound like the type of numbers that would excite MLS. I know that Funk's minor league hockey team (the Blazers) is among the most successful in terms of ticket sales, so maybe he can make it all work.

 

Actually it's the Wizards-Crew game. Wizards-Burn is in Tulsa a week later.

The thing that's striking me odd is that there hasn't been a single shred of advertisment or promotion for this game. No TV, radio or print ads to speak of. The only reason people know about the game is the one or two articles on it in the paper that came out when tickets went on sale at the beginning of Februrary and word of mouth.

That first week over 1,000 tickets sold, but after that no more articles in the paper. If they kept telling people about the game I'm sure they'd have a lot more tickets sold by now. Maybe they're hanging back until a month before the game (which starts tomorrow).

I've tried to get in touch with Brad Lund, the guy that runs Express Sports, to find out of they're going to do any advertising and promotion as well as if the youth soccer clubs, organizations and businesses have bought their blocs of tickets yet.

I've also talked with the reporter that does all the articles on MLS in the Daily Oklahoman and was supposed to have another article come out two weeks ago but it never appeared and has yet to do so. I don't know what the hold up is.

From what I hear, a good turn out at the exhibition game is very important. So for only a little more than 2,000 tix sold at this time, it's a little concerning but hopefully things will turn around.

Other than that, I don't know much more on the stadium deal. I can assure everyone thought that Bob Funk is a quality man that knows how to run a sports franchise and he would be an asset to MLS.

 

Just to clarify, The OKC game is between the Wizards and the Crew. Wizards v. Burn is in Tulsa. I would like to find out how Tulsa is doing.

Wallydrag is the man. Most of the news I hear about the OKC expansion is from him. I think he has connections. I try to find reports and articles on the situation but I can't find squat except for the general stuff everybody else already knows about.

Also, Mr. Funk owns Express Ranches. They have a breeding bull worth a million bucks. The guy has serious cash and he's not afraid to spend it if he feels he can get a good return.

 

sorry too slow for Wally

 

Optimistic

Call me optimistic...but if Rochester gets their stadium built, and MLS allows both Rochester and OKC (which will build the stadium if accepted) a team then MLS will be good to go. Say those stadiums get built for the 2005 season, that would be 4 SSS in the league not counting the rumored stadiums in NJ and Dallas that will hopefully be announced within the year. So MLS could have half of their teams in SSS by the time 2005 rolls around. Then the WC comes in 2006, the US has another great showing and we have new investors wanting to get in on the league as it starts to really take off. Then Uncle Phil and Lamar can sell some of their teams.

By the way 5 investors for 12 teams sounds alot healthier than 3 investors for 10 teams. Even if one of those investors owns 6 teams...

I really have a good feeling about all of this.