Will be heading to the press conference at 3:00pm today and then onto a Starbucks to get the info posted to www.rapidsfan.com ASAP thereafter.
A new owner/investor OR a stadium would have been great news, both for Rapids fans and MLS. Getting BOTH? That is just tremendous. This is a great day for MLS and congrats to Rapids fans.
Yeah, word on the street is new SSS by 2006. Congrats! Can't wait to get the details in 1:15. Hope you guys have a nice new home to look forward too. You might have to still go back to Invesco for your 4th of July games
I hate to say that i'm jealous, but i'm jealous! When is DC, the 3 time champion, going to get a cozy new stadium? maybe now that it looks like baseball is done here, they will focus on building United a mecca! anyway, seriously, congrats to Colorado. This is GREAT for the league as a whole, and it makes me proud as a soccer fan to see that people are finally willing to invest in a quality soccer product. Aren't we all glad for the rich white guys of this country who have nothing better to do with their money???!!!! LOL
Yeah, it's hard to know where to rate this event on the all-time great things to happen to the Rapids franchise. There aren't too many, so Kroenke's purchase and the announcement of the SSS has to be in the top 5 things that have ever happened too this club. This really is a huge, monumental event for the Rapids organization. It's a good day/year to be a Rapids fan!!
I hope that the future stadium announcement does not follow the 30-60 or 60-90 day trend....We in Metroland have been living in 2-3 month increments for 8 years.... Sounds like they have a final decision on which piece of land they are going to use...then everything else will fall into place...
Just now sitting down with a connection after leaving the conference at the Pepsi Center. A couple of quick comments before write a more detailed piece... things not otherwise mentioned in the official release above, but discussed at the press conference. - Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) is stating that they "are only just starting the search for a stadium location" and that "no plans are finalized" for the stadium itself - In response to GoRapids' post above, the HDC is seen by KSE as a fantastic achievement but by no means will be be a specific "model" for development of the Colorado stadium. The only direct aspect of the HDC that KSE has confirmed will be part of their stadium plans is a direct connection and involvement with youth development. - KSE made it very clear that they will be investing very heavily into youth development throughout Colorado - All parties involved made a specific point of giving props to the Rapids staff for everything that they've done over the years leading up to today. - AEG will continue to be significantly involved in the operation of the Rapids; they will see out operations throughout this year and continue in a sort of consulting partnership with the Rapids next year and beyond, especially with regards to stadium development. - Altogether there's not a lot of concrete information at this point. The press conference was basically 5 people (Garber, Leiweke, Ehrlich, Counce Spenny) echoing the general feeling that this is a massive step forward. Lots of mutual-respect-society business between AEG and KSE regarding what both have accomplished and are capable of. Will write a longer piece later tonight including more comments from Spenny, Hankinson and Trittschuh as well as the others mentioned above.
Great stuff, greenie. Thanks for the report and I look forward to reading your supplemental reports later. Hurry up!
Wasn't it only 2 years ago that the Raps were on the short list to be axed, then the Florida teams got it instead? What a difference a few years makes! This is truly amazing.
thats cause Colorado actually has a fan base, and they show it year in year out, even though they don't have teams to reward them.
This was also a primitive yet effective bit of putting pressure on the city to tell the Donkeys to give the Rapids a better lease. Once the new lease deal came through, this talk disappeared.
Congrats on the new owner, its a huge step for MLS and its in the right direction which is even better.
Congratulations Rapids fans. You have a new owner with really deep pockets and a lot of influence. Let's hope you get your own ground.
      Congratulations, Rapids fans!       SSS count: 4 down, 6 to go (not counting the expansion teams)! -G
sad thing is that the Revs will be the last team to get one, if we ever do. the only way we will is with new management.
      The Kraft management group definitely stinks (as a long-time Quakes fan, I know ), but hopefully the Revs (as well as all the other MLS teams that don't already have one) get their own SSS sooner rather than later. -G