Get the stadiums built. "It's our biggest challenge," says Garber, who hopes five soccer-only venues will go up in the next five years. Having 25,000-seat facilities would allow MLS teams to set their own schedules, control their own revenue streams and create a demand for tickets that doesn't exist in 75,000-seat NFL hulks. Lamar Hunt, who built the Columbus stadium, the MLS's first soccer-only facility, says he visited every World Cup venue to get ideas for constructing a stadium for his Kansas City Wizards. Saying it couldn't afford it, the city of McKinney, Texas, dropped its plans to build a publicly funded stadium for the Dallas Burn earlier this year. Perhaps after this World Cup, cities like McKinney will take a longer look at MLS. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/06/28/hard_part/ (it talks about the success of the World Cup and how MLS can build on that success) In a span of 2 years, the landscape has changed significantly. And look likes 7 years from when Garber made that comment (i.e. 2007) there will be 5 SSS that will go up. -HDC (2003) -Dallas (2005) -Chicago (2006) -Denver (2006) -NY (2006) and he might exceed his wish of five SSS in which D.C. and S.J. could join that list. And if Rochester join, it will be a very happy SSS family.
      Not only would it be great if every MLS team eventually has its own soccer-specific stadium within the next 5-7 years, but each MLS team must have one if it wants to become viable for the long-term! Fortunately, it's certainly doable!       It's interesting that the article mentioned a possible SSS for the Wizards. Considering that the article's issue date was 7/1/2002, has there been any word since then regarding a new stadium for the Wizards, as well as for the Revolution and for DC United (the three MLS teams of which we haven't heard potential-SSS news and/or rumors as of late)? -G
http://www.dcunited.com/index.cfm?section=main&cont_id=233054 The team’s fans, United for D.C.’s donors and the overall Greater Washington, D.C. community should be excited to hear first-hand about D.C. United’s plans for a brand new soccer stadium in the District.
McKinney? Sorry, I'm a bit unfamiliar with the DFW area, but is that near Frisco? I had kept seeing plans drafted for Frisco that everybody seemed hellbent on doing. And it looked quite nice. Is that the plan we're talking about that got scrapped?
Whew! That's a relief. I liked the pics I saw that seemed to indicate that a whole new neighborhood would be build around the stadium and in what already looks like kind of a cool town from what I see on the municipal site. Thanks for the clarification. Can't wait to see this done!
G: Correct me if I'm wrong, but Mr. Hunt controls the revenue stream at Arrowhead Stadium, while the Krafts control the revenue stream at The Big Razor, or whatever it's called nowdays. I'm certain that Mr. Hunt and the Kraft family are quite comfy with their teams playing at their current homes.
You are correct sir. Hunt did indeed look into building a stadium for the Wizards, but that seems to be on the backburner at the moment, if it survives at all. Kraft will build an SSS in New England when hell freezes over.
I am not sure that this is correct. The Krafts OWN Gilette Stadium, Hunt does NOT own Arrowhead; I believe the county does (I could be wrong). While Hunt might have a "sweet deal" there, it's a far cry from a true SSS in that I doubt he gains much (if any) revenue from non-Wizards/Chiefs events held there unlike, for example, what HSG pockets whenever any events are held at Crew Stadium or will pocket whenever any events are held at the new stadium in Frisco. Lamar Hunt was quoted a couple of years back as saying that the Wizards cannot be economically viable in Arrowhead. Doesn't mean the club bleeds money like the Metros do at Giants Stadium or DC United does at RFK, but the club will never be much of a money-maker either.