Potential Stadium Plans in SJ

I can't #%@$ing take any more good news, even of the embryonic kind.

I can't help looking up every two seconds waiting for some piano(RSL) to drop on my head. Nothing in MLS ever goes this well for this long.

Andy

 

Wasn't the Quake/Spartan relationship the reason San Jose became Houston? I hope Wolff has more respect from Spartan than AEG so that the contract isn't so one sided.

 

I think it would be wonderful to get the LA vs SJ rivalry back into the league.

And for the solution between these two often contentious parties to be cooperation! Who'd of thunk it?

 

I am not familiar with the option he negotiated w/ MLS. would he have to pay an expansion fee?

 

I think so but I think it was already set in a contract so they can't raise it due to the Beckham boom.

 

Yeah, I think the University is hurting a bit from not having the revenue of the Quakes games. The fact that SJSU refused to even negotiate its terms was ridiculous.

 

According to the report... SJSU is providing the land... Wolff is providing $80 million for the stadium... I would think that that sum of money would give Wolff some pull in this deal...

 

so.... SJSU is providing the land? does that mean they get the parking revenue? what about concessions? who would get that??? Wolfe for building the stadium? i hope this all works out... SJ back in the league would be great for you guys and great for the league!!!

edit: i just read the article (huh, imagine that) i see the EQ's would get to keep their concessions and SJSU keeps theres

 

Don't worry, the Utah politicians are currently working on a cure. Which sucks for RSL and their fans. Its too bad too, because they have dedicated fans.

 

A lot of things have changed since AEG made the decision to move SJ to Houston. Almost all for the positive:

1. SJ State has a new president who is much more open to partnerships. Especially ones that get him a new stadium without spending money that he doesn't have. A lot more sanity prevails.
2. SJ State footbal has a bit of a renassaince with a new, successful football coach and are thinking big on where they want to be in the next 5 years. And they want a new stadium.
3. Mayor Gonsalez (Mr. Major League Baseball in San Jose...or bust) is gone along with that pipe dream. With big thanks to Lew Wolff for slamming that door shut with moving the A's to Fremont just up the road.
4. The new Mayor Reed - while not a Quakes cheerleader - is a practical and open minded and willing to help as long as it doesn't cost the City much money.
5. 49ers announcing that they are seriously looking at Santa Clara for a major stadium there. While a negative in that it takes away one of the potential sites for a soccer stadium, it's a positive in that it (along with the A's deal) leaves no doubt about the perception of the sports market here in the south bay. Also with the Fremont A's and Santa Clara 49ers, SJ will be looking to keep their name in the limelight somehow. Santa Clara and SJ have a long history of civic rivalry even if SJ is much, much bigger now.
6. Spartan shops who was the third party service provider for consessions and parking at Spartan are now out of the picture. They were an unbelievable impediment in any negotiations.
7. Lew Wolff is a local developer and very astute in getting things done. For proof, just look at the Fremont A's situation which is moving along nicely. He has clout and credibility locally. He's the anti-AEG, who never seemed to be able to work well with anyone locally.
8. It's become much clearer now (especially with Beckham, etc.. these last few days) that MLS is here to stay and is growing well. Also, the franchise value of a club has risen drastically with Red Bull and DC sales. This means that Lew Wolff has a real economic reason to take advantage of his astute move in buying the Quakes rights at a predetermined price ($10-20M?).

IHMO, this is a deal that all adds up and will happen as long as any one party suddenly decides they have more leverage than they really do. SJ State needs Wolff's $ and Wolff needs SJS's land. City of SJ needs to enhance it's civic image and get whatever economic benefit of a new stadium in town that it can. The City comes into the picture because Wolff plans on paying the $80M by buying some cheap industrial land and getting the city to re-zone it so he can make $ on re-development of it. (Similar to his A's plan). So he needs the city to approve the re-zoning and whatever redevelopment plans he comes up with.

Wolff say's it's in an embroyonic stage, and I think that's a good way to put it. I think best case, the story may be well developed enough to field a Quakes team in 2008 in a temporary facility until the new stadium is finalized and built. If the stadium is ready before 2009 or 2010, I'll be shocked. BTW, the temp facility would be the existing Spartan stadium - what goes around comes around! At least then we can give the grand old lady a proper send-off when the last game is played!

 

Thanks, Goodsport, I meant to get in the 'Wolff will pay for it' point in there, but somehow missed it. Rather than the AEG - 'we gotta get a public handout' approach.

 

I'm not really sure about the past talks but I don't think AEG ever really wanted to negotiate a deal with the University. When I read the article, I thought it was something of just a story to jump on the Beckham bandwagon. Then I was in the area and decided to dive by Spartan this afternoon. I saw the field behind the stadium dug up and also saw the student 15 year old apartments boarded up and ready to be torn down. Something is in the air and definitely happening at Spartan Stadium. Silence is golden. I wish we all had a clue and knew what was going on. The suspense is killing me!

 

Yeah like the 120 million he paid out of pocket for Home Depot Center,
{mod edit, you made your point, let's get rid of the smack}

 

Don't worry, somebody famous will die on 4/7 in the afternoon.

 

Damn boys- get your stadium built while Beckham is still young enough to bend a free kick and defeat you!

Seriously, Beckham coming here has all sorts of impact, not withstanding possibly help close some of these deals with that extra bit of confidence fencesitters needed

 

This could quite possibly be the most ignorant post in the history of Big Soccer.

The equation is the most basic in the world:

No AEG from 1999-2003, no MLS

Andy

 

One of the greatest posts in the history of post-crash bigsoccer.

 

Um.

You don't think the nation's 5th largest tv market is "of interest" to anybody?

You don't think that Chivas USA and LAG don't give a crap about a natural rival that drives up attendance?

Look. I'm all about tar and feathering the short yellow bus "AEG is the DEVIL" crowd..., but no need to get hostile on a non-ignorant post.

 

I've said this b4, but the public monies sought in the SJ area were more than $X million.

It was about setting a precedent for numerous stadia. It was really about $X multiplied by 5, 6, 7, 8, 9+ stadia.

 

No. They didn't.

They just spent around $45-50 mill out of their own pocket for a player who breathes profit.

 

Ok only 50 mil! Even so, that amount pretty much would have paid for most of the bill to buld a SSS in San Jose.

 

W/ a lower immediate return on investment.

And much less reverberations felt league-wide and industry-wide.

Giving Becks more control of his image... that'll send shockwaves throughout the sporting world.