I'd like to start off by saying my first choice is for the A's to stay in Oakland, but this is how you could easily do it in San Jose Mr. Wolf, and I'd like a nice position at one of your companies for this one... There are a few issues facing San Jose regarding having two new stadiums in one location. So don't build two- build one. First, Build a 25k-30k state of the art soccer based on a scaled down model of Atlanta's Turner field- which was originally constructed in a football/track/soccer configuration, but which could be modified later into a baseball configuration- IF the A's should run out of Oakland options. That way, if the A's stay in Oakland, The Quakes still get a SSS. However, If the A's need to move, the cost of a stadium remodeling/expansion should be far less than building a whole new ballpark for the A's, as well as making the extra land available for more parking. Second, there would be the issue of a soccer team playing on a dirt infield during baseball season. For this, we look to Amsterdam's new indoor, domed stadium for answers. They have an all natural grass playing surface set on wheels which can be rolled completely out of the stadium for sunlight/maintenance. In our solution, you lose the dome and just the dirt portion of the infield would have to be rolled out so an all grass portion could be slid in; thus costing only a fraction of Amsterdam's construction costs. Now Mr. Wolf about that new consultant you were looking for.... Ahem....
No offense, but sharing a stadium? Yuck! I hope that the A's stay in Oakland, but if they were to move to San Jose, the SSS could still be built not only separately from the baseball stadium, but in another part of San Jose altogether. -G
Yeah, But getting TWO stadiums passed with voter approval- in SAN JOSE?? Good luck. This would eliminate the Baseball/soocer fan conflict ensuring that no matter what, everybody gets what they want. Plus, building either stadium anywhere other than downtown, and I wouldn't be attending any more games than I do now (2-4 per year; Spartan is out of the way enough), whereas downtown more people from all over the Bay Area would attend. This IS a compromise, But I also think it would be a slam dunk for voter approval since it does not pit baseball fans against soccer fans for stadium space and/or prime location. Plus, If the A's DIDN'T move, you'd have the Quakes in state of the art soccer stadium by themselves which IS the ultimate goal, isn't it??
It's all about how it's presented to the public. If we can get baseball fans to vote "yes" for a soccer stadium, I think that's everything we all want. But if the A's don't move, it remains a soccer stadium forever... Sounds like a good deal to me...
Sharing a stadium is not an option. Just ask any DCUnited/Nationals player. The first year was a nightmare.
I agree. Both leagues are operating at the same time, meaning the changeover will be costly, baseball player/fans will be complaining about the condition of the field, and the soccer team would probably end up with more wednesday dates, resulting in lower attendance. And we would be playing soccer in what will look a lot more like a baseball stadium then a soccer stadium.