Honestly. We definately don't need a 150 million dollar stadium. We should just build a small, 25K modular stadium, and then once we create an appropriate sized fan base, should we even think about building something like Crew stadium. Obviously Anshultz doesn't want to put up big bucks, but i think 10 - 15 million would be nothing for him. Not only that, but I bet the team would immediately become profitable.
we will have to deal with the same issues. Stdium portion of bill is only like 70M with Metro putting in 20-30M. The 150M is more for the roads and fix up of the area.
Hey, that's a good idea. Metro could even move the stadium around every week to various parts of the metropolitan area. They could have the fans vote on where next week's match should be.
Re: Re: What's wrong with a modular stadium? I know it's my utopian side of the brain kicking in but... The Forest Hills stadium area is for sale. There are a group of investors (Mc Enroe included) who want to buy it convert it into a stadium/training center(sound familiar?). Squeeze a modular stadium in there? Wouldn't be impossible (though difficult I admit.) These are the moments when the league's lack of investors kills it-where the loss of the likes of George Soros is truly telling. A civic minded, public-private consortium is something I think he would look at. A sports complex there that could be used by both Metrostars and the NYC public schools-who are dying for field space-plays right into the business-philanthropy model. We can't expect Anschutz to do all of the heavy lifting. Considering the minor league stadia that has been built and the Harrison problems-boy the need for some folks with some political oomph is really telling with Metro.
Re: Re: Re: What's wrong with a modular stadium? i don't think the people in forest hills gardens would care for a footie team very much! and parking is a nightmare beyond belief. but i like your enthusiasum.
Re: Re: Re: Re: What's wrong with a modular stadium? Yeah, the one thing I always forget is that area is zoned for residential use, which is one of the main reasons the stadium has not been sold.
Here's a potential site for a location. http://www.billburg.com/arts/article.cfm?id=62 more info: http://www.mccarrenpool.org/ People have been in disagreement over how to develop this building since the eighties. It's an awesome structure, if Anschutz or whoever agrees to build small stadium and maintain architectural integrity of thing, could be a win -win situation in many ways. Come on somebody - get it done.
Wow and we think getting metropark done is hard! i played at McCarren Park a few times i always thought the site was abandoned.
Umm....was the Rikers Island Stadium proposal shot down? Yikes- that place looks like Beirut, on a bad day. GPoint/Williamsburg is actually a cool place, but that particular site looks pretty sketchy (just from the photos). In reading about it, I can see that is has undergone a serious amount of decay. For those of us who haven't been there, can you tell us what the surrounding neighborhood is like? (trains, highways, parking, etc?) I read an article on the .org site that they are trying to turn it back into a pool/community multi-use facility. Would they really be amenable to a soccer/concert stadium? Perhaps as part of a community recreation and sports center it could work, but those photos aren't too promising, nor is the litany of problems they have had getting anything done on that site, as laid out in the narrative on mccarrenpool.org. Sounds cool, but unlikely. And there is supposedly a toxic paint factory next door? Would we have to rely on city streets for access to the parking lots and what not? Uggh. I'm all for throwing a stadium in the city. I think it gives us a much larger base from which to draw fans, and if you put it next to a subway line you are helping a large amount of fans in the city who don't drive and have problems getting to GS for games. Exactly how large that number is none of us know, but I think we will draw as well or better than we do now. And, if we are going to put it in the city, I am okay with us putting it into a neighborhood that is being re-developed. With crap access, shite parking and shady neighborhoods the Yankees and Mets draw tons of fans. Apples and Oranges, I know, but I would travel anywhere in the city to watch the Metro. Harlem, South Bronx, and parts of Brooklyn would be a bit of a drag on the fan base, but I think we could do well just about anywhere in town, but how many parts of town would take us? I think our best shot might be to take over a place like the Navy Yard in Brooklyn and try to re-develop that unused space (piers on the west side are in a similar situation). Forest Hills could be great, except for the Zoning issue. It's near highways, trains, etc. Yes, it is a bitch getting there when 50,000 others are doing likewise for the Mets, but with 20,000 metro fans it shouldn't be as bad. We could schedule home games to not conflict with Met games (play midweek night games at home when they are on road trips, and home games on Sat could be at 4 or 7 if the mets are playing at 1 or 7). But, it ain't happening anyway, so why bother. Speaking of Utopian spitballing, I have two ideas. The first is trying Brooklyn (well, not Red Hook, but somewhere) again. There are highways and trains all over and more space than most burroghs. Coney Island, Bay Ridge, there is space. I was pissed the Aqueduct deal fell thorough, that would have been great. The second idea is Kingsbridge, in the Bronx. There is a huge park, just east of Riverdale that runs along Broadway. It is flanked by 2 highways (Henry Hudson and Major Deegan), is only about 10 minutes from the GW, and is right at the end of the 1/9 train. Throw a stadium in there and I think we could do well. There are only apartments on 1 side, and I think the neighboors might object to a soccer/concert arena, but it could work (in my dreams, anyway). Really though, it looks like Metro are committed to Harrison. I am cool with that, as long as they close the deal and get it done.
Re: Re: What's wrong with a modular stadium? The area is 2 blocks from the BQE and a 10 min. walk from the A & c train(the high train station i 've ever seen ) . the area has a huge polish/eastern-euro population Polonia SC play at McCarran park across the street.it is obvious the area needs attention.
Maspeth, Queens could also be a good place-large Eastern Euopean and Italian population, space (by/in the industrial park area) and somewhat accessable (buses, but they also run by all the train stations in the area). Then there;s Randells Island, although it's a hole in the ground now, it's a hell of a lot better than GS....