Major StubHub Center upgrades will help Galaxy compete with new MLS team across town

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Major StubHub Center upgrades will help Galaxy compete with new MLS team across town

By Sandy Mazza, Daily Breeze

Posted: 10/08/16, 2:22 PM PDT

It will be two years before Los Angeles’ upstart MLS soccer team moves into its new $350 million digs near downtown, but the home of the LA Galaxy isn’t waiting around to lose fans to a crosstown rival.

The StubHub Center in Carson recently invested $15 million in the intimate, 27,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium that since 2003 has housed the Galaxy.

A 5,100-square-foot LED screen, VIP lounge and a slew of hip, cool restaurants was just the beginning. Towering new palms adorn colorful signs at the main entrance. And cascading Clematis buttercups, flowering jasmine vines and other lush foliage are packed into every nook of the venue’s concourse.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, the sports and entertainment empire that owns StubHub and the Galaxy, even built a chicken coop so players can have fresh eggs with breakfast. It also introduced healthier concession meals like Hawaiian tuna poke and vegan banh mi sandwiches and local craft beers that can be enjoyed in private, picnic-style seating areas.

The upgrades, among others, haven’t gone unnoticed.

Season ticket sales climbed from an average of 6,000 to 7,000 a year to 10,000, and seven of the first 10 Galaxy matches this season sold out, stadium officials said.

It’s all part of a bid by owner AEG to modernize and boost ticket sales after a period of lagging attendance. The former Chivas USA, which suffered dismal attendance in Carson, shared the stadium with the Galaxy until the 2014 season ended and the team was disbanded. It will resurface as the Los Angeles Football Club when the region’s second MLS facility opens at the former Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena site in Exposition Park in 2018.

The new Banc of California Stadium is being billed as a flashier, more central place to catch a professional soccer game than the suburban StubHub Center, which is on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. But officials at the Carson stadium complex said they will continue to compete by enhancing the fan experience and providing a more comfortable atmosphere.

. . .

Arena said he and other stadium officials are working to finalize new offerings and upgrades for next season, in addition to a shuttle service and more Galaxy branding.

“We’re in a very competitive market for sports and entertainment,” Arena said. “We now have a venue in Carson that makes the experience on game day remarkable and brings people back. Our attendance has improved. Season ticket plans have grown. Everything’s headed in a positive direction.”