https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/10/15/beckham-group-rebuilding-lockhart-stadim-inter-miami-soccer-team-fort-lauderdale/
Beckham Group Rebuilding Lockhart Stadium For Inter Miami Soccer Team
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The rebuilding of a soccer stadium where the iconic Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale once stood is in full swing.
Chopper 4 flew over the site Tuesday where construction crews could be seen working on the new stadium that will be the temporary home for David Beckham’s MLS soccer team, Inter Miami.
Demolition of the property started earlier this year and now the construction is well underway.
Inter Miami will play at this stadium while Beckham’s group works on getting the final go-ahead to begin construction on their permanent home at Miami Freedom Park.
Site of the new soccer stadium in Fort Lauderdale (CBS4)
Inter Miami needs the Fort Lauderdale site to be up and running in about five months for their MLS home debut, according to MLSsoccer.com.
The Fort Lauderdale site, with a 18-thousand capacity, will eventually be home to a lower tier soccer team in the United Soccer League and host a training academy.
Inter Miami is expected to play around 17 games in its first season in Fort Lauderdale.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/food/2019/10/15/ybor-beverage-co-opens-in-tampa-as-part-coffee-shop-part-wine-bar/
Ybor Beverage Co. opens in Tampa as part coffee shop, part wine bar
Owners Lauren and Michael Mincberg have teamed up with local favorites to serve their products.
A gathering place for early birds as much as the after-work crowd, Ybor Beverage Co. has opened in the historic Tampa district with snazzy digs. [Courtesy of Ybor Beverage Co.]
Florida bevvies and bites drive Ybor Beverage Co., owned by Lauren and Michael Mincberg. Occupying a snazzy 2,000-square-foot space in the historic Tampa district, their 80-seat drinking den — part...
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/stories/ignite-mayor-mum-on-soccer-teams-rumored-departure,13411
Ignite, mayor mum on soccer team's rumored departure
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/raiders-san-manuel-casino-allegiant-stadium-nfl
Top Story: Raiders bet on San Manuel Casino deal
All the need-to-know deals from across the industry.
Major League Soccer’s (MLS) game attendance has declined for the second consecutive season. An average of 21,330 fans attended MLS games in 2019, down 2.5 per cent from an average of 21,873 in 2018. Game attendance had hit a record high in 2017 with an average of 22,106 spectators.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://the18.com/soccer-news/mls-attendance-2019-drop-popularity
MLS Attendance Drops While Popularity Grows
WHILE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE HAS DROPPED FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR, MLS HAS GROWN IN OVERALL POPULARITY.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article234898582.html
Exclusive: Sacramento lands Major League Soccer expansion team. Formal announcement Monday
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/10/15/news-brews-sipping-a-sour-ipa-while-talking.html
News & Brews: Sipping a sour IPA while talking Columbus Crew groundbreaking and SIP Local opening
(Follow link for full article.)
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/308504-with-the-rays-out-of-the-playoffs-new-stadium-buzzing-is-getting-louder
With the Rays out of the playoffs, new stadium buzzing is getting louder
Supporters think a deal is still possible.
The lobbying firm representing a citizen group advocating for the Tampa Bay Rays to move to Tampa did not renew its registration with the state this month, according to records.
Shumaker Advisors Florida had been representing Tampa Bay Rays 2020, but let its registration expire Oct. 4. According to Ron Christaldi, the co-founder of the group, that’s because there aren’t any current lobbying needs for the organization, which is not affiliated with the Major League Baseball team.
“We never were really doing anything in Tallahassee,” Christaldi said.
He said the original lobbyist registration was filed out of “an abundance of caution” when the group first launched with the goal of helping earn support for a new Tampa stadium.
But negotiations later failed when the Memorandum of Understanding between the city of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays expired before a deal was reached for a proposed stadium in Ybor City.
That does not mean Christaldi and his group are giving up, however.
Christaldi, along with businessman Chuck Sykes, co-founded Tampa Bay Rays 2020 last year. The idea was to compile meaningful community support from residents and businesses to show the team there was enough support in the Tampa Bay area to support home game attendance at a Tampa stadium, something the team has long failed to achieve at Tropicana Field in St. Pete.
While plans fizzled to move the team across the bay, Tampa officials are still holding out hope. Mayor Jane Castor recently said she wants to reopen negotiations and Hillsborough County Ken Hagan, who has backed moving the team for years and led negotiation efforts, still thinks it can happen.
That begs the question — is there still a future for the Rays in Tampa?
“I have always believed that we would get back to talking about Rays baseball in Tampa and maybe even Ybor City in the spot we were looking at before,” Christaldi said. “That spot was not flawed. From a business perspective, that spot was probably optimal.”
It’s central to communities throughout the region giving plenty of fans access to games within a 30-minute drive. The Ybor spot is also nearer Tampa’s downtown businesses who would serve as a potential season ticket-holding base for the team and its attendance. Corporate ticketing has been a struggle in St. Pete.
“The failure before really, in my strong opinion, had zero to do with that location. It was about the breakdown of the financing,” Christaldi said.
The Rays were seeking an $892 million stadium that would have included a retractable roof and several amenities Tropicana Field lacks. But financing in Hillsborough County was complicated. Pinellas County has access to bed tax dollars that could have helped the Rays fund a new stadium on that side of the bay. But Tampa and Hillsborough had to get far more creative, ultimately offering up a financing plan that would have leveraged private dollars.
Hillsborough voters simply did not have the appetite for publicly funding a stadium.
But Christaldi thinks there’s still hope.
He wouldn’t go into specifics, but there is potential for Community Redevelopment dollars to fund some of a stadium. Private investments could still be considered. Whatever the opportunities are though would likely have to flex some serious creativity.
“I think Castor’s renewed call for discussions and [St. Pete Mayor Rick] Kriseman’s continued regional focus say this can happen,” Christaldi said. “And once those discussions resume, I think things could move in earnest.”
The time is ticking. The Rays have a contract to play at Tropicana Field through the 2027 season. Under the previous Ybor City stadium plan, a stadium would have been ready for games in 2023. Supporters of that have already lost a year.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/10/15/ybor-city-stakes-claim-on-original-cuban-sandwich
Ybor City Stakes Claim on Original Cuban Sandwich
YBOR CITY, Fla. — Cuba is known for classic cars, salsa, and cigars. However, some might be surprised to know the Cuban sandwich has roots in Ybor City.
Many claim the Cuban sandwich originated in Ybor City
Cuban sandwich created from a mix of cultural influences
Sandwich typically made with pork, ham, salami, mustard, pickles, & swiss cheese
Ybor City has plenty to crow about — a place steeped in history, where the coffee is strong and the smell of freshly rolled cigars fills the air. But perhaps nothing is more of an institution in Ybor than the Cuban sandwich.
"A well made Cuban sandwich is one of the nicest things, one of the most delicious things you can eat in Tampa," Chantal Hevia, President of the Ybor City Museum Society, said.
It's a "taste" of Tampa's history, shared at places like the Ybor City Museum State Park.
Hevia says according to local lore, the Cuban was created here to satisfy the appetites of cigar factory workers putting in long hours.
"It was an easy way for them to get lunch. It was substantial but it didn't necessarily put them to sleep," she said.
However, when it comes to verifying the sandwich's roots, things get a little dicey.
"This is purely conjecture on my part, but who would have thought to document the history of a sandwich?" Hevia said. "So it's word of mouth and depending on who you are and what you've heard, there's a different story to tell."
The Cuban is definitely part of the story and part of the menu since day one at Florida's oldest restaurant, the Columbia. For 5th generation owner Andrea Gonzmart Williams, it's practically part of her DNA.
"I definitely grew up eating Cuban sandwiches," Williams said. "My little girl has grown up eating Cuban sandwiches."
Williams likes to think of the sandwich as a "mix" of the immigrants who contributed to building the city.
"Obviously the Cuban bread, being the Cubans. The ham being the Spaniards, the pork being the Cubans once again, the Salami being the Italians, and the yellow mustard and the pickles being the Germans, and then I like to say the swiss cheese is Ybor City that was the melting pot that brought all of these different cultures together," Williams explained.
As for any "food feud" about where the Cuban got its start, Williams said, "I think if another city tried to stake claim on the Cuban sandwich I'd ask them to have their 100-year-old restaurant call my 100-year-old restaurant and we could talk about it."
One thing is for sure though — among the pork and pickles, the Cuban sandwich feeds community pride.
"What a wonderful thing that on a national scale we can be recognized for this — because it tastes good," she said.
And the tasty sandwich has become so popular it has been named Tampa's official city sandwich.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/10/14/moving-on-but-to-where-cosmos-wont-play-in-npsl-in-2020-nisa-fall-season-application-deadline-is-nov-1/
MOVING ON, BUT TO WHERE?: Cosmos won’t play in NPSL in 2020; NISA fall season application deadline is Nov. 1
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zt-_a32zwk
Zach & Seba Tour Big Storm Brewing Co.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Rowdies go behind the scenes at Big Storm Brewing Co. to discover how our favorite Bay Beer is brewed.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-major-league-soccer-expansion-team-sources-say/28945245
Sacramento to become next MLS expansion team, sources say
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/soccer/reports-sacramento-set-announce-mls-expansion-team-early-next-week
Reports: Sacramento set to announce MLS expansion team early next week
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article234898582.html
Exclusive: Sacramento expected to be announced as 29th Major League Soccer team Monday
No comments:
Post a Comment