Editorial: St. Petersburg should set vote on Rowdies stadium

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-st-petersburg-should-set-vote-on-rowdies-stadium/2313197

Editorial: St. Petersburg should set vote on Rowdies stadium

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 5:09pm

The St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday should support a May voter referendum on whether the city should be allowed to negotiate a deal with the Tampa Bay Rowdies for a new stadium on the downtown waterfront — if the Rowdies are awarded a Major League Soccer franchise. The Rowdies make a reasonable argument that the city needs to send a strong signal of support before the franchises are awarded, and the team will pay for the referendum. There is no risk to the city in holding the referendum, and the harder decisions would come later.

Rowdies owner Bill Edwards announced his plans to seek an MLS franchise to great fanfare in December. The league is expanding with four new teams, and two of those could be awarded before the city's Aug. 29 primary election. That's why Edwards wants to pay for a special May 2 voter referendum. He envisions a new, 18,000-seat soccer facility on the site of Al Lang Stadium, the former spring training baseball stadium that is now the Rowdies' home. Renderings show a compact stadium with open views of the water that would fit within the existing footprint of Al Lang. The new structure would not require dredging the bay or rerouting exiting streets, and it should not affect the Saturday Morning Market or the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The most critical consideration for local leaders and taxpayers: Edwards would finance the $80 million stadium and the team purchase privately.

Even with no public money on the line, long-term leases along the waterfront require a voter referendum, a safeguard that keeps the city's greatest asset from being taken over by private development. Council members on Thursday will consider scheduling the referendum, which would ask voters to let the city approve a deal of up to 25 years for an MLS team to play at the Al Lang site. The referendum also establishes soccer as the primary use for the site, and it makes clear that no public money would go toward stadium construction or MLS fees. If the Rowdies do not win an MLS franchise, there would be no long-term city agreement and no new stadium.

Should the referendum be approved by the voters, and should Edwards succeed in luring Major League Soccer to St. Petersburg, the long-term agreement between the team and the city will be another significant issue. Six of the eight council members, not just a simple majority, would have to approve the agreement, another good safeguard. That document should lay out what would happen to the site if the Rowdies were to be sold or the team tried to leave town. The stadium design also would have to be approved. As this process moves forward, those questions should be answered transparently for the public.

An MLS soccer franchise playing in a sparkling new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg would be a valuable addition to the city. Holding a referendum in May is a short timetable for voters to take the first step toward Edwards' ambitious vision to remake Al Lang Stadium into a first-class home field for an MLS franchise. Normally, this could wait until city elections in August, but Major League Soccer's schedule requires moving quickly. Putting the issue on the ballot is a show of good faith with no risk to taxpayers, and the City Council should allow the referendum to go forward and let Edwards make his pitch to voters.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/757675?referrer_id=2333971

Rowdies Owner Aligned with USL’s Direction

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 02/14/17, 1:56PM EST

Edwards commends league’s organization at Tampa Bay Business Journal presentation

TAMPA, Fla. – Leadership from the Tampa Bay Rowdies, including owner Bill Edwards, praised the USL’s organization and business model during a presentation at the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Business of Sports event last week at One Buc Place, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I felt we belonged somewhere that was organized and together, because we’re an organized team and we do things that a lot of people don’t do,” said Edwards. “I needed to surround myself with people I could count on at the league level. USL is like night and day between the two of them. … It cost money to do that, but it was the best money we spent at that particular moment because we’re very happy with where we’ve landed.”

The Rowdies and Ottawa Fury FC elected to join the USL this offseason and are now moving full steam ahead toward their first seasons in the league. For Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lee Cohen, the move was a necessary step to pushing the Rowdies and soccer forward in the Tampa Bay market.

“We felt like from a business model, and a business decision, this was the path we needed to go down,” said Cohen. “I won’t say it didn’t hurt that the league office is right here in our back yard, so we see them once a week. They’re constantly bringing over prospective franchise owners and current franchises to say, ‘look, this is a flagship team.’

“The top of our stadium says ‘We Stand For Soccer,’ and that doesn’t mean just for this area. It means whatever we can do to help the game, and it’s nice to be in the back yard of the USL office and constantly be helping them develop the game.”

The Rowdies kick off their first USL regular season on March 25 when they host Orlando City B at Al Lang Stadium. Prior to that, the side will host the second edition of the Suncoast Invitational, which includes five Major League Soccer clubs visiting the region to conclude their preparations for the new season. Tampa Bay will meet the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night as part of a doubleheader at Al Lang Stadium, and then the Montreal Impact as part of a tripleheader on February 25.

Cohen said getting the chance to host MLS squads on an annual basis has helped raise the Rowdies’ reputation as an organization in North American soccer circles.

“The feedback we’ve received from every single team, it’s not just about the market, but it’s about the professionalism that our organization has portrayed to each one of their teams,” said Cohen. “We treat them with the same respect that they’re treating us, and the entire area just really everybody loves. Their owners are the decision-makers, but it’s always helpful when they come into town and have a great experience. Bill really takes care of them when they’re in market. It’s just a good word-of-mouth feeling.

While Tampa Bay has applied to join MLS in its next round of expansion, Edwards said the club is keen to make its presence felt on the field in the USL this season.

“The bottom line to it is we’re focused on today, and today we’re preparing for our season in the USL,” Edwards said. “We’ve got a great team this year, we plan on winning everything we can, and we’re focused on soccer.”

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/739668?related-757675

Edwards Taking Rowdies to Next Level

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com, 01/02/17, 2:16PM EST

2017 newcomer displays big expectations with stadium expansion design of Al Lang

Tampa Bay Rowdies Owner Bill Edwards has made it clear in the past that he wanted to expand Al Lang Stadium.

For the past two years, the Rowdies have regularly brought in some near-capacity crowds at the waterfront venue in St. Petersburg, Fla., and heading into its first campaign in the USL, they are expected to be one of the league’s top draws.

In early December, Edwards and the team unveiled an elaborate expansion and renovation of Al Lang that would up the capacity to 18,000 while maintaining the aura of the venue being adjacent to the waterfront. Should the plans come to fruition, it would be not only an impressive soccer-specific gem, but also one that stays true to the downtown St. Pete area – a much different approach than what Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays had wanted to build over at one stage.

“It was too imposing, running across the street and into the water,” Edwards said in reference to the Rays’ plans. “We’re doing it in a footprint that’s there, and we’re taking our neighbors into consideration, which was our first and most important goal.”

The Rowdies organization has a rich soccer history in North America, and so too does Al Lang, which had been a part of baseball lore for the past century. The Rowdies have progressively made the stadium their own in the footballing realm in recent years.

“We’ve got new locker rooms, new concession stands, new seats – we’ve totally refurbished a stadium that was named in 1922, when Babe Ruth played, so there’s a lot of history to that,” Edwards said. “We kind of covered it over as best we could to not disturb [the history]. We’re growing it out and we’re selling tickets.”

Like all USL teams, Edwards spent mid-December at the 2016 USL Winter Summit in Clearwater Beach, Fla., and he expressed his praise of the league and the benefits it will have for the Rowdies.

“Everything was done in a way to position us to go where we wanted to go. We’re glad to be here, and I couldn’t be happier with what I’m seeing here,” Edwards said. “[The league is] lightyears ahead of where I just came from, and it’s allowed me to focus on building my brand and team.”

The stadium expansion and Edwards’ big-picture approach have made the Rowdies part of the fabric in Florida, and he hopes the fans and the St. Petersburg/Tampa market will continue to take this club to a higher level.

“When I came in, I planned on being here for a while, told everybody what my intentions were and where I’d like to go,” Edwards said. “Now it’s up to the fans, their attitude and how they want to carry it and support us. Certainly our city and our sponsors have been great. It’s a great place in downtown St. Pete to be down on the water, and it’s great for Tampa and the surrounding areas – Bradenton, Sarasota – to visit the games and have a good time with us.”

“My aspirations are always higher than anybody else’s, I think – dreams of the dreamers.”

(Follow link for full article.)

https://twitter.com/OriginalWinger/status/831606955756052480/photo/1

The Original Winger
‏

@OriginalWinger

For comparisons sake, here are the two StubHub tenants side by side.

    Retweets
    5
    Likes
    7
    #WeBelieve Movement
    Jonathan Johnson
    Rawleigh Greenhalgh
    Bleek Gilliam
    Mission San Diego FC
    Buy 1k Followers $12
    Champagne Soccer
    Brian Dunseth
    Ian Thomas

12:52 PM - 14 Feb 2017
2 replies 5 retweets 7 likes

    Bill Stanton ‏@m81m82 34m34 minutes ago

    @OriginalWinger @BrianDunseth also take into account the number of games over twice as many games for the galaxy
    0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
    Robert kreib⚽ ‏@RobertKreib 2h2 hours ago

    @OriginalWinger @BrianDunseth the football tix were actually less than I expected.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2017/02/13/rowdies-stadium-referendum-heads-to-city-council.html

Rowdies stadium referendum heads to city council this week for first vote

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.facebook.com/JustinGranit/videos/1093284520800259/

Justin Granit

If Major League Soccer is going to come to St. Pete the Tampa Bay Rowdies need the fans. I went one-on-one with Rowdies owner Bill Edwards as he makes a pitch to Major League Soccer (MLS)

10News WTSP

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/72314/most-watched-soccer-league-in-us-headed-to-faceb.html?edition=16819

Most-watched soccer league in U.S. headed to Facebook

by Paul Kennedy, February 14th, 2017 2:39AM

Univision will begin airing select Liga MX matches in English on Facebook, beginning on Saturday with the Club America-Guadalajara Clasico. The games will air on Univision's Facebook page.

The move underscores the reach of Facebook but also the importance of Univision targeting English-language fans of Liga MX and reaching a millennial English-dominant audience.

Univision has struggled with a changing demographic as younger Latino-Americans are less inclined to watch Univision programming -- and television in general.

The Liga MX games it will cover will also air on Univision Deportes, Univision's sports cable network. Liga MX is the most-watched soccer league in the United States. Each Liga MX team has an individual agreement for rights to its home games with U.S. networks. Thirteen of the 18 teams have deals with Univision.

“Our Facebook partnership is an exciting opportunity for these fans to experience this great soccer in the language of their choice,” said Tonia O’Connor, Univision's chief commercial officer and president of content distribution. “TV options have evolved from broadcast to cable to SVOD [subscription video on demand]. Now Facebook represents the next wave of TV and, given its scale, they are an ideal partner to distribute our Liga MX matches in English.”

The second leg of Liga MX's Apertura final on Univision and UDN drew 3.3 million viewers, making the Tigres-Club America game the top-rated Apertura final match in 10 years.

UDN, which launched in 2012, was the only sports network to achieve year-over-year increase in viewing and the increase of 33 percent made it the fastest-growing of any TV network, regardless of genre or language, in primetime.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.irishnews.com/magazine/2017/02/14/news/a-football-club-is-advertising-for-a-chief-tattoo-officer--932045/

A football club is advertising for a 'chief tattoo officer'

With so many different coaches, managers, doctors and data analysts in the game now, the staff at football clubs seems to be forever expanding.

Now the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer have taken things one thing further by advertising a position as their chief tattoo officer.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2017/02/14/mls-soccer-phila-union-hiring-chief-tattoo-officer.html

Phila. Union wants to add a CTO, but you'll never guess what the 'T' stands for

The Philadelphia Union are hoping to ink a deal with somebody who will help the team tap into what it describes as professional soccer’s "youthful and contemporary culture."

The Major league Soccer club is looking to hire a chief tattoo officer.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.sportingkc.com/post/2017/02/13/starting-xi-desert-diamond-debut

Starting XI: Desert Diamond Debut

Starting XI is a biweekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights 11 of the biggest storylines and news updates from Sporting Kansas City, MLS and soccer around the globe. Click here to visit the Starting XI archive.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2017/02/14/mls-club-to-appoint-first-ever-chief-tattoo-officer/

MLS club to appoint first-ever “Chief Tattoo Officer”

(Follow link for full article.)

http://atlallday.com/2017/02/14/atlanta-united-fc-time-pay-attention/

Atlanta United FC: Time to Pay Attention

As the haze of football begins to dissipate, along with the accompanying disappointment from Atlanta fans, Major League Baseball and Basketball usually take center stage. This year, though, another team joins the cast, and deserves attention.

Atlanta United Football Club launched its inaugural season this past weekend in a pre-season game, dispatching Chattanooga FC (4-0) along the way. The newly minted Atlanta MLS (Major League Soccer) team is one of the best kept secrets in town. Although it is an expansion franchise, and located in a town that is supposed to be a “bad sports town”, expectations are high, and there is a quiet bubbling of excitement starting to surface.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.espnfcasia.com/blog/espn-fc-united-blog/68/post/3060620/lucy-rushton-q-and-a-the-role-of-analytics-in-the-construction-of-atlanta-united-fc

Lucy Rushton Q&A: The role of analytics in building Atlanta United FC

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/02/14/why-an-fc-cincinnati-mls-expansion-franchise-would.html

Why an FC Cincinnati MLS expansion franchise would be welcomed by Columbus Crew

(Follow link for full article.)

http://wtop.com/mls/2017/02/american-soccer-club-looks-to-hire-tattoo-artist/

American soccer club looks to hire tattoo artist

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/02/14/mls-team-looking-to-hire-tattoo-artist

MLS team looking to hire tattoo artist

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2017/02/13/strong-proposal-submitted-for-usl-expansion-team-in-baltimore/?utm_term=.2efc17d7c5e2

‘Strong’ proposal submitted for USL expansion team in Baltimore

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.pollstarpro.com/NewsContent.aspx?cat=0&com=1&ArticleID=829479

St. Louis Stadium Fate Going To Voters

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2017/02/14/donald-trump-muslim-ban-mls-signing-impact

Donald Trump's impact on MLS: Muslim, DP-level player backs out of signing

(Follow link for full article.)

http://kokomoperspective.com/sports/kokomo-mantis-fc-on-hold-for-season/article_db2d80d6-f22e-11e6-98a3-83b3a393d9a8.html

Kokomo Mantis FC on hold for 2017 season

Talks begin for NPSL Soccer League in 2018 season

(Follow link for full article.)

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2017/02/15/mls-club-philadelphia-union-advertise-club-tattoo-artist

MLS club Philadelphia Union advertise for a club tattoo artist

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/carnival-paradise-to-sail-to-cuba-from-tampa/2313136

Carnival Paradise to sail to Cuba from Tampa

Justine Griffin

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 9:29am

TAMPA — Carnival is the latest cruise line to offer cruises to Cuba from Port Tampa Bay.

The Carnival Paradise ship will begin offering voyages from Tampa to Cuba beginning June 29, the cruise line announced Tuesday.

The overnight visits to Havana will be featured on 12 different four- and five-day cruises from Tampa.

Four-day cruises will depart June 29, July 13, Aug. 24, Sept. 7 and 21, and Oct. 5 and 19, as well as May 3, 2018, and include a daytime and overnight visit to Havana. Five-day voyages will depart Aug. 14 and 28, Sept. 25 and Oct. 9, and include a daytime and overnight visit to Havana as well as a stop in either Cozumel or Key West.

"Cuba is an island jewel unique from anywhere else in the Caribbean and we are thrilled to have this rare opportunity to take our guests to this fascinating destination," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, in a statement. "The opportunity to visit Havana, combined with the fun, relaxed ambiance and wide variety of amenities and features offered on Carnival Paradise, will make for a truly one-of-a-kind vacation experience."

The ship features a 12,000-square foot spa and wellness facility and an exclusive adults-only retreat. An on-board swimming pool has a 115-foot-long water slide. In April, the Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas will port in Tampa for the 2017 summer season and also offer a series of four- and five-night sailings to ports in Cuba.

The Cuban government has extended permission for many new cruise arrivals the year, which signals to those in the travel industry that Cuba tourism is expected to be an ongoing business. But the future of travel to Cuba remains unclear under the Trump administration. President Trump has not reversed the loosening restrictions on travel to Cuba forged by Obama, but Trump has yet to talk about the future of ongoing relations between the two countries.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/soccer/mls-holds-its-version-of-spring-training-in-pinellas-county/2313170

MLS holds its version of spring training in Pinellas County

Rodney Page

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 5:30am
   
Spring training in Florida has always meant baseball in March. That used to be especially true in St. Petersburg, where over the years Al Lang Stadium was the spring home for teams like the Yankees, Orioles, Mets, Cardinals and the early years of the Devil Rays.

But for the second straight year, the biggest professional soccer league in the United States, Major League Soccer, is bringing some of its teams to Tampa Bay two weeks to play in the Suncoast Invitational. Since Al Lang Stadium has been converted from a baseball field to a soccer pitch, it is now a perfect venue for soccer spring training.

The Montreal Impact will train at Al Lang for a second straight year. Philadelphia will train in Clearwater at the Joe DiMaggio Complex a third straight year. Additionally, two teams training in nearby Bradenton — D.C. United and Chicago — will make their way to St. Petersburg to play matches. Those exhibitions begin on Saturday and end with a triple-header at Al Lang on Feb. 25. Toronto, which lost the MLS Cup to Seattle this past season, will come over from Orlando to play Chicago on the 25th.

"It only makes sense to us that we follow the model that baseball has followed for many, many years with regards to spring training,'' said Philadelphia Union chief business officer Tim McDermott, who pointed out that it was 31 degrees in Philadelphia on Monday. "It allows us to accelerate our training and also bring a little bit more exposure to our league and our fans. The city of Clearwater has been great to work with and this is something I only see growing in the future.''

Montreal took over Al Lang last season. The Impact trained at the stadium and stayed across the street at the Hilton Hotel. It will do the same this season. The team arrived in St. Petersburg on Tuesday and will stay through the 25th.

The Impact, which finished with 11 wins, 11 losses and 12 ties last season in MLS, will play Philadelphia, D.C. United and the Rowdies during its 11-day stay. This year's MLS season begins on March 3.

"What's important to us at this stage of the spring is that we are getting good training at good facilities and playing MLS competition," impact technical director Adam Braz said. "That's what we got last year, and even though the Rowdies are not in MLS, we still got a good game against them last season. So we decided to duplicate our plans this season. I see this as something we could do for many years in the future.''

The Rowdies are the beneficiary of the MLS teams training locally. Although they are in the United Soccer League, the host Rowdies will play against both Philadelphia and Montreal on consecutive Saturdays. Rowdies owner Bill Edwards is making a pitch for his team to join MLS when it expands. They are on a list of 10 potential cities for the two expansion spots.

Playing against MLS teams also prepares the Rowdies for their season, which begins March 25.

"We can sit here and play college teams in the area all we want,'' said Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens, who played in MLS for 10 years with the Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids. "But when these guys come down here we need to take advantage of playing quality teams like that. We need to test ourselves against a so-called higher level. And I think for the MLS teams it's good to see other opponents like us. The goal is not to get three points. It's about starting the spring off right and developing good habits.''

Rowdies Suncoast Invitational

When/where: Saturday and Feb. 25 at Al Lang Stadium (230 1st St SE, St. Petersburg); Feb. 22 at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex (2450 Drew St, Clearwater)

Saturday: Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.; Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22: D.C. United vs. Saint Louis F.C., 4 p.m.; Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact, 7 p.m.

Feb. 25: Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 3 p.m.; Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.; Tampa Bay vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $15-20 for main stadium bowl; $30 for reserved sections

Contact: 727-222-2000 or ticketmaster.com