#MLS2STPETE: Understanding the Al Lang Stadium Referendum

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http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/26/mls2stpete-understanding-the-al-lang-stadium-referendum/

#MLS2STPETE: Understanding the Al Lang Stadium Referendum

by Jason Bruzzichesi - February 26, 2017

City Council meetings are admittedly never very exciting. Much of the discussions revolve around parcels, ad-valorem taxes, zoning questions, program awareness, and the occasional personal complaint about something the city is doing to anger one of its residents.   Very rarely do you see a great deal of outside discussion, or even significant input from the public.
However, when it comes to stadiums and expansion teams, this is where the sausage is really made. After about 30 minutes of public discussion, the St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to go forward with language that set up a public vote, scheduled for May 2nd of this year, bringing the Tampa Bay Rowdies one step closer to joining MLS.

Prior to the council meeting, the language of the referendum was announced in the Council agenda as such:

“An Ordinance calling a referendum regarding an agreement, with a term not exceeding 25 years and subject to certain conditions, for Al Lang Field to be used for the primary purpose of providing a home field for the Tampa Bay Rowdies to compete in Major League Soccer; authorizing the City Council to approve such and agreement following approval of the referendum by a majority vote; providing the referendum ballot title and text; calling a Special Election for May 2, 2017, to hold the referendum; directing the City Clerk to provide notice of the Special Election; making findings; and providing an effective date.”

The referendum’s language came into question thanks to questions by councilmember Charlie Gerdes, who sought to strengthen language of the referendum from using the terms “subject to” to “under,” appending the language of “primary purpose” to include “but not sole,” and changing the word “field” to “facility.” While this sounds like procedural wrangling, the importance of the language on the referendum is important, because the St. Petersburg City Charter limits any new proposals to a maximum of 75 words. This led to an additional question about the publication of the language, which would have to be revised, despite that it had already been submitted to the local paper of record, the Tampa Bay Times. A brief recess ensued, and as city attorneys huddled with council members, the language was finalized, a staffer reached out to the Tampa Bay Times, and the finalized submitted language – which had not yet been approved by council – was sent to the paper. That change cost the city about $1000 in advertising space.

But… it didn’t.

What was not openly discussed was the cost of this referendum, should it go forward. Requiring a special election means that the city has to pay for the use of the Pinellas County Clerk of the Courts to administer, staff and tally all the votes – currently scheduled for May 2nd, 2017. This comes with a cost of $270,000, of which $254,000 would be due to the Clerk on March 3rd – or the day after public discussion. This required another round of discussion and voting, because the money would be required to be put into escrow. What should have kinked this issue is that money for this special election simply had not been appropriated for the fiscal year – submitted back in October of 2016.

But… it didn’t.

Because like the advertising costs, Bill Edwards has agreed to pay for all of it.

Former Mayor Rick Baker, now on staff as the president of the Edwards Group, was on hand at the meeting, and quickly sought to clear the way of any obstacles by agreeing to absorb the additional advertising costs due to the changes in language. While councilmen Gerdes and Kornell asked about the additional cost, Baker simply strode up to the podium, was recognized by the chair, and agreed to pick up the tab.

Not everyone on hand was as easily persuaded, however.

While the majority of business leaders, including the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Steinacher, spoke in favor of the ordinance, some others bristled at the idea of expanding Al Lang, citing traffic, trash disposal, noise pollution, and parking inconveniences during game day. It is worth noting however, that Al Lang is currently the home of the Saturday Morning Market, which is reporting to attract about 10,000 visitors every weekend, and the current capacity of 8100, has yet to cause significant noise or other service issues, including traffic. In 2016, the City of St. Petersburg commissioned and received a finalized report on the Parking Demand Study, which cited that even at peak hours during weekends, the available parking for all of downtown did not exceed more than 50% usage.

On the matter of additional use, the question of whether or not Al Lang would become an outdoor concert destination was posed. The current lease agreement holds that Big 3 Entertainment is required to host at minimum, 10 non-soccer game related activities per year. Some examples of such have been post game concerts, as well as rugby matches, commercial shoots, chamber luncheons, and even an X-Games style event. Based upon the language of the ordinance, however, it is not only unlikely that city councilmembers would be averse to concerts and other events, but that they would actively seek to bring more use to Al Lang stadium on non-game days. The only question would be how that would impact the pitch, and how field maintenance staff would respond to such a challenge.

The Rowdies found a rather unlikely ally in Hal Freedman, who previously spearheaded efforts beginning in 2007 all the way into 2011 preventing the Tampa Bay Rays from expanding Al Lang, under his community group Protect Our Wallets and Waterfront (POWW). Citing a reasonable and low footprint, no pedestrian obstructions, and no additional filling in of the Bay in the proposed design, Freedman was surprisingly supportive of the effort.

So what’s next?

On Thursday, March 2nd, there will be a hearing on the referendum language, which may lead to finalization and submission. The time and format of that meeting is not yet determined, however it is likely to follow the same format as today’s occurring at 3pm, with an open forum. From there, the next big date will be Tuesday, May 2nd, when the actual referendum will be voted upon. Should that pass public approval by a simple majority, the City Council will then adopt the language into the charter (Section 1.02[d]) allowing the lease to change from a five (5) year agreement (expiring in 2020) to a twenty-five (25) year agreement. Additionally, the City Council and staff would have to draw up the new conditions for the agreement, which are currently non-existent. As the language sits right now, unless the Tampa Bay Rowdies are selected as a recipient of MLS expansion (no time frame is specified), the Al Lang lease will remain limited to only 5 years.

The average fan is not going to be inclined to sit for several hours on a Thursday afternoon to listen to the minute details of an ordinance to create a referendum, but this is how monumental movements of soccer expansion get done. Even fans of lower division soccer should pay attention when it comes to these types of meetings, ordinances and referendums. It’s by no means glamorous, and so far, no drums or smoke have been let off in the council chambers, but attendance at these meetings are as essential as showing up at the stadium on game days. Just not as glamorous.

Next Meeting:

Thursday March 2nd, @8:30AM – St. Petersburg City Hall (175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)

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http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-take-impressive-win-mlss-montreal-exhibition/

Rowdies take impressive win over MLS’s Montreal in exhibition

Gary Shelton

If you want to join them, well, first you beat them.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies, who have announced their plans to pursue admission into the MLS, took a symbolic step toward their goal Saturday night when they beat the Montreal Impact. The Impact was the Eastern Conference runners-up last season.

However, the Rowdies dominated play most of the evening, taking a 2-0 lead en route to their victory. Joe Cole and Deshorn Brown, a training guest, scored the goals within six minutes of one another late in the first half. Montreal’s only goal came from the penalty spot in the 71st minute.

“It’s nice to get a win, even though in preseason, the result isn’t the most important thing,” coach Stuart Campbell said. “It’s about the performance, the amount of work and improving the players’ fitness. You could see how hard the players worked tonight. For many of them, it was their first 90 minutes of the preseason.”

The Rowdies finished the Suncoast Invitation with a 1-1 record. The loss came to Philadelphia, which scored a late goal after Tampa Bay had substituted liberally.

“The movement that Montreal has and the attacking quality they use, they’re a very good team,” Campbell said. “We limited them to very few chances. I can’t remember many clear-cut chances they had. That’s one of the best teams in MLS. If you finish above Montreal, you’re not going to be far from winning the championship.”

After a back-and-forth first half that showed flashes of quality but with chances lacking, the Rowdies opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a quickly-taken free kick.

Rowdies winger Leo Fernandes drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box, and, before Montreal could set up defensively, the Rowdies took the free kick with Brown feeding Cole wide of the 6-yard box.

Cole’s shot on goal was deflected past Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush by Laurent Ciman and Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

Just six minutes later, Cole nearly scored his second of the match, but Bush made a big save. Brown pounced on the rebound and smashed it with his left foot to double Tampa Bay’s lead before halftime.

Despite the normal second-half substitutions that come standard in preseason matches, the Rowdies maintained control of the match save for Piatti’s penalty in the 71st minute, sealing a positive result.

“We wanted to go out and get a result, but really we wanted to put on a good performance,” Campbell said. “It’s fantastic to go out there and beat an MLS team that had a very good year last year and will no doubt have another very good year this year.”

Tampa Bay is back in action next week when it travels to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa Spartans on Saturday, March 4.

The Rowdies open their inaugural USL season March 25 against Orlando City B at Al Lang Stadium.

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https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/fans-new-major-league-soccer-team-show-off-earbleedingly-bad-chant/114777

Fans of new Major League Soccer team show off earbleedingly-bad chant

By SportsJOE

God love our American cousins and their relatively recently-found enthusiasm for the Beautiful Game.

Yep, the last few years have shown us that football (soccer) is finally catching on across the pond.

Internationally, their women's side are world champions and, while their men's side aren't, they still managed to outperform England during the last World Cup with a squad made up of many players that wouldn't get a game in the Premier League.

Major League Soccer also continues to grow, too. With David Beckham still working away on his Miami-based team, newly-formed Atlanta United are days away from making their MLS bow.

Understandably, Atlanta-based football (soccer) fans are quite excited that they'll not have to venture a few hundred miles out of their city to watch an MLS game. So excited, they've already made a chant to welcome their new team, bless 'em.

Now as much as we'd love to praise them for going to such great lengths, we simply can't.

Why? Well, just listen to it...

To our knowledge, the first ever football chant featuring the lines "You better watch your mouth" and "We're gonna stomp you out."

If ever there was a case for the MLS to introduce relegation, this song is it.

Check out Episode 4 of The Hard Yards rugby podcast as Donncha O'Callaghan, Mike McCarthy, Johnny O'Connor and Pat McCarry chat to Andy McGeady.

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/acura-kit-deal-sets-new-club-record-crew-sc-see-lot-room-grow

Acura kit deal sets new club record but Crew SC see "a lot of room to grow"

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-stadium-tour-0226-story.html

Orlando City new stadium open house draws thousands

Alicia DelGallo

A giant lion statue perched on a purple carpet greeted thousands of fans.

The hot and crowded concourse simulated a game-day atmosphere, as people of all ages inched along amid the scent of fresh paint and fresh concrete. Heads turned in every direction, taking in all details.

“We’ve been watching the pictures and following on social media,” said Adam Holtkamp, a civil engineer who drove from Merritt Island with his 9-year-old son to see the building in person. “It’s awesome.”

They were among the announced 10,473 visitors who toured Orlando City Soccer Club’s new downtown stadium during an open house Saturday.

The event began shortly after 9 a.m. and the main entrance was mobbed until doors closed at 1 p.m.

Fans walking to and from Orlando City Stadium passed under the faces of Pride defender Ali Krieger and Orlando City captain Kaká. The players beamed on posters hung from lamp posts that stretched down Church Street to Palmer Feed Store on the corner of Westmoreland Drive, where a chalkboard out front read, “Welcome to the hood Orlando City.”

The club also hosted a 5K run. Participants received purple medals when they crossed the finish line in front of Sy’s Supermarket. A D.J. blasted music that mostly drowned out the drills, heavy machinery and trucks backing up, noise from construction crews hustling to finish the stadium before March 5, when the Lions open the Major League Soccer season against New York City FC.

The remaining work looks daunting to wrap up in eight days, but Orlando City owner Flávio Augusto da Silva and CEO Alex Leitão said it all will come together in time.

During the open house, fans had access to the lobby, locker rooms, the club level, concourse, tunnel and stands along the west side of the stadium. The pitch was roped off and signs stuck in the ground read, “Please stay off the grass.”

Curious fans could reach the very edges of the turf, though. It was tightly mowed, a vibrant shade of green, cold and moist.

“I have awesome pictures,” Orlando resident Aileen Santos said as she scrolled through panoramic shots of the locker room, which will be used for all three professional teams under the Orlando City SC umbrella.

Santos; her husband, Paul; and their two small sons, whom Santos called “little lions,” walked through before the line backed up with dozens of people after the 5k ended. They’ve had season tickets since Orlando City joined MLS in 2015. Originally from California and New York, respectively, the couple is especially looking forward to the season opener and the L.A. Galaxy home match April 15. Both games sold out within minutes of tickets becoming available to the public.

“Section 106, which we can’t get to,” Paul Santos said smiling and pointing to a section of the stadium not open for touring. “But, yeah, we just wanted to check out the new stadium. I mean, it’s new, new stadium smell, like a new house smell. It looks great so far. I want to see it filled up with all these people in a week. Looking forward to it.”

Kennedy Hawkins-Dale can’t wait, either. She’s 8 years old.

“But on April 19th, I turn 9,” she said, clutching a sports card featuring Pride backup goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe as she waited in line for an autograph.

And to celebrate, she’ll hold her birthday party at the new stadium.

Hawkins-Dale and her mother scoured photos, maps and renderings of the new stadium online before it opened, picking out areas to hold about 20 children for the party.

The soon-to-be birthday girl approved of the space.

“Oh, I think it’s really, really, really cool,” she said, nodding with each “really.” “Especially the locker room, because then it goes out onto the field. Amazing.”

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html

MLS buzzing about new Atlanta team as season kicks off

Another Major League Soccer season will begin Friday without a firm plan for David Beckham’s long-awaited Miami team. But sources in the league and Beckham’s inner circles insist South Florida fans should remain optimistic that good news is coming soon.

In the meantime, welcome Atlanta United and Minnesota United, MLS teams No. 21 and 22.

Expansion teams rarely have huge success in their inaugural season. The Seattle Sounders did make the playoffs in 2009 but that is unusual. Atlanta is one team that could surprise from the get-go.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html#storylink=cpy

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http://www.inforum.com/sports/4225118-minnesota-united-about-discover-learning-curve-mls-expansion-teams

Minnesota United about to discover learning curve for MLS expansion teams

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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-la-galaxy-s-klein-supports-mls-in-stl/article_d6944b39-0e9b-521d-955a-24e31b59a7cd.html

Hochman: LA Galaxy's Klein supports MLS in STL

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-news-0226-story.html

Kaká scores first goal in Orlando City’s new stadium during preseason match

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http://www.beinsports.com/th-en/major-league-soccer/news/kaka-scores-first-goal-in-orlando-citys-new-5/465693

Kaka scores first goal in Orlando City's new stadium

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/26/mls-expansion-history-just-how-tough-task-atlanta-minnesota

MLS expansion history: Just how tough is the task for Atlanta, Minnesota?

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http://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/2017/02/26/mls-debut-sets-new-stage-minnesota/98459406/

MLS debut sets new stage in Minnesota

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http://www.sports360az.com/2017/02/busy-times-rising-fc/

NOTEBOOK-Growth Time for Rising FC

It was a fruitful week for the Rising FC roster. Shaun Wright-Phillips signed with the the franchise.He’s a familiar name to those who have followed Manchester City, Chelsea, and English International soccer. This comes on the heels of the signing and arrival of former Mexican International and Chivas star Omar Bravo. I would not be a bit surprised to see the payroll of Rising FC be at, or near the top of the USL,before all is said and done.

On the Expansion front, I have asked for MLS Commissioner Don Garber to come on the show. Right now the League isn’t wanting to talk much about the addition of teams. It’s really quite simple from my view. San Diego, Sacramento, Cincinnati, and St. Louis can all make a compelling case to be added to the League. However, none of them have the television market that Phoenix possesses. Also, I believe that the MLS wants to see just how much fan support will come out to the new location of the franchise. Fans are a major part of this equation. Sacramento has been drawing HUGE crowds which may be the reason why they might get a MLS franchise before Arizona. If you don’t think you matter in this pursuit, you’re wrong…

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http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/countdown-2022-mls-top-10-league-world-goal

Countdown to 2022: How far is MLS from its goal of being a top-10 league?

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https://www.facebook.com/TampaBayRowdies/videos/10155803667898835/?pnref=story.unseen-section

Tampa Bay Rowdies

on Thursday ·

Check out behind-the-scenes video of yesterday's media day at Tropicana Field!

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https://brooklynnycoc.wliinc27.com/events/The-New-York-Cosmos-Welcome-Party-2187/register

The New York Cosmos Welcome Party

Monday, March 06, 2017 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/report-several-mls-teams-interested-acquiring-wayne-rooney

Report: Several MLS teams interested in acquiring Wayne Rooney

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http://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/26/city-impressed-new-home-final-preseason-scrimmage

City Impressed By New Home in Final Preseason Scrimmage

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/boehm-sleeping-giant-stirs-dc-united-finally-build-their-own-home

Boehm: A sleeping giant stirs as DC United finally build their own home

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https://therivardreport.com/ownership-key-to-san-antonio-fcs-pitch-for-major-league-soccer/

Ownership Key to San Antonio FC’s Pitch for Major League Soccer

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http://www.epluribusloonum.com/2017/2/26/14739264/minnesota-twinstars-ready-npsl-north

Minnesota TwinStars Ready for NPSL North

The original NPSL club in the Twin Cities believes it is time for new, local competition.