MLS expansion: Ranking the remaining potential markets

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https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mls-expansion-ranking-the-remaining-potential-markets/1r8xo6ok3s4ee1p5ob31e779pf

MLS expansion: Ranking the remaining potential markets

The MLS expansion race could be down to one open slot if the Columbus Crew are saved and Austin secures a team in the process. Here are the contenders

Major League Soccer expansion has seen the league grow in ways few could have imagined 15 years ago, when contraction forced the league to shrink to 10 teams, leaving its future in doubt. There are no longer questions about whether the league will survive. Those have been replaced with questions of how much more can the league grow.

The 23-team league will expand to 24 in 2019 with the arrival of Cincinnati's expansion team, followed by Miami and Nashville in 2020. If a bid to keep the rights to the Columbus Crew in the hands of local ownership goes through — thus saving the Crew, and helping MLS avoid a PR nightmare — then current Crew owner Anthony Precourt will be awarded a new team in Austin, Texas, set to begin play in 2021.

That would leave one remaining expansion slot open before MLS reaches its self-imposed limit of 28 teams. Given how many strong expansion candidate markets are still left, it's tough to see MLS sticking to its 28-team limit over the long term, but what is clear is that the league's 14-year expansion march will be put on hold once the 28th team is chosen.

That could set up a major battle for the 28th slot, with several candidates capable of putting together bids strong enough to merit inclusion. Goal takes a look at the leading markets still in the running for that 28th spot - and potential entry beyond the 28-team mark - ranked in order of their chances of being selected by MLS:

7. TAMPA

When David Beckham's Miami expansion team begins play it will leave just one  market that has lost an MLS team and not gotten it back in the form of Tampa. MLS commissioner Don Garber made bringing MLS back to Miami a priority, but hasn't been as publicly driven to bring MLS back to Tampa more than 15 years after the Mutiny were contracted.

The recent sale of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team should improve the market's chances of gaining an MLS expansion team, but the fact that the Southeast has recently added Orlando City, Atlanta United and will soon add Miami leaves Tampa low on this list as MLS focuses its attention on other parts of the country.

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https://www.statesman.com/news/20181026/circuit-of-americas-announces-support-for-petition-bid-to-sink-mls-stadium

Circuit of the Americas announces support for petition bid to sink MLS stadium

The Circuit of the Americas officially announced Friday its intentions to support an effort to torpedo a deal between the city of Austin and Major League Soccer franchise owner Anthony Precourt to build a soccer stadium in North Austin.

An investor in the racetrack had already made a donation to the political action committee IndyAustin to support the group’s effort to force an election on the stadium deal, according to the PAC’s latest campaign finance report.

But Friday’s announcement made it official that the track, which is in the process of bringing its own soccer team to Austin, wants no MLS team in Austin. The track’s chairman, Bobby Epstein, has said that having a MLS team in Austin would be a serious blow to the success of the United Soccer League franchise Austin Bold FC that will begin playing at the track in March.

“Austin cannot keep giving special deals to out of town businesses with no connection to the community, while local businesses and homeowners struggle to afford to be here,” a blog post from the Circuit of the Americas said. “By seeking a public vote - not unlike what has occurred in stadium deals elsewhere - IndyAustin is trying to do what is best for the taxpayers and the school district.”

IndyAustin is circulating a petition that calls for elections on any city deals that would allow the construction of stadiums or other entertainment venues on public land.

The organization was one of the driving forces behind the petition that put Proposition J on the ballot. That item was aimed at the now-defunct CodeNext land use code rewrite. It calls for future elections to be held on any comprehensive updates to Austin’s land use and zoning codes.

Precourt plans to build a privately financed $200 million, 20,000 seat stadium at the city-owned McKalla Place tract near the Domain. The city approved an initial stadium deal in August.

The site was to be the home of the Columbus Crew. However, it now appears that a group that includes the owner of the Cleveland Browns will purchase the franchise and Austin will get an expansion team.

In an Oct. 9 campaign finance report, IndyAustin showed a $20,000 donation from Irving Kessler, a Minnesota man who is listed as an investor in the Circuit of the Americans in a 2012 SEC filing.

When reached recently, IndyAustin co-founder Linda Curtis said she had no qualms about taking money from people associated with the track.

“Should we tell other business people that they shouldn’t protect their interests and roll over and let a raid go on land they wanted access to?” Curtis said. “It doesn’t matter if it is COTA. Politics makes strange bedfellows and it always has.”

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9sjffh/so_hows_our_partnership_with_sao_paulo_these_days/

So how's our partnership with Sao Paulo these days? - Soccer star found dead ‘almost beheaded with his genitals severed’

Brazil is basically a 3rd world country outside of the rich parts of the big cities. And even those parts are pushing the line nowadays

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https://nypost.com/2018/10/29/soccer-star-found-dead-almost-beheaded-with-his-genitals-severed/amp/?utm_source=reddit.com

Soccer star found dead ‘almost beheaded with his genitals severed’

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9sja1g/mls_expansion_ranking_the_remaining_potential/

MLS expansion: Ranking the remaining potential markets | Goal.com

7. TAMPA

When David Beckham's Miami expansion team begins play it will leave just one  market that has lost an MLS team and not gotten it back in the form of Tampa. MLS commissioner Don Garber made bringing MLS back to Miami a priority, but hasn't been as publicly driven to bring MLS back to Tampa more than 15 years after the Mutiny were contracted.

The recent sale of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team should improve the market's chances of gaining an MLS expansion team, but the fact that the Southeast has recently added Orlando City, Atlanta United and will soon add Miami leaves Tampa low on this list as MLS focuses its attention on other parts of the country.

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https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mls-expansion-ranking-the-remaining-potential-markets/1r8xo6ok3s4ee1p5ob31e779pf

MLS expansion: Ranking the remaining potential markets

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9sebsz/check_out_my_blog_post/

Check out my blog post!

What if the Tampa Bay Rowdies adopted a badge?

My next blog post 🖥 featuring the Tampa Bay Rowdies is live on my site and ready for your viewing pleasure! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 📲

https://i.redd.it/6g7afv5hz4v11.jpg

​http://www.enriquealvaradodesign.com/blog/thelbd/tampa-bay-rowdies

I like

Very cool concept and I really like the thinking behind it. My only concern would be the B being lower than the R and behind the T, it doesn't read left to right TBR, which is okay, but it also reads top to bottom TRB as well. in my opinion, at least one of those should be in the proper order.

tldr;

Have you thought about taking those "Rowdies font" style TBR letters and making them interlocking?

I’ve looked at that in the past...would definitely take some creative redesign to make them readable. I never fully went there.

👎

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http://www.enriquealvaradodesign.com/blog/thelbd/tampa-bay-rowdies

BENJAMIN ENRIQUE ALVARADO | GRAPHIC DESIGNER

TAMPA BAY ROWDIES | THE LOGO BREAKDOWN

What’s up everyone, thank you for all the love/hate/feedback on my last post! If you missed it don’t worry, you can check it out right here.

Next up on the Logo BreakDown are the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL League One or Two or Campeones, idk something like what other leagues are doing. I resorted to having another twitter convo (mostly with myself) on what team I should pick next. Being that I live in Tampa and I follow a couple accounts, the Rowdies come up on my timeline quite often. I have always been drawn to the Rowdies logo, because it’s another unique logo like the Chicago Fire. The bright colors reel me in and the weird style of the type(font), but the thing that drives me crazy is the absence of a shield! Working with multiple logos at a time makes it a bit tough with you always have one logo that looks nothing like the rest. So after reaching out to the Rowdies twitter community, I decided to choose the Rowdies as my next project.

I got some really good feedback in terms of things I should stay away from, things to keep and what everyone liked. From the start I knew I wasn’t going to mess with the typography, it is too special and quite complicated to break up and rearrange. So when Twitter said not to mess with it, I was in agreement.

A couple of them put their own mockups together, you can check that out here, so that too was good for me to check out and see what had already been done. All in all, it generated a good discussion and something for me to build my ideas from. One thing that stuck with me was a comment by @KodyAllenson about the word mark being imperfectly perfect. Gave me a little bit of an idea but I was unsure if I’d be able to accomplish the look.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9rycoz/gasparilla_bowl_moves_to_tampa_wfla/

Gasparilla Bowl moves to Tampa - WFLA

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wfla.com/amp/video/gasparilla-bowl-comes-to-tampa_20181024214941/1546983852

The move to Tampa was announced back in May. It’s a shame but the timing was never right for it to move to Al Lang anyway. They’ve been looking to get out of the Trop for a while. No one was waiting around for the chance the Al Lang might be expanded. That said, there’s always the chance it could move back years down the road or another bowl game could go to DTSP.

Welp, there goes any idea of expanding Al Lang to include this bowl game after the Trop is gone.

So RayJay is going to host two Bowls? (There’s too many damn bowls nowadays.)

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https://www.wfla.com/video/gasparilla-bowl-comes-to-tampa_20181024214941/1546983852

Gasparilla Bowl comes to Tampa

Gabrielle Shirley talks to Titus O'Neil about the changes coming to the Gasparilla Bowl this December. O'Neil serves as the new Bowl Chairman and is happy to bring the game to Raymond James Stadium.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9rdjcv/offseason_update_with_neill_collins/

Offseason Update with Neill Collins

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuBxcHzBx6g

Offseason Update with Neill Collins

Tampa Bay Rowdies

An offseason update from Rowdies head coach Neill Collins.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9rciin/the_unused_substitutes_ep_180_the_neill_collins/

The Unused Substitutes - Ep 180: The Neill Collins Mixtape (OC)

You can hear our full interview with Neill Collins on this episode.

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/10/24/episode-180/4122

Episode 180 –

Lots of off-season news to start digging through tonight & the guys are here for it!

In tonight’s episode:

Sale to Rays complete
Roster Moves
Jake talks to Neill Collins about
His takeover as manager
Mid-season signings
Offseason plans & Player departures
Looking ahead to next season
His long-term view
The Georgi Decision
Joe Cole’s status
The ownership change
The Club’s relationship w/TBU and the DA
His personal view of the season
Is it 2019 yet?

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9r91fr/beyond_the_hype_over_beckhams_stadium_heres_what/

Beyond the hype over Beckham’s stadium, here’s what the Miami ballot measure means

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article220225945.html

Beyond the hype over Beckham’s stadium, here’s what the Miami ballot measure means

If most voters say “no,” it’s unclear what would happen next for Beckham and his partners.

Jorge Mas, the partner who frequently speaks for the group, said if the referendum fails, “there is no plan B.” He told a reporter he will not fall back on land the team owns or has a contract to buy in Overtown.

“I’m not going back to Overtown. I couldn’t look myself in the mirror,” he said. “It’s not a good idea for the community.”

The ownership team has spent $414,014 on political advertisements, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. The ads were purchased through a political committee, Miami Freedom Park Political Committee, which has been funded exclusively by team owners, who include Beckham; Mas and his brother Jose, both executives of Miami-based infrastructure giant MasTec.; Sprint chairman Marcelo Claure; and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son.

The group has faced criticism for pushing the proposal to a commission vote so fast that the public didn’t have enough time to analyze details. Mas, who entered the picture only a year ago and brought the other partners with him, argues he has had to move rapidly because of pressure from the league. He maintains if the city were to go through a bidding process, that could take years and MLS — which has already waited a long time — doesn’t want to wait any longer.

“We don’t have the luxury of time,” he said. “We’re kicking off in March 2020.” Previous delays have made MLS wary. The Inter Miami expansion agreement requires permits for the stadium site by November 2019.

Throughout the process, Mas has acknowledged that Miamians may be suspicious when it comes to stadiums on public land. And they certainly are — the public financing package that paid for the construction of Marlins Park left taxpayers on the hook for nearly $2 billion in loan payments.

“I understand and recognize that there is extreme skepticism in our community, especially after the failed Jeffrey Loria deal,” Mas said, referring to the former Miami Marlins owner who has refused to share profits from the sale of the team with Miami taxpayers. “That’s left a very significant bad taste in many peoples’ mouths.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article220482650.html

Fair rent? Toxic soil? Traffic? There are still questions about Beckham stadium

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article215528040.html

What goes on at Melreese park and why are some opposed to giving up golf for soccer?

I wonder what the polling looks like. I'd be somewhat surprised if it gets voted down, but 100% surprised if they actually walk away from the whole thing.

No idea if anyone is doing actual opinion polling.

Mas brothers are the only ones spending money on this, and the opposition isn’t organized or funded.

Comments on these articles are overwhelmingly against, but there aren’t that many comments and comments doesn’t really reflect actual voters anyway.

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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article220225945.html

Beyond the hype over Beckham’s stadium, here’s what the Miami ballot measure means

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zbok2SIqLY&pbjreload=10

Top 10 Moments of 2018 - #6: Marcel Schäfer's Final Match

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Continuing our countdown of the top 10 moments of the 2018 season...

#6: Celebrating Marcel Schäfer on his final night with the Rowdies before returning to VfL Wolfsburg!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeK0gAntD-Q

2018 Rowdies Blooper Reel

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself 😂! These are some of our favorite funny moments from this season.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKObd7CQ-zc

Top 10 Moments of 2018 - #7 Zac Portillos' First Professional Goal

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Continuing our countdown of the top 10 moments of the 2018 season...

#7: Zac Portillos rises for first goal as a professional!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXnad3YYFA

#ThankYouGeorgi

Thank You Georgi!

Tampa Bay Rowdies

#ThankYouGeorgi

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF5WOuN9geA

Top 10 Moments of 2018 - #8 Dominic Oduro's Last-Minute Equalizer in Debut

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Continuing our countdown of the top 10 moments of the 2018 season...

#8: @DominicOduro's 90th minute game-tying goal in his Rowdies debut.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff4gBsyhwiE

Top 10 Moments of 2018 - #9 Ralph's Mob Honor's Tam's Retirement

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Continuing our countdown of the top 10 moments of the 2018 season...

#9: Ralph's Mob showing its appreciation for Tamika Mkandawire on the night he retired!

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/10/18/episode-179-goodnight-sweet-danish-prince/4113

Episode 179 – Goodnight Sweet Danish Prince

After the 2018 mercifully ends with a 1-0 loss in Bethlehem, the guys take a look at the final standings in the East and West, discuss Neill Collins’ open letter, bid farewell to Martin Vingaard, and wildly speculate about the offseason to come

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/10/18/episode-178-last-week-tonight/4109

Episode 178 – Last Week Tonight

Hope is gone, dreams are crushed, 2018 is over…but there’s still one more game to go. This show is one week late and probably not worth the wait, but we present it anyway, for all you completionists!

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/10/02/episode-177-rays-of-hope/4083

Episode 177 – Rays of Hope?

Coming off today’s announcement of the Rowdies sale to the Tampa Bay Rays, Matt and Dan are joined by Jake to unpack all the news.

In this episode:

What we know
What we think
What we hope
Evaluating the Bill Edwards Era

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/9qus8x/a_tale_of_several_cities_looking_for_mls_expansion/

A Tale of Several Cities Looking For MLS Expansion

I’d rather have Rowdies in the league than Charlotte

For your last team there, I'd also add an "or Tampa Bay" to your list. They still have a decent bid, and that probably isn't going to change anytime soon.

Oh I agree. Would be fun to see a three-way Florida Derby, especially given the history between Tampa and Miami(-area) teams. Problem is their new ownership says they’re not interested in MLS at the moment. After the 2026 World Cup, though, I could see Tampa and one of the NC teams coming online…maybe both if a 4th team joins in, like Vegas or a revived Indy bid.

The Rays weren’t going to announce MLS ambitions at the press conference standing next to the USL president.

Rays are focused on getting their Ybor stadium deal done; they don’t need the distraction of MLS at the moment.

Key word is “moment”; things can change quickly.

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https://www.101sports.com/2018/10/22/a-tale-of-several-cities-all-looking-for-mls-expansion/

A Tale of Several Cities Looking For MLS Expansion

Charlotte, Raleigh and Tampa Bay are bidding, but commissioner Garber recently said that with Miami and Nashville joining the league as expansion teams soon, in addition to Orlando and Atlanta, “It’s a hotbed of soccer in the grassroots level. There’s enormous energy and diversity that exists in this part of the country. I think we’re probably done expanding in the southeast for a little while, but we’re feeling pretty good about it.”

If MLS stop at 28, I'm a dutchman. You don't walk away from interest like that - if I had to bet, I'd say MLS will get to at least 32, probably with a structure re-jig to two conferences of two divisions. AS for teams 28-32...Again, if I were a betting man, I'd say St Louis, Phoenix, Detroit, Sacramento, Tampa in that order, with Indianapolis the final unlucky loser.

Look for a San Diego USL team, me thinks, and keep an eye out for Baltimore as a huge dark horse.

MLS is definitely frothing at the mouth to add both St. Louis and San Diego to the league (#BringBackTheSockers) - in light of both cities recently losing their NFL teams - despite neither city being as far along in the process as others. I doubt the Tampa Bay area will get another team so soon in light of Miami finally getting a new team and Orlando having one as well. Also, the league just doesn't seem to be as into Sacramento as Sacramento seems to be into it. But given that I'd push for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS all having an eventual maximum of 40 teams, I'd be open to them eventually expanding there. In the near future, however, I'd prefer to see MLS add teams in St. Louis, San Diego, Detroit, Phoenix, San Antonio (assuming the league tells Anthony Precourt to take a hike regarding ever putting a team in Austin), and one more team in Canada -- most likely Calgary, since it's the country's next biggest market after Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/9rqoaj/oc_the_future_of_professional_soccer_in_north/

[OC] The Future of Professional Soccer in North America

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https://sportmuse.net/2018/10/24/the-future-of-professional-soccer-in-north-america/

The Future of Professional Soccer in North America

Vote Yes in Miami for the David Beckham soccer stadium deal

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https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article220722340.html

Vote Yes in Miami for the David Beckham soccer stadium deal

Here’s a rendering of the soccer stadium and commercial complex that will be built at the Melreese Golf Course track and surrounding land near MIA

EDITORIALS

Vote Yes in Miami for the David Beckham soccer stadium deal

Given the history of Marlins Park, recommending the construction of stadiums to Miami-Dade voters and taxpayers is like walking through a minefield.

It’s a prickly question being posed only to Miami residents: Should soccer star David Beckham and partner Jorge Mas be allowed to negotiate a no-bid contract to build a soccer stadium for Beckham’s Major League Soccer franchise, plus a commercial complex at the city-owned Melreese Golf Course near Miami International Airport?

If voters approve, Mas and Beckham can begin crafting a 99-year, no-bid lease for the development of Miami Freedom Park, a $1 billion retail, office, hotel, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium complex and a 58-acre public park on 72-acres of land.

If voters approve, Mas and Beckham can begin crafting a 99-year, no-bid lease for the development of Miami Freedom Park, a $1 billion retail, office, hotel, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium complex. The overall footprint of the redevelopment is about 131 acres. Of that plot of land, 73-acres would be leased for the soccer stadium and commercial complex. In addition, there is a 58-acre public park that would be developed but remains under the full control of the city.

We know the numbers are fluid and agreements are still fuzzy, but we’re going to recommend that Miami voters take a leap of faith and vote Yes, clearing the way for the Beckham/Mas project to be launched.

And here’s why:

We get that much is at stake. And if this deal was being proposed by an out-of-town mogul with no stake in our community, the Board would have no qualms recommending rejecting the project to voters. And we have been skeptical from the start. We swatted down Beckham’s early efforts to grab waterfront property. But joining him in his 4-year-old effort to build a stadium, not in Overtown but in Melreese, is Jorge Mas and his brother, who are well-known community leaders and philanthropists.

Their family fortune stems from the locally-based MasTec, an engineering and construction company that generates billions a year. They are not former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, or his arrogant stepson, David Samson, who gleefully saddled Miami-Dade voters with a years-long tax burden.

We know Beckham and the Mas family will make money on this project, but we also believe they will go out of their way to be fair and just to this community and to the residents around the proposed stadium complex. Miami has been home to the Mas family for decades. It’s the place where their late patriarch Jorge Mas Canosa became a popular Cuban exile leader.

Would we expect the same moral obligation from an outside developer who goes through the competitive bid process and wins? No.

We believed Mas when he told the Board that no public money will be tapped and that taxpayers will not pay any of the costs associated with preparing Melreese for redevelopment, including necessary utility work, underground infrastructure, road improvements and a pedestrian bridge over the Tamiami Canal to connect the park to the Miami Intermodal Center, making it a new stop for visitors.

We believe he will oversee a traffic plan to ensure that visitor traffic to and from the airport is not adversely affected. That would be irresponsible, damaging and unforgivable.

We believe that Mas will live up to his promise to address the long list of issues, expertly detailed in articles by Miami Herald reporter Joey Flechas.

They include concerns about soil contamination, a better focus on the financial benefits to the city, the value of public parks, traffic flow around a major airport and the fate of the First Tee Miami, a youth golf program at Melreese. Not to mention that a fair market value is paid for the city land.

Are we naive? No, we’re realistic. At some point, local residents, collectively, are going to have to move past the fear of being fooled again by a stadium project. The original Marlins Park 2009 deal had Miami-Dade and Miami contributing about $490 million for the privately owned $640 million stadium, which was then sold with the team for $1.2 billion in 2017. Loria did not share sale profits with the county.

The fact is that Miamians’ needs are changing and the landscape is also changing to accommodate them. Take note of how the Underline will eventually alter the look and use of South Dixie Highway under the elevated Metrorail tracks. And millennials have not embraced golf; only a lucky few enjoy Melreese now.

The Mas family and Beckham, who has held on longer than anyone thought to the idea of a Miami stadium, are the right team to get the community over their resistance to new stadium projects.

If things go south, the Mas family will face the public’s wrath — so will we. However, we’re optimistic.

The Miami Herald recommends a Yes vote on Miami Referendum 1 — #378.

👍🏻👍🏻

I vote no leave melreese alone

Completely for this! This will benefit everybody. Honestly, how many have gone to Melreese? It’s limited to the use of a few. Imagine having a gigantic public park plus other things that benefit everyone. Voting yes makes sense.

i voted against it. There is no reason not to award this deal through a competitive process except that Beckham needs to meet some soccer league deadline. That is really not an issue for the tax payers of Miami. Compete this deal and see if anyone can agree to pay more or to put the land to better use through a competitive RFP process.

Herald dead wrong.

Insane people give away green space and park land.

Wise people protect open space as one of the most precious resources on earth.

Vote this down.

Defeat this land scam and MSL will come anyway.

Soccer will land near transit and density.

Melreese will get cleaned up.

More park access will happen.

If you like giving away precious public land to the rich follow the Herald's (idiotic) lead...and watch them pave over paradise.

The precedent will be set forever.

Maybe your park will be sold out for condos, a mall, anything but safe, green, play space.

Vote No. Remember the Miami Herald was a huge cheerleader for the Marlins deal (scam) which diverts over $3 Billion, including debt service, to the Marlins Stadium and Garages. $3 Billion that could have been spent on affordable housing, education and other causes benefiting tourism. No-Bid deals are never beneficial to the taxpayers. Vote No on #379.

I voted no, use marlins park which is underutlized and the taxpayers were screwed with it. Maybe we can get some of that money back.

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/evolving-entertainment-from-the-bayfront-center-to-the-mahaffey-theater/

Evolving entertainment: From the Bayfront Center to the Mahaffey Theater

Vintage postcard image (1960s) of the Bayfront Center complex. The present-day Mahaffey Theater is on the left side; the City razed the arena (right) in 2004. The Dali Museum was erected on the arena site seven years later. Photo: Florida Memory Project.

The Mahaffey Theater has been part of the downtown St. Petersburg landscape since 1965, although it’s changed considerably in appearance and stature. For 22 years, it was a boxy little part of the city’s ambitious ($5 million in early ’60s money) Bayfront Center complex, attached at the hip to a 7,000-seat arena where families gathered to see Holiday on Ice, the Lipizzaner Stallions and the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus, where sports fans cheered on the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and where the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen and the Grateful Dead attracted massive amounts of screaming fans. All the big “adult” spectacle acts – Elvis, Liberace and Lawrence Welk – performed in the big hall, too, which everyone referred to as simply the Bayfront Center.

The Bayfront Theater, as the Mahaffey was known, was reserved for smaller crowds (the original venue had slightly fewer than 2,000 seats) and more sophisticated entertainment like orchestras, operas and ballets.

The Bayfront Theater, 1960s. Photo provided by the Mahaffey Theater.

In the early years the theater was programmed almost exclusively for St. Petersburg’s older population – easy listening acts such as Ferrante and Teicher, Sandler & Young, Peter Nero and Roger Williams made annual appearances.

Louis Armstrong, who in previous years had performed at both the Manhattan Casino and the St. Petersburg Coliseum, headlined at the Bayfront Theater in December, 1966.

The City was slow to put popular music acts on the stage. The first “rock groups” to play the theater were the Turtles and Bubble Puppy in March, 1969 – nearly four years after the place had opened.

Victor Borge

By the mid 1970s, “soft” artists along the lines of Gordon Lightfoot, Melissa Manchester, George Benson and Chuck Mangione were infiltrating the lineup, interspersed between the bread and butter acts – the Fred Waring Orchestra, the Lettermen, Johnny Mathis, the Vienna Boys Choir – and septuagenarian Victor Borge, whose cornball comedy mixed with classical piano-playing was such a hit with the St. Pete oldsters the Bayfront Theater was on his touring itinerary every year for decades.

Because the Bayfront Center was city-owned, the two venues were also booked for high school graduations, business conventions, political rallies and other civic events. (Richard Nixon famously spoke to a packed arena in October, 1970, the first time a sitting U.S. president had ever visited Pinellas County.)

The major rock artists began to make regular stops at the arena – mega-acts of the mid to late ‘70s including Jethro Tull, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, the Police, Rush, Cheap Trick and Journey.

Things began to change in the 1980s. Competition for those big touring dollars meant newer, more state-of-the-art venues like the USF Sun Dome in Tampa and the Lakeland Civic Center began to tear away at the Bayfront arena’s business.

The little theater had fans with deeper pockets.

In 1987, St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey family spearheaded a $24.5 million renovation of the theater, which had become seriously outdated. Among other significant physical changes, “window box” seats were built, to give the newly-plush venue the appearance of a European opera house.

By 2004, the aging arena was hemorrhaging money, and the City decided to tear it down. The Mahaffey Theater was left standing on its own, the anchor property on big, open and otherwise vacant waterfront acreage.

Things went well for the Mahaffey for a few years, until poor programming choices and the waning interest of the public delivered yet another showdown. It was either admit defeat and shut it down, or try to bring it into the future.

The Mahaffey Theater today. Photo provided by the Mahaffey Theater.

In 2011, businessman Bill Edwards was granted a contract to manage the facility through his Big3 Entertainment. Edwards also kicked in for upgrades and expansion of the lobby – today, you’d never know it was once bolted to an ice-skating arena – and the construction of the trademark glass atrium windows.

That same year, the new Salvador Dali Museum building opened, across the grass courtyard from the Mahaffey (today, the museum, and the courtyard, rest on the former site of the Bayfront arena).

The city has extended Big3’s management contract several times, as more high-end shows – from the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Steve Martin and others – and a growing reputation for both quality and luxury have generated profits and positive word-of-mouth.

Find the Mahaffey Theater’s website here.

Making history

The Bayfront Center was officially dedicated on May 6, 1965. Comedian Jonathan Winters emceed a glitzy gala, co-starring singer Nancy Ames, the Highwaymen and a TV-style orchestra.

The St. Petersburg Times covered the event with three next-day stories. “Both the young and old attended,” said one, “choosing a wide array of outfits – from sporty shifts with sequined cocktail dresses, with sport coats and dark suits for the men.”

Buried on a back page of this same edition of the Times was a story with the headline Near-Riot Cuts Short Teen Program:

CLEARWATER – A group of screaming teen-agers climbed out of the bleachers at Jack Russell Stadium last night and tried to rush the bandstand where the Rolling Stones were belting out rock and roll music.

On the very same night St. Petersburg was formally dressed and applauding – for the first time in its history – Hollywood show business on a local stage, music history was being made in a ratty Clearwater baseball stadium. The two events could not have been more different – nor, as the Times’ choice of coverage made clear, did anyone recognize the significance of the “near-riot.” Teens, of course, were just teens, and the choices they made were fickle and unimportant.

The Stones’ performance had been cut short that night, the band members directed to a waiting station wagon and hustled back to their hotel. They never finished the concert. “There will never be another show like this as long as I am here,” the head of Clearwater’s recreation department was quoted as declaring.

Afterwards, in his room at the Fort Harrison Hotel, Keith Richards came up with the music for “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics the next day, at the pool.

“Satisfaction,” of course, became the Rolling Stones’ breakout record in America, in the summer of 1965, and one of the pillars of mid ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll. After “Satisfaction,” many, many things would never again be the same.

And so the grand opening of the Bayfront Center was headline news, but not a watershed moment in popular culture – that was happening up the road in Clearwater.

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http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-padres-owners-chargers-stadium-nfl-mlb-mls-20181028-story.html

Column | Padres owners "on same page" on measures targeting former Chargers stadium site

Padres Hall of Fame inductee Trevor Hoffman, second from right, sits with Ron Fowler, right, executive chairman, Hoffman's wife, Tracy, General Partner Peter Seidler and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, far left, Sept. 28 at the unveiling of Trevor Hoffman Way. (Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune)

When the Chargers’ relocation was announced, valuable land in Mission Valley came open.

Among the powerful San Diegans paying attention were Padres lead investor Peter Seidler and Executive Chairman Ron Fowler.

They’d presented a unified front as Padres stewards, but here seemed to differ.

Seidler was for the “SoccerCity” plan, investing $2 million in it. Per a Voice of San Diego report last month, Seidler also attended a Valentine’s Day 2017 meeting arranged by Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Mayor Jerry Sanders to bolster SoccerCity’s prospects.

Fowler, meantime, stayed off a SoccerCity bandwagon whose City Hall occupants included Faulconer and mayoral chief of staff Stephen Puetz, whose wife had joined the Padres’ front office.

I reached out recently to the Padres’ tandem to clarify their Mission Valley position in advance of the general election Nov. 6, when San Diego voters will decide the fate of SoccerCity (Measure E) and the “SDSU West” (Measure G) initiative that came about after talks between SoccerCity and San Diego State crumbled in early 2017.

Fowler responded.

“Peter and I don't have a difference of opinion,” he said via email. “We made some comments along the way, but we are on the same page. We both regret that we have dueling initiatives rather than a unified approach to the property.”

Not of one mind

The Chargers’ relocation announcement came Jan. 12, 2017.

Within three weeks, Faulconer joined SoccerCity’s point men, private-equity investors Nick Stone and Mike Stone, and Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, at the USS Midway Museum for a news conference championing the plan.

While Seidler supported SoccerCity with not just money but through public comments and lending his name to SoccerCity partners, Fowler noted that February that many plan details were still private.

“Once we see the citizens’ initiative,” Fowler said Feb. 23, to 1090-AM, “I think people will be able to make informed decisions.”

SDSU West supporters would say some negotiating discoveries and the initiative itself, spanning some 3,000 pages, raised concerns.

SoccerCity backers said opposition had come from Mission Valley developers whose projects could suffer if the initiative passes (and who’ve spent about $4 million opposing Measure E).

When March arrived, Mike Stone was acknowledging the jarring outcome of not having SDSU on board. “We are surprised, candidly … with our failure to be able to deliver a consensus solution with San Diego State,” he told 1090, “but we’re not giving up.”

If someone had the clout to broker a SoccerCity-SDSU reconciliation, Fowler belonged on the short list of candidates.

Not only a partner to Seidler since 2012, he was a longtime sponsor of local sports endeavors, a soccer booster who owned the San Diego Sockers in the 1980s and a SDSU benefactor who donated $50 million to State’s business school in October 2016.

Fowler, though, remained unenthusiastic about SoccerCity and seemed to blame the plan for the split with SDSU.

“I think the problem was that there was a soccer plan, so to speak,” he told 1090 that June, “but I think it was really more of a real estate development plan.”

SoccerCity backers, meantime, would imply that SDSU President Elliot Hirshman had reneged on a verbal deal with them before announcing that March he was leaving to become president of Stevenson University in Maryland.

Faulconer and Seidler

Making his support for SoccerCity official, Faulconer endorsed the initiative in May 2017 but failed in his bid to get the City Council to put it up to special election.

Two months ago, Faulconer and Seidler made statements softening their stance on SoccerCity. The mayor said he still supported the measure but wouldn’t urge San Diegans to vote against SDSU West.

Seidler, who runs his own private equity fund, acknowledged he’d invested in SoccerCity, but, in a reach that Padres fielders would appreciate, said he’d been “neutral” on it all along. He said he held the same view of SDSU West.

“I told both sides that I will not comment publicly so I need to honor my word,” Seidler said Thursday, via email, when asked why he’d seemingly downshifted on SoccerCity.

However the vote turns out, it’ll be interesting to see if Faulconer and Seidler, who share an interest in alleviating San Diego’s homeless problem downtown, align on other issues going forward.

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https://www.wtnh.com/sports/dillon-stadium-construction-underway-for-usl-team/1560463517

Dillon Stadium construction underway for USL team

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) - An old football stadium will soon be a new soccer stadium!

Dillon Stadium construction is underway in Hartford.

Related Content: Minor leagues helping Hartford re-establish sports identity

It will serve as the home for the new professional team, Hartford Athletic.

The team is part of the United Soccer League, which is just one tier below Major League Soccer.

Related Content: Former MLS All-Star Jimmy Nielsen named head coach of Hartford Athletic

Hartford Athletic will be hitting the field for fans

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/business-briefs-raymond-james-volunteers-commerce-park-expansion-and-more/

Business Briefs: Raymond James volunteers, Commerce Park expansion and more

Financial advisors and associates at Raymond James Financial Inc. (NYSE: RJF) volunteered a record number of hours in support of the firm’s annual Raymond James Cares Month in August.

More than 2,500 professionals contributed 7,253 hours to benefit 172 non-profit organizations across the United States and United Kingdom, the company said. The number of volunteer hours reflects an 18 percent increase from 2017, and the number of participants increased by more than 16 percent.

Since the inception of Raymond James Cares Month in 2012, advisors and associates have volunteered more than 36,800 hours, the company said.

Groundbreaking

Mayor Rick Kriseman and City Administrator and Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin were among those turning the first ceremonial shovels for a Sunday groundbreaking for Euro Cycles of Tampa Bay. The motorcycle sales and repair company is expanding in Commerce Park, a south St. Pete development along the 22nd Street corridor. The City Council initially approved a development agreement with the company in 2016.

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Rick Kriseman

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Ground has been broken at 22nd Street South's Commerce Park. Euro Cycles of Tampa Bay + job opportunities coming soon! #SunShinesHere

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Welbilt CEO

William Johnson, president and CEO, Welbilt

Welbilt Inc., a commercial food equipment manufacturer in New Port Richey, has named William Johnson as its new president and CEO.

Johnson previously was CEO at Chart industry (NASDAQ: GTLS), an engineered equipment manufacturer, and before that he held various senior level positions at Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV), a manufacturer of industrial product

Hubertus Muhlhauser resigned as CEO of Welbilt (NYSE: WBT) in August to CEO at CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI).

Johnson will get a base salary of $820,000 and be eligible for short-term and long-term incentives, Welbilt said in a regulatory filing.

He’s expected to assume day-to-day leadership of the company next week, and he joined the board of directors today.

Bloomin’ sales

Bloomin’ Brands investment in the customer experience are working, says Liz Smith, chairman and CEO.

Outback Steakhouse

She pointed to a 2.9 percent increase in comparable U.S. restaurant sales in the third quarter of 2018, with the gains led by Outback Steakhouse, where sales were up 4.6 percent.

Bloomin’ (NASDAQ: BLMN), the Tampa-based restaurant company whose brands are Outback, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, posted $965 million in total sales for the 13 weeks ended Sept. 30, up 1 percent from the same quarter last year. Net income dropped for the just-ended quarter to $4.1 million, or four cents a share, down from $5.6 million, or six cents a share, a year ago.

The company also increased its guidance for earnings per share in 2018.

The revenue gains come one week after Barington Capital Group, an activist investor, called on Bloomin’ to spin off or sell three of its restaurant brands and leave Outback to operate independently. Barington cited underperformance by the company.

Home sales

Nearly one of every 20 foreign buyers who bought residential property in the United States in the past year have purchased property in Florida.

Additionally, nine percent of those foreign buyers bought property in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, a new report from Florida Realtors said.

International sales accounted for $22.9 billion from August 2017 through July 2018, down five percent from $24.2 billion in the same period a year earlier. The state’s rising property values coupled with a lack of for-sale inventory impacted the slower pace of international residential real estate activity, according to the report.

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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/10/a-new-hall-of-fame-faces-american-soccers-generation-gap.html

A NEW HALL OF FAME FACES AMERICAN SOCCER’S GENERATION GAP

US Soccer Players - First things first: The new National Soccer Hall of Fame is gorgeous. The sleek, airy $55 million facility is a welcome addition to the American game’s “bucket list” of must-see attractions, restoring the Hall to life after nearly a decade after the closure of its previous home in Oneonta, New York. Yet as with so many matters of history, memory and collective experience in these times, it’s also complicated.

Built into the remodeled south end of Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas, the new Hall opens to the public on November 2. A few journalists, VIPs, and other visitors got an advance preview of the place last week as it hosted its first major event, the induction ceremony for a 2018 class that included USMNT legend Brad Friedel and a busy weekend’s worth of related activities.

Chief among them was a 50th anniversary celebration of the old North American Soccer League, which came into existence in 1968 and died in 1985, yet still casts a long shadow across the sport. That occasion reunited dozens of NASL old-timers in Frisco for the weekend, capped by a “legends game” at the stadium after Sunday’s MLS match between FC Dallas and Sporting KC.

The NASLers gathered at the Hall for a tour of their own on Friday afternoon. I had the pleasure of experiencing the exhibits with that group of trailblazers, who shared many laughs and old stories as they meandered through.

“Having seen the setup in New York, they worked hard for a long period of time, but it was dated. And it didn’t have the traffic that comes by in a city like Dallas,” said former Dallas Tornado striker Kyle Rote Jr, one of the NASL’s few homegrown stars and a USMNTer with five caps to his name. “The common population can get exposed to the Hall of Fame here. And the technology that is put into so many of these presentations here is at an A+ level, and it brings back great memories, and a great sense of satisfaction that we indeed had lives that counted for something. And what it counted for in many ways was distributing the game of soccer in this country.”

The new Hall of Fame is the first landmark of its kind in major-league North American pro sports that's part of an active stadium. In addition to the usual artifacts like jerseys, photographs, boots, and balls, it features advanced technology like facial-recognition and virtual-reality software to provide a customized, cutting-edge experience. Unlike its predecessor in remote upstate New York, it’s located in the midst of a massive metropolitan area, a short drive from millions of North Texas residents as well as one of the world’s busiest airports.

Everyone seemed to agree that the new place is, on balance, a marked upgrade on the old one. That it represents a necessary evolution from the past. And that it sensibly seeks to connect with younger generations who view the game and the world differently from their elders. That part connected with their own experiences as soccer evangelists.

“When we came to Dallas in ‘71, [legendary coach Ron] Newman said you’re 50 percent a player, 50 percent an ambassador,” said English ex-Tornado Bobby Moffat, one of the NASL reunion’s lead organizers. “And that’s what we all were and we still are. That hasn’t stopped.”

Another influential figure, former Baltimore Bays and Tampa Bay Rowdies and briefly, USMNT coach Gordon Jago, beamed as he took in the scene. He’s already making arrangements for participants in the famed Dallas Cup youth tournament to tour the new Hall. Still, there was a bittersweet tinge to the NASLers’ visit, even with icons of their era like Pele, Johan Cruyff and Giorgio Chinaglia occupying prime real estate.

“Well, this is kind of sweet and sour, in a way, because we were part of the growth of soccer since 1967,” said Charlie Schiano, owner and chairman of NASL’s Rochester Lancers. “And this is very handsome and well done, but I think there should be a little more attention to the work that was done in the ‘60s and early ‘70s by the North American Soccer League, which I think laid down the roots, the taproots which we see today … It’s really magnificent but it lacks – I don’t think there’s enough recognition given to the North American Soccer League, what they accomplished, starting the fires, igniting the interest in soccer.”

Schiano’s words reflect the strange place the old days still occupy in our sport’s consciousness.

Stunning, sexy, fabulously flawed and devastatingly doomed all at once, the NASL showed us both the best- and worst-case scenarios for soccer in North America. MLS’s founders saw it as a case study in what not to do, taking pains to avoid treading a similar path – only to find fans, competitors and even their own member clubs drawn to those glory days like moths to flame. Purists extol the legacy of the 1950 World Cup team that shocked the world. Yet relatively few kids of today even recognize names like Gaetjens, Keough, and Bahr, let alone their faces.

A game eternally labeled as this country’s sport of the future continues to wrestle with the ghosts of its past. Schiano’s old friend Joe Sirianni, the Lancers’ trainer, equipment manager and longest-serving employee, wistfully summed up this awkwardness between yesterday and tomorrow in American soccer.

“It’s a beautiful building, but a building’s always a building,” said Sirianni of the new Hall. “Oneonta contained a lot of memorabilia, a lot of history, but really where soccer was, not what soccer is today…. It’s a beautiful building, state of the art, all the sophistication and technology of today, but today we’re celebrating 50 years of history and the history is not here. So that’s my views.”

Some in attendance suggested that a Hall of Fame located inside an MLS venue could never pay full and fitting tribute to the NASL. Others took the more pragmatic view that this was the best-case scenario after so many years with no Hall at all. In the end, the project in Frisco, which reportedly ran some $16 million over budget, became a reality because of the Hunt family, owners of FCD as well as the descendants of leading NASL investor Lamar Hunt. Few organizations in modern American soccer can claim such close ties to both the old days and the present state of things.

The Hall of Fame itself will probably evolve, too. It’s said that there’s far more memorabilia still in storage in Soccer.com’s North Carolina warehouses than there is room to display it in the relatively compact dimensions in Frisco. Maybe even the most obscure corners of our game’s history will get their turn in the spotlight, and not be completely overshadowed by the VR penalty-kick games and design-your-own-jersey activities.

Hopefully, the rest of us can soak up a few more colorful tales and lessons from the NASL generation before they too fade into memory.

“The 50th reunion is of people who’ve given their lives to try to help young people fall in love with the game of soccer,” said Rote. “It’s not just about playing, it’s also about being a missionary for the game of soccer to the local communities... that’s very satisfying. That’s a great part of why I’m here.”

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3679965/landon-donovan--logical-to-have-league-with-mlsliga-mx-sides

Landon Donovan: 'Logical' to more games with MLS, Liga MX sides

Landon Donovan said he believes a potential North American league that features teams from the U.S. and Mexico would be beneficial for both the sport in both countries.

"For me it is logical, because they're the best leagues in this part of the world, they have the biggest players, if we want get better compete with Europe and parts of South America, I think it's important," Donovan told ESPN Deportes.

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/10/27/fc-cincinnati-moves-forward-only-mls-mind/1793946002/

FC Cincinnati moves forward with only MLS in mind. Here's what that means for the club

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/10/27/fc-cincinnatis-3-years-usl-were-historic-its-final-loss-not/1790207002/

FC Cincinnati's 3 years in USL were 'historic.' Its final loss was not.

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/10/26/fc-cincinnatis-alan-koch-man-lead-club-into-mls/1684468002/

FC Cincinnati's Alan Koch: The man to lead the club into Major League Soccer

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http://www.startribune.com/memories-of-landycakes-evoked-as-new-u-s-soccer-stars-head-to-europe/498672211/

Memories of 'Landycakes' evoked as new U.S. soccer stars head to Europe

New players seek success overseas, where Landon Donovan didn't last.

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https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/mls-expansion-ranking-the-remaining-potential-markets/1r8xo6ok3s4ee1p5ob31e779pf

MLS expansion: Ranking the remaining potential markets

ROWDIES SALE TO TAMPA BAY RAYS NOW COMPLETED

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9r21ml/rowdies_sale_to_tampa_bay_rays_now_completed/

Official Rowdies Sale To Tampa Bay Rays Now Completed

As the transition begins in earnest, exciting changes are planned for the Rowdies roster, front office and fan experience. Beginning on November 3, and continuing during the first Saturday Morning Market of each month, the Rowdies will open Al Lang Stadium to the public for family-friendly activities and live soccer games streamed from around the world on the video board and concourse televisions. More information regarding specific programming will be made available as the date nears.

Roster announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

I'm really anxious about the Rays taking over. I have this nagging fear that the Edward's years will be seen as our golden era. Will we become the Rays ingored litrle brother? Or will we see a oth Joe Cole and Marcell Schaffer? Stadium upgrades? Edwards spent a lot of time growing the brands legend.... A lot of that was predicated on growth to the top of the league or on to MLS. Stu has already said the latter is no longer a goal (or so I've heard). I'm ok with that, I just want the competitve fires to remain!

Everything I’m hearing, they’re excited about the Rowdies and want this team to really compete for titles. Will we see another Joe Cole or Schäfer – don’t know about that, but not sure that’s about the new ownership as much as it is about doing what we need to do to win.

We don’t need to slash payroll, we were breakeven with Edwards Group and there is more resource overlap with the Rays that should make it more profitable. We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m personally really excited about this and I get more excited the more I hear publicly and behind the scenes

Team to change name to the Tampa Bay Raydies

Tampa Bay Devil Rowdies

FC Tampa Bay

Wait...

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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/962132

ROWDIES SALE TO TAMPA BAY RAYS NOW COMPLETED

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 24, 2018) — With the 2018 USL season in the books, a new chapter begins for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, as the sale to the Tampa Bay Rays has been completed.

“Today marks a new era in Tampa Bay Rowdies history,” said Vice-Chairman Matt Silverman. “We are excited to embark on this journey with Rowdies fans from across Tampa Bay, and we look forward to building enduring relationships with Season Ticket Holders, Corporate Partners, and all supporters of Rowdies soccer.”

As the transition begins in earnest, exciting changes are planned for the Rowdies roster, front office and fan experience. Beginning on November 3, and continuing during the first Saturday Morning Market of each month, the Rowdies will open Al Lang Stadium to the public for family-friendly activities and live soccer games streamed from around the world on the video board and concourse televisions. More information regarding specific programming will be made available as the date nears.

“The expansion of the Saturday Morning Market into Al Lang will be an added benefit to an already energized downtown St. Petersburg,” said Vice-Chairman Brian Auld. “It allows fans and citizens access to family-friendly activities during the most beautiful time of the year.”

Roster announcements will be made in the coming weeks, and ticket sales representatives are diligently working to contact Season Ticket Holders to discuss early renewal benefits for the 2019 Rowdies season. For a limited time, fans who place a $100 deposit towards a 2019 season ticket will receive $25 in Rowdies Dollars to be used in the Rowdies Team Store at Sundial St. Pete during the month of December. Fans can call 727-222-2000 for information on ticket offerings.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9r47do/collins_aims_to_change_perception_of_the_rowdies/

Collins Aims to Change Perception of the Rowdies as he Plans for Future

Personally, Neill's empasis on shifting to younger players is a big takeaway. Development should not be a dirty word and the Rowdies should absolutely be casting a wide net to get players with more upside into the club. Developing successful players can improve a club's reputation greatly. Having TBU Rowdies and the Developent Academy play a part in that is something that would come much farther down the road but it's still imporant. I've heard Neill has a big interesting in continuing to expand that partnership. Here's his answer about the academy stuff that wasn't included in the story.

That's going to be big. Even in my short time, that's one thing I've managed to improve and it's gone from strength to strength. It's been a whirlwind four or five months and I've managed to touch on the TBU and TBU Rowdies side, but I think that's something now in the offseason I'm going to be able to be more involved with. That's a really long term plan, but I think it's important that the people that play there, whether they be 10 or 15, that they feel there's path to becoming a professional at the Rowdies and that they get a sense of what it's like to be a professional, whether it be being involved in training from time to time, whether it be being involved in reserve team matches, or whether it be coming along to watch. Even our coaches are getting more involved in their side of things and going to watch. In such a big country, where it's hard for some of these soccer players to interact with professional players or professional coaches, I think we've got to try and bridge that gap and foster that relationship so that we can be seen to be nurturing the best talent in the Tampa Bay area and even wider than that. It'd be great and in the coming years we'd be producing our own players. I think the fans would really get behind that. That's a long term plan, but one that I'm definitely wanting to help and nurture that with Blake Wagner now that he's at TBU and the other people that are working hard behind the scenes.

Disagree with Neil's view on Taku but his lack of mention of Poku must show he may not be back next season..

I didn’t really have issue with Taku, except that it seemed to take him awhile to get any traction. Huge downgrade from Schäfer, but I thought he was fine.

Would really like to see Bonomo back.

Well written as always. I'm impressed with what Neal said in regards to scouting. Edwards had this habit of looking at the players who burned the Rowdies in previous year and signing them to very mixed results. Sometimes it was just the system they were in, other times it was coaching style. Junior Flemmings comes to mind. He burned us with speed and the classic NYRB flops. Signs with the Rowdies and can't draw a foul to save a life, even as the babybulls once again flopped all over the place. Seriously, thats a tried and true NYRB talent thay use to their advantage. Not sayin I like it or want to see it in St.Pete. just that it didn't transfer with Junior or hexwas asked to play differently. Heinenman and Hertzog come to mind too.

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/10/24/collins-aims-to-change-perception-of-the-rowdies-as-he-plans-for-future/4119

Collins Aims to Change Perception of the Rowdies as he Plans for Future

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https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/10/22/21/02/20181022-feat-hof-a-hall-for-all-american-soccer-treasure-chest

A HALL FOR ALL: AMERICAN SOCCER'S TREASURE CHEST

Fame is too small a word. It does no justice to what happens here in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, or what’s enshrined in its new walls. The grand opening, on Oct. 21 with the induction of the Class of 2018, was more than fireworks and high-tech wizardry. It was more than the red blazers and speeches. It was surely more than fame. In the Hall that night was decency and integrity. Fraternity and humility. Humor. Family. Gratitude. Mostly, there’s reflection here. It’s a Hall of mirrors.

The weekend began quietly. A ribbon-cutting under a heavy iron sculpture. It’s a player and he’s huge and inverted, flying into a bicycle kick. Motion and solid weight combined. We’ve seen this kick before, maybe on top of our first trophies at soccer camp, like the ones run by Dr. Joe Machnik over there, in the red blazer he got in 2017. Brad Friedel (Class of 2018) used to work those camps as a teenager. And Pele, how many times did he have to shoot and re-shoot his epic bicycle kick for the climax of John Huston’s 1981 movie Victory? And, hey, isn’t that Werner Roth over there (Class of 1989). He was a NY Cosmos teammate of Pele’s (Class of 1993), and he was in the picture too, as the villainous Nazi team captain.

It’s a Hall of Connections. You’ll find them even if you’re not trying.

All night at the North End of Toyota Stadium, where FC Dallas of Major League Soccer play their home games, guests wandered exhibits. That’s Willy Roy (Class of 1989), his face reflecting back off the glass as he admired five of Billy Gonsalves’ eight Open Cup medals, found forgotten in an unmarked Ziploc bag and restored to a high shine. Willy, now 75, never won one, but he scored twice in the Open Cup Final of 1965 for Chicago Hansa. He’s at the Hall with three generations of his family, his granddaughter in an old jersey of the Chicago Sting, the team Willy coached to two NASL crowns.

There’s the Women’s World Cup trophy over there. Olympic medals too. Gold, even. There’s the Dewar Cup, 106-years-old, behind glass in a room full of tables and chairs set as if for a grand wedding reception. And it’s that kind of day, too. That sense of honor drifts on the air. Celebrating something worth the effort. Yes, it’s a Hall of Honor too.

And it’s a Hall of Remembrance. For the inductees of the Class of 2018, they remembered the ones that got them there. Their families in attendance – parents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Old coaches too. Anson Dorrance (Class of 2008) introduced Cindy Parlow (now Parlow Cone). Ed Hynes, son of the late Jackie Hynes traveled from New York to the Hall’s opening. He brought with him the pocketful of coins his dad carried the day he was wounded by shrapnel at the Battle of the Bulge. They’re dented and damaged, like Jackie’s legs were in the fighting. In all, more than 140 players from the old American Soccer League (ASL) served in World War II.

“No one gets here alone and it’s hard not to smile on a day like this,” said Brad Friedel, big as a grizzly bear, beneath a long list of names ringing the rafters. The list immortalizes each and every member of the Hall from its first induction Class of 1950. There’s Alex Ely up there of the old Philly Ukrainians and Archie Stark, as tough a brawler as he was a player. There’s Des Armstrong and Michelle Akers.

Friedel, a titan of the American game, sat at a table with old teammate John Harkes, wearing his red blazer from the Class of 2005. And they’re both a step away from the right boot Paul Caligiuri wore to fire the only goal against Trinidad and Tobago on November 19, 1989 and send the U.S. back to a World Cup for the first time in 40 years. There’s connections around every corner here.

There’s Tiffeny Millbrett, the tiny Women’s National team spitfire, always going a 100-miles per hour trying to find a way to goal that wasn’t there a split-second earlier. She gave the night a touch of humor, always needed in among the remembrances and earnestness. On the way back to her table, she stepped over the ball, built into a glass case in the floor of the banquet hall, that her teammate Brandi Chastain hammered home from the spot to win the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Earlier in the night, former USSF president Dr. Bob Contiguglia (Class of 2018) called that tournament “the most important women’s sporting event of the 20th century.” And he was right.

And it was none other than JP Dellacamera, honored earlier with the 2018 Colin Jose Media Award, who made the call that day in Pasadena. “Goal!” followed by over two minutes of silence meant to allow the moment, the sheer audacious history of it, to wash clean the over viewer. He made the call in Trinidad, in ‘89, too. Connections. Connections. Connections.

There was the color and spirit brought by the scores of veteran – executives and players and reporters – gathered for the 50th anniversary of the old North American Soccer League (NASL). They perched on barstools at the nearby hotel. They back-slapped and carried on and relived those wild days of the 70s and 80s. All of the pioneering, the wacky jerseys, the up-by-the-boot straps grassroots-ness of it all.

If former NASL commissioner Clive Toye isn’t the best storyteller in the world, he’s surely in the running. There’s no MLS without that the NASL, folks. There just isn’t. Sporting Kansas City players gathered for pre-game breakfast in the very same hotel on that very same Sunday, and they did well to shake the hands of those who came before, who pulled off the miracle of making professional soccer a reality in America, filling the old Meadowlands and bringing Pele, the best in the world, to play on American shores. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi are looking in the mirror when they stand before Al Trost and Randy Horton, wild-man defender Bobby Smith, Kyle Rote Jr and Johnny Moore, who can trace his time in the American game back to the old LA Scots, through the NASL and all the way to an executive suite in MLS.

There’s melancholy too, just a little bit around the edges. It’s that last-call sadness, when the tablecloths get pulled away and the day becomes a memory. There’s lingering at the bar, no one quite ready to leave this magical space that hangs like a fog somewhere between then and now. But there’s no need to worry much – there’s space left in that list in the rafters for those yet to join this family of wonder. If you squint hard enough you can see those names coming over the horizon: Howard, Morgan, Lloyd, more even, stretching out as far and long as we care to take care of this American game. It’s a good thing the ceilings are high, because the Hall is forever. It’s for us and those who’ve passed and those who haven’t yet been born.

“’Oh that foreign game’ people say,” remembered Seamus Malin (Class of 2005), with the edges of his Irish accent intact. “But I correct them: ‘no, sir I say. This game here, is American, and it has its own history.” Amen. And that history is here in Frisco Texas as it once was in Oneonta New York. The last glass of champagne is swept up off the bar. A final photo taken in front of the glass cases that protect our game’s treasures. The Hall is quiet now. But it won’t be for long. This Hall is for all. And we, mere mortals, are invited, beginning November 2, 2018 to enjoy its celebration of the beautiful game in America. Go ahead and bask in all that’s reflected there.

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http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/cross-bay-ferry-returns-with-new-dock-locations

Cross-Bay Ferry returns, with new dock locations

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - In just a few days, there will be a new way for you to commute to and from Tampa and St. Petersburg.   The Cross-Bay Ferry service, launched as a trial in 2016, is making a return. 

The ferry can now be seen docked ready to go at its new location on Bayshore Drive across from the Vinoy Hotel.  November 1, it will start making runs from its location in St. Pete to Downtown Tampa near where the water taxis are docked.

The city of St. Pete says this season there will be more service in the evening hours and on weekends.

Mayor Rick Kriseman says, during the trial run in 2016, the ferry's cost paid off, bringing more than $1 million from riders to businesses on both sides of the bay.  It went away in 2017 because Kriseman says he feared it would be politicized in the St. Pete mayoral election.

“Everything we can do to take people off the roads, give people an alternative, especially one that allows them to enjoy the beauty of our two communities, I think it's something we [should] be working on,” Kriseman said.

The ferry will run November through April. Depending on the rider’s age, it will cost around $8 or less.

St. Pete moved its docking location to Bayshore Drive because of construction on the city's new pier.

Tampa, meanwhile, moved the dock from the Convention Center to the Florida Aquarium. City officials there say the change should allow the ferry to continue operating during busy waterfront events.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/24/major-league-soccer-to-let-teams-sell-new-endorsement-space-on-jerseys.html

Major League Soccer will allow teams to sell new endorsement space on jersey sleeves

MLS Commissioner Don Garber tells CNBC the league has approved the sale of a sponsored sleeve patch on club uniforms starting immediately.

The move, confirmed Wednesday, could bring in up to $2 million a year per team, according to sports marketer Chris Weil.

The NBA brings in about $9 million a year per team for selling sponsorship on the front of players' jerseys, Weil says.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/soccer/soccer/2018/10/23/mark-cuban-causes-stir-among-fc-dallas-fans

Mark Cuban causes a stir among FC Dallas fans

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sent soccer fans crazy, particularly here in the Metroplex, during a Reddit AMA on Saturday. When asked which other sports league Cuban would own a team in if given the opportunity, the Shark Tank star surprisingly mentioned Major League Soccer.

"I think the MLS has the best opportunity outside of the NBA," said Cuban. "Their challenge is that the value of their franchises are growing faster than their revenues which makes it harder to invest in a franchise.

"But I think generally they are best positioned behind the NBA."

This came on the day that MLS Commissioner Don Garber was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco. Much of the talk surrounding Garber's induction focused on his role in flipping the league that was close to folding in 2001, to record revenues and an increasing profile among the traditional big four. I had the chance to ask Garber after his induction for his thoughts on Cuban's comments about the league, with the MLS Commissioner joking that Cuban should give him a call before asking assembled media to pass on his email address.

We did reach out to Cuban for a comment on Monday and he stated it was nothing more than an observation. At the same time, fans began to get excited about the thought of the charismatic Mavs owner buying the Hunt family out of FC Dallas.

Regardless of Cuban's thoughts and intentions surrounding soccer, the Hunt family aren't about to let go of FC Dallas. The Hoops are the last part of Lamar Hunt's soccer legacy still under the family's control. Dan and Clark bought siblings Lamar Jr and Sharron out of Hunt Sports Group, largely to give FC Dallas more spending power. Their decision to commit $40m and 20 years to the National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium, which honors their father as a pioneer of the modern American game, should serve to show that the Hunts are here to stay.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/10/24/lots-of-work-remains-on-crew-sc-deal-key-figure-in.html

Lots of work remains on Crew SC deal, key figure in the negotiations says

Beyond the hype over Beckham’s stadium, here’s what the Miami ballot measure means

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article220225945.html

Beyond the hype over Beckham’s stadium, here’s what the Miami ballot measure means

This is one of two articles examining the ballot question Miami voters will answer on the proposal for Miami Freedom Park. Read the other one here.

You’ve probably seen the pink-on-black logo for David Beckham’s Miami soccer team, the fancy renderings of “Miami Freedom Park” and the political ads talking about new jobs and increased tax revenue.

They’re all related to a question for Miami voters on the Nov. 6 ballot about a plan to give Beckham’s new MLS team a permanent home on what is now a city-owned golf course near Miami International Airport.

Given the hype surrounding the vote, it might seem like Miami voters are deciding on the details of a final deal to build a stadium where Beckham’s expansion team, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, will play. That’s not the case.

Voters are being asked if the city should allow Beckham and his partners to skip the usual competitive bidding process and negotiate a 99-year lease for about 73 acres of Melreese golf course.

Some of the numbers being thrown around — a 1 percent capital transaction fee, $35 million to clean up toxic waste — are not explained in the ballot measure. Those are details that city officials will deal with if voters authorize them to negotiate with the Beckham ownership team. The numbers could change; they are only a starting point for the negotiations.

The question for voters is whether to waive the city law that governs private use of public land. That law says that if a private entity wants to lease city-owned land, the city must solicit competitive bids in order to get the best deal for the taxpayers.

Beckham and his partners, known formally as Miami Freedom Park LLC, essentially have submitted an unsolicited bid to use the Melreese land for profitable purposes — for a privately financed $1 billion retail, office, hotel and stadium complex, of which the stadium is only a small part — and to pay a minimum of $3.6 million in annual rent for use of the land. The property would include about 1 million square feet of office, retail and commercial space, a minimum of 750 hotel rooms and a 58-acre public park. On-site employees would be paid a living wage.

A yes vote is for people who want to go with that option.

A no vote might be by someone who wants to see what other private developers might propose for that property or who doesn’t want to vary from the usual competitive bidding process. Or for someone who wants to leave the land as it is, a publicly owned but privately operated golf course that includes a popular golf and mentoring program for kids, First Tee Miami.

Some of the other conditions are from a term sheet that Miami Freedom Park hashed out with the city before the commission voted to place the referendum on the ballot. The proposed terms for lease were released publicly only hours before the vote to place the question on the ballot, provoking an outcry from critics who complained the process was too hastily thrown together.

These provisions are not necessarily the final terms. They reflect what Miami Freedom Park is proposing if voters approve the ballot question and the city opens negotiations.

▪The youth golf and empowerment program run at Melreese, First Tee Miami, would have a home at the property at a driving range in the leased portion of the property. Possible displacement of First Tee spurred passionate opposition to the plan before commissioners voted to place the referendum on the ballot in July.

▪The ownership group states that it “will be responsible for all environmental remediation of the property.” The plan for the cleanup of contaminated soil will be developed by the ownership, which estimates cleanup will cost about $35 million.

▪Owners pledge to give the city $5 million to finish Miami’s Baywalk and Riverwalk.

▪The owners would follow city law and replace lost park land elsewhere in the city before any of the buildings in the complex is issued a certificate of occupancy.

▪ Owners will pay the city 1 percent of gross proceeds received by the ownership from any capital transactions on the site. That means if any of the owners’ interests under the lease are sold, the city would get 1 percent of gross proceeds from that sale.

The Miami Freedom Park group argues that the complex would bring other benefits to the city and its residents: $44 million in additional taxes to the city, county and state; $20 million for parks in the city of Miami, new jobs in the complex and public soccer fields.

As with any public land deal in Miami, there are skeptics and outright opposition to the proposed terms. One sticking point for some: The condition of the soil under Melreese.

The golf course sits on toxic ash dumped there from an old municipal incinerator decades ago, an environmental issue that would need to be addressed if the site is redeveloped. Team owners are also agreeing to assume responsibility for cleaning up the toxic soil under the golf course. Mas said the group has a budget of $35 million for the cleanup, which consultants working for him and independent of the ownership have said is a reasonable, conservative figure. Critics say the cost could climb much higher and either derail the project or leave taxpayers holding the bag.

Even if voters approve, and the administration negotiates a lease, the agreement would still have a significant political hurdle to clear: Four of five city commissioners would need to approve the lease. In July, three voted to place the referendum on the November ballot — commissioners Keon Hardemon, Ken Russell and Joe Carollo. Commissioners Manolo Reyes and Willy Gort, who represents the district that includes Melreese, opposed it.

If most voters say “no,” it’s unclear what would happen next for Beckham and his partners.

Jorge Mas, the partner who frequently speaks for the group, said if the referendum fails, “there is no plan B.” He told a reporter he will not fall back on land the team owns or has a contract to buy in Overtown.

“I’m not going back to Overtown. I couldn’t look myself in the mirror,” he said. “It’s not a good idea for the community.”

The ownership team has spent $414,014 on political advertisements, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. The ads were purchased through a political committee, Miami Freedom Park Political Committee, which has been funded exclusively by team owners, who include Beckham; Mas and his brother Jose, both executives of Miami-based infrastructure giant MasTec.; Sprint chairman Marcelo Claure; and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son.

The group has faced criticism for pushing the proposal to a commission vote so fast that the public didn’t have enough time to analyze details. Mas, who entered the picture only a year ago and brought the other partners with him, argues he has had to move rapidly because of pressure from the league. He maintains if the city were to go through a bidding process, that could take years and MLS — which has already waited a long time — doesn’t want to wait any longer.

“We don’t have the luxury of time,” he said. “We’re kicking off in March 2020.” Previous delays have made MLS wary. The Inter Miami expansion agreement requires permits for the stadium site by November 2019.

Throughout the process, Mas has acknowledged that Miamians may be suspicious when it comes to stadiums on public land. And they certainly are — the public financing package that paid for the construction of Marlins Park left taxpayers on the hook for nearly $2 billion in loan payments.

“I understand and recognize that there is extreme skepticism in our community, especially after the failed Jeffrey Loria deal,” Mas said, referring to the former Miami Marlins owner who has refused to share profits from the sale of the team with Miami taxpayers. “That’s left a very significant bad taste in many peoples’ mouths.”

Voters in the city of Miami will see the following question on their ballot:

Shall Miami’s Charter be amended authorizing City to negotiate, execute 99-year lease with Miami Freedom Park LLC, for approximately 73 acres of City land, waiving bidding, converting Melreese Country Club (1400 Northwest 37 Avenue) at no cost to City to:

▪ soccer stadium;

▪ minimum 1,000,000 square feet office, retail, commercial uses;

▪ minimum 750 hotel rooms;

▪ living wage for on-site employees;

▪$3,577,365.00 minimum annual rent;

▪ $20,000,000.00 for 58-acre public park or other green space?

Hopefully the voters see this for what it is- a backdoor No-Bid deal for Billionaires. Article does a great job explaining that voters are being asked to waive the very protections in place to protect us from insider deals like this.

As a Miami resident, I voted it against it. Put up a competitivr RFP and see what proposals come in and then I may be more likely to support it.

When Melreese was redeveloped a few years ago are we to understand that the toxic soil was allowed to remain intact? Also isn’t there already a hotel on site? Is that to be razed and a new one built in the proposal? Or is this slick marketing? And finally has there been a proper traffic study to look at the impact on the neighborhood and airport access? Currently it takes approximately 20 minutes travel time to the airport from the start of 95 and US1(with the exception of rush hour) how much travel time would be added by this project? None of these questions appear to have been addressed.

Elected officials forced the taxpayers to pay over $3 Billion, including debt service, for the Marlins Stadium and Garages. That was a No-Bid deal too. Voters should Vote No to this No-Bid deal. 1) No-Bid deals are NOT in the best interests of the taxpayers 2) Miami needs more grass and trees NOT more concrete 3) Melreese Golf Club is the only public golf course in the City of Miami. 4) Both local commissioners oppose this No-Bid deal 5) This site is adjacent to Miami International Airport and the proposed development with office buildings, a hotel and a mall could cause residents and tourists to miss flights. 5) There are too many unanswered questions. Please Vote No.

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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article220482650.html

Fair rent? Toxic soil? Traffic? There are still questions about Beckham stadium

This is one of two articles examining the ballot question Miami voters will answer on the proposal for Miami Freedom Park. Read the other one here.

The owners of Miami’s future Major League Soccer team say they need a fast-tracked, no-bid deal to build a sprawling commercial and stadium complex on Melreese golf course because time is of the essence. The league wants to see progress toward a stadium, which has taken numerous twists and turns over the five years David Beckham has sought to field a team.

But once Beckham’s partners moved their stadium plans from Overtown to Melreese and pushed for a referendum asking for voters’ approval, the process accelerated to a headlong rush. That burst of speed has raised significant questions about whether the city and team owners truly crossed their t’s and dotted their i’s before asking for voters’ blessing to negotiate a 99-year, no-bid lease for the development of Miami Freedom Park, a $1 billion retail, office, hotel and stadium complex, along with public soccer fields and a 58-acre public park, to be built east of Miami International Airport.

The proposed 25,000-seat stadium for Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (shortened to Inter Miami) would be a 10-acre corner on 73 acres of developed land.

The plan was drawn up, presented to the Miami City Commission and placed on the November ballot in five months, with the public becoming privy to the details only a few days before the vote in July.

Even if the referendum passes, Miami Freedom Park is not guaranteed. There is no lease right now because voters have to authorize its negotiation first. If a majority of voters say “yes,” city administrators and team officials would hammer out a lease that would still require approval from four of five city commissioners.

Jorge Mas, MasTec chairman and managing partner of the ownership group for Inter Miami, insists that taxpayers would not pay any of the costs associated with preparing Melreese for redevelopment, including necessary utility work, underground infrastructure, road improvements and a pedestrian bridge over the Tamiami Canal to connect the park to the Miami Intermodal Center.

But do voters have all the information they need to make an informed decision? On July 16, Mas told a room full of Miami Herald editors and reporters that voters would have the necessary details before the election.

“The voters will know every single detail of the lease,” Mas said.

Voters may have an outline of what that the lease would include, but there is no lease. There are some nuanced questions that remain.

Apart from the basic question of whether voters want to see the golf course replaced with the proposed complex, concerns remain about soil contamination, the financial aspects of the plan, the value of public parks, traffic the development would generate and the fate of First Tee Miami, a youth golf program at Melreese.

Dirty Dirt

Melreese sits on a plume of toxic ash, the product of an old city incinerator used decades ago. Any development will require some level of environmental cleanup, which could range from the expensive removal of toxic material to sealing the dirty fill with clean dirt or concrete. The Beckham group has agreed to pay for the remediation with an estimated budget of $35 million — but is that a realistic number?

The dirty soil has caused issues in the past. In 2005, when the city built Grapeland Water Park adjacent to the golf course, workers had to remove tons of contaminated soil before construction and place a cap of clean soil over it, a costly process. Erosion has exposed pockets of toxic ash at Melreese, which were fixed. Even without the ash, any golf course would come with environmental baggage because of the pesticides and other chemicals used to maintain the greens.

At Melreese, soil and groundwater tests have detected high levels of arsenic, believed to be caused by the ash, according to records kept by the Miami-Dade Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM).

Mas said his consultants are confident the team’s $35 million budget for environmental issues should be enough, and an independent consultant who spoke to the Miami Herald suggested the figure is a reasonable estimate.

“It’s a good, conservative number,” said Howard Nelson, a partner at Bilzin Sumberg who specializes in environmental law and development.

Nelson, who is not affiliated with Miami Freedom Park and helps his clients understand land conditions and environmental requirements before development, said the owners could talk to DERM about a preliminary strategy for dealing with the ash and arsenic. Developers can seek a “comfort letter” from DERM, early feedback that can help guide planning for the cleanup.

Wilbur Mayorga, chief of DERM’s environmental monitoring and restoration division, said no such letter has been issued to the Beckham group or anyone regarding Melreese.

If it is required, the removal of tons of contaminated soil could drive up costs and inflate the remediation budget. But Nelson and Mayorga said that depending on the existing conditions and the site plan, soil could be shifted around and capped in a way that could keep costs down while complying with regulations.

State law does require the entity that originally contaminated land to clean it up. In Melreese’s case, this would mean the city of Miami, a point raised by detractors of the Miami Freedom Park plan. Nelson said the lease would have to ensure the soccer team’s owners are legally agreeing to shoulder the cleanup costs.

“The magic is going to be in the language,” he said.

Rent is due

The Beckham team will pay the city annual rent. Under preliminary terms, the rent would be the greater of two amounts — either the fair market value of an annual lease as determined by two independent appraisers ($3.6 million annually), or 5 percent of gross rent revenue collected from tenants at the site.

The ownership’s financial projections say the complex will generate about $425 million in total revenue every year. Given the bold financial predictions, is the proposed rent arrangement fair to the city and its taxpayers?

Because Mas, Beckham and his partners could land a no-bid deal to redevelop public land and reap private profits, opponents have cried foul on what would be a significant real estate transaction. One such critic is Related Group’s Jorge Pérez, who argued the city should have gone through a meaningful public input process, then a public bid, before considering such a deal.

“I am opposed to taking a large piece of public open space and giving it to the private sector,” Pérez stated in a text to the Herald. “I have the highest respect for Jorge Mas and his family and what they have done for Miami. So, it is difficult for me to be against this development. But, this was supposed to be land for a soccer stadium not for a billion dollar commercial venture.”

Pérez argued that the city should solicit proposals “to obtain the highest value possible.”

There’s also the question of whether the city would get the best value out of the land. Michael Fay, principal managing director of real estate firm Avison Young, maintains the Melreese property is worth $200 million to $250 million, which would yield a rental rate that is millions higher than what is being proposed.

“If I was asked to be the listing broker to go out and procure offers … I would tell you, this would garner no less than a dozen to two dozen real qualified groups that would love to do something on this site,” Fay said.

The city of Miami ordered two appraisals of the land, which estimated a value of $143 million to $160 million. Mas insists the Beckham Group plans to pay fair market value to lease the land, and based on the city appraisals, $3.6 million is an appropriate annual lease. Area real estate agents say that’s too low, and provide estimates as high as $16 million annually. Mas scoffs at that figure.

“You will find absolutely no one in their right mind who will pay $10 million to $16 million [a year] for Melreese,” he said. “It’s impossible.”

He maintained that the fair market value for the property might be lower than some people think, based on its location, the need for soil cleanup and the fact the property is not zoned for this kind of development.

“This land has challenges,” he said. “It’s proximate to an airport. So, a significant portion of the land has severe restrictions on its development. More than half of the whole golf course facility is very restricted to one story building, with a certain use — no housing, no schools. Frankly, the only thing you can put on that area is what we’ve designed.”

The northern end of the parcel will accommodate greater heights, and will be where the stadium, hotels, office and retail will be situated.

Value of parks

Some critics simply believe Melreese should remain a golf course. Chief among them: the participants of First Tee Miami.

First Tee is a respected organization that teaches youth golf, provides mentoring and offers academic tutoring. Mas says First Tee will have a home at Miami Freedom Park. But instead of an 18-hole golf course, the program would be run out of a golf entertainment facility, like Top Golf.

Mayor Francis Suarez secured an commitment from the city of Miami Springs to host the First Tee at its country club, but it’s unclear which option the program would choose if the referendum passes.

READ MORE

What goes on at Melreese park and why are some opposed to giving up golf for soccer?

What goes on at Melreese park and why are some opposed to giving up golf for soccer?

Children and parents from First Tee formed the largest and most visible opposition to the stadium plan when commissioners placed the question on the ballot. Wearing orange shirts synonymous with the group, they passionately defended the value of their organization and the importance that it be based at Melreese the way it is today.

Others think the Miami Freedom Park deal could open the door to measuring the value of parks by how much money they make, a question that was raised on the City Commission dais.

“It sets a terrible precedent and we will have developers targeting every one of our parks for development in backroom, no-bid deals,” said David Winker, a real estate broker and attorney who is voting no. “How long before developers go after prime waterfront property like Kennedy and Peacock parks if they pull this off?”

Winker is the assistant treasurer for a new political committee founded to oppose the project called Save Our Green Space, Inc. They’ve spent nearly $2,500 on political ads mailed to residents asking voters to say no. Among those supporting the committee: Auto magnate Norman Braman, who has invested millions in local political campaigns.

“The citizens of Miami deserve green space to maintain a reasonable quality of life, especially for their children,” he said.

Traffic

There are fears the development will cause a traffic nightmare by the airport. The Miami Freedom Park group insists the development won’t have that kind of impact.

Mas has touted a plan for cars to line up on the property in a way that minimizes congestion on adjacent roadways. He envisions people having access from all four directions, according to the site plan for the project. The property will be situated near the Miami Intermodal Center, a hub for public transit north of the property on the other side of the canal. Team owners want to build a pedestrian bridge across the canal so people could get to games easily on public transit.

Mas has shared diagrams showing the proposed flow of traffic onto and off the property from State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway, LeJeune Road and Northwest 37th Avenue. He has said a traffic study owners commissioned shows minimal impact. But he has not released the full traffic study.

Mas said when he went door-to-door and spoke to about 100 people in the adjacent Grapeland Heights neighborhood, residents were most concerned about driving too fast down Northwest 37th Avenue. They talked about adding traffic-calming features to the area, which Mas said he would seek from the government.

Some voters aren’t convinced that the development won’t lead to congestion.

“There are other suitable locations for a soccer stadium,” said Steven Leidner. “And goodness knows Miami has enough retail malls and the traffic they bring.”

The proposed “Miami Freedom Park” that would house a Major League Soccer stadium and a large new office and retail complex. David Beckham and partners, who include Jorge and Jose Mas, want to develop the project on Miami’s Melreese golf course. Miami Freedom LLC

Elected officials forced the taxpayers to pay over $3 Billion, including debt service, for the Marlins Stadium and Garages. That was a No-Bid deal too. Voters should Vote No to this No-Bid deal. 1) No-Bid deals are NOT in the best interests of the taxpayers 2) Miami needs more grass and trees NOT more concrete 3) Melreese Golf Club is the only public golf course in the City of Miami. 4) Both local commissioners oppose this No-Bid deal 5) This site is adjacent to Miami International Airport and the proposed development with office buildings, a hotel and a mall could cause residents and tourists to miss flights. 5) There are too many unanswered questions. Please Vote No.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article215528040.html

What goes on at Melreese park and why are some opposed to giving up golf for soccer?

Less than a mile away from the bustling Miami International Airport, the small green hills of Melreese Country Club stand solemnly. Some call this place a sanctuary. Here, amidst flying golf balls, time goes by at its own pace: Kids practice at the driving range, adults enjoy cool beverages at the restaurant’s terrace, and golf carts play hide-and-seek along the grassy dunes.

That typically quiet nature was disrupted Tuesday night, when 40 golf carts were engulfed in flames. A suspect was arrested Wednesday and was charged with single counts of arson and burglary of an unoccupied structure. A spokesperson at Melreese said the destruction did not disrupt park activities.

But the overall Melreese property remains a hot topic as residents and city leaders tangle over whether the golf course should be demolished to make way for the construction of a soccer stadium and a large commercial center. The site would be home to a Major League Soccer franchise owned by retired soccer superstar David Beckham and his partners, including well-known Miami brothers Jorge and Jose Mas.

Earlier this month, Beckham’s soccer group persuaded the Miami City Commission to put on the November ballot the question of whether Melreese should be developed as a soccer and retail complex.

If voters say yes, it will allow the city to negotiate a deal that could end a five-year battle to get a Major League Soccer stadium built in Miami. In this case, Melreese Country Club would disappear. Before that could happen, a lease would need approval from four of the city’s five commissioners.

The issue has been contentious with critics decrying developing 131 acres of public land for a for-profit private project. Supporters contend the project will bring professional soccer to Miami and economic development to the Grapeland neighborhood around Miami International Airport.


The billion-dollar investment would yield not only up to 11,000 jobs, but also would create more than $40 million in tax revenue for the city, according to Beckham’s ownership group.

But critics argue that getting rid of a public green space would bring an end to Miami’s First Tee program, where 5,000 children are enrolled throughout the year. There, they are taught golf and the core values that go with it, as well as academic tutoring, park officials said.

“It’s a shame what they are going to do,” says Rudy Ariano, user of the Melreese facilities and coach of The Doral Academy varsity golf team, for which his daughter Camila plays. “They are going to squash something good.”

Beckham’s group has said that the First Tee program would still have a place in the new development. But those who use the facilities aren’t ready to let go.

Camila Ariano has been going to Melreese since she was 7, when she joined the First Tee. For her, everybody at this place is “like family.”

“I know the chefs, the waiters, the people who pick up the balls, I know everybody,” she says. “The atmosphere is very homey.”

Camila recalls the day she beat her dad at golf for the first time. She ran to the golf store and shared the moment with her friend Jenny, the store clerk: “Jenny, Jenny, I beat my dad!”

Ariano and his daughter love a sport considered elitist by some, they say.

“I heard some people in the media saying that we were millionaires. I’m not a millionaire, none of these kids is a millionaire,” says Ariano, referring to the First Tee program, which offers scholarships to some children.

Although professional golf player Erik Compton acknowledges that “golf can be pretentious,” he emphasizes the fact that “this place is not.” The 38-year-old sportsman learned to golf here when he was 7, and every day he is not competing somewhere else, he enjoys playing at Melreese.

As Compton strolls along the place that helped him hone his skills as a golfer, children often stop him for a selfie. “I’m afraid people won’t have the opportunity I had to play in a public golf course,” he says.

Compton, who received two heart transplants at Jackson Memorial Hospital, says that Melreese’s survival should not be linked to its profitability.

“Should we get rid of Jackson Memorial Hospital because they’re not making a profit?” he says. “Is it about how much money this makes or about how many lives if affects?”

Alley Jackman, a Melreese golfer, was introduced to the sport as a teenager, thanks to her father. “Now that he’s no longer with me,” says the 19-year-old, “this place has helped me through my hardest moments.”

Jackman says she is one of the few people who has actually been involved in all of the country club’s facilities: the restaurant, the pro shop, the prestige golf office and the First Tee Program.

“It’s not a country club, it’s a lot more than that,” she says. “It’s almost like ... a sanctuary.”

traffic nightmare coming, I would vote no...

can you imagine trying to get to the airport from anywhere on a game day, going anywhere via Le Jeune Road?

Charles Jones it’s already bad around there...I could not imagine it...

It’s not about golf versus soccer...it’s about using public park land for private use and profit. Would prefer the route the late Roe Robbie took to build his stadium..private not public money.

An assistant pro once told me that golf is the only sport you can play from age 8 to 80, with your grandparent, parent and children. I guess bowling, pool and darts count too. so let's say outdoors....

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https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/24/major-league-soccer-to-let-teams-sell-new-endorsement-space-on-jerseys.html

Major League Soccer will allow teams to sell new endorsement space on jersey sleeves

MLS Commissioner Don Garber tells CNBC the league has approved the sale of a sponsored sleeve patch on club uniforms starting immediately.

The move, confirmed Wednesday, could bring in up to $2 million a year per team, according to sports marketer Chris Weil.

The NBA brings in about $9 million a year per team for selling sponsorship on the front of players' jerseys, Weil says.

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https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/10/24/18018788/the-crews-future-is-still-in-the-planning-stage-zlatan-ibrahimovic-mls-soccer-timbers-josh-sargent

Around the Forest: The Crew’s future is still in the planning stage

Also: Top 5 matches to watch on Decision Day; Week 33 MLS power rankings and more!

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https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/10/22/21/02/20181022-feat-hof-a-hall-for-all-american-soccer-treasure-chest

A HALL FOR ALL: AMERICAN SOCCER'S TREASURE CHEST

Fame is too small a word. It does no justice to what happens here in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, or what’s enshrined in its new walls. The grand opening, on Oct. 21 with the induction of the Class of 2018, was more than fireworks and high-tech wizardry. It was more than the red blazers and speeches. It was surely more than fame. In the Hall that night was decency and integrity. Fraternity and humility. Humor. Family. Gratitude. Mostly, there’s reflection here. It’s a Hall of mirrors.

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https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/soccer/soccer/2018/10/22/look-back-hall-fame-weekend-fc-dallas

A look back at the Hall of Fame weekend at FC Dallas

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https://www.sounderatheart.com/2018/10/22/18008186/atlanta-united-sets-even-higher-mls-attendance-records-soccer-news-mls

Major Link Soccer: Atlanta United sets even higher MLS attendance records

Also: Jeff Bezos is pressured to buy the Seahawks, US Soccer Hall of Fame prepares to open, and Lionel Messi will miss El Clasico