Most MLS teams are profitable, claims Atlanta United owner Blank

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https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/most-mls-teams-are-profitable-claims-atlanta-united-owner-blank/

Most MLS teams are profitable, claims Atlanta United owner Blank

Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank has claimed that most Major League Soccer teams are profitable.

Blank’s view on MLS’s financial status is effectively the opposite of league commissioner Don Garber, who has repeatedly said in the past year that most MLS teams are operating at a loss.

“[MLS] has grown and yet maintained, I think, financial integrity and stability. Not all the clubs are profitable, but most are, and most are getting more profitable,” Blank, who is also owner of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, told The Athletic.

“I think the league continues to attract a higher level of investor that is willing to invest not only more money, but bring their business expertise, their sense of marketing and management to the league and to their own clubs, which is really good. I couldn’t be more excited about the direction of the league,” Blank added.

In sharp contrast to Blank’s statement, Garber told the New York Times last year: “I need to convince our owners to make investments in the future of the league that will force them to operate at a loss. This is a labor of love. They are willing to run their businesses at a loss. But they are not philanthropists. They ultimately want to make a profit.”

Garber repeated this statement at the VenuesNow Conference in New York City a month later. “Most [MLS] teams are operating at a loss,” he said.

MLS team finances remain private, but team values are rising rapidly with Charlotte recently paying a reported league record $325m for an expansion team.

In a wide-ranging interview, Blank urged other MLS team owners to financially invest in their clubs to try to replace the success of Atlanta United, which consistently has the highest attendances in the league. “[Team owners] have to be willing to make investments and not put limits on the upside,” Blank said. “There’s no other business. This is your only business: soccer. You hire the best people.”

“The beauty of what we’ve done here, I think you can do it at any place,” he added.

Blanks said Atlanta United’s recent partnership with Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen FC will help the club’s global ambitions. “The connection with Aberdeen will allow us to continue to develop that [plan], and develop players over there and bring them back over here and vice versa,” he said.

Blank also revealed that New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft, who also owns the NFL’s New England Patriots, is considering building a 25,000-seat stadium for the team in downtown Boston. The Revolution currently share Gillette Stadium with the Patriots.

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https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/barcelona/transfer-talk/news/beckham-wants-griezmann-at-inter-miami_388555.html

David Beckham wants Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann at Inter Miami?

Inter Miami may reportedly make an approach for Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann in the future.

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https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2020/2/2/21117612/black-history-month-kaizer-chiefs-south-africa-usa-nasl-atlanta-chiefs

lack History Month: A South African team with an Atlanta link

The Kaizer Chiefs is a team with roots that begin in the old NASL.

When you head to Johannesburg, South Africa, you can stop by Soccer City to take in a match with one of the most popular teams in all of Africa: the Kaizer Chiefs. That particular team just happens to have an American link as well. The Kaizer Chiefs are a team that plays in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, the top division in the country.

It was founded in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung, a South African soccer player. The name evolves from his time in the North American Soccer League. He moved to the United States after starting out his career for the Orlando Pirates, a team that operates in another Soweto neighborhood and now also calls Soccer City home. When Motaung moved to America, he played as a striker for the Atlanta Chiefs. Motaung, who earned the nickname Chincha Guluva (“The man with the quick feet”), played for the Atlanta Chiefs for 3 seasons before he moved back to South Africa. There, he formed the Kaizer Chiefs, taking his first name and combining it with the nickname of the team he played for in Atlanta. He made the team’s headquarters in Nasrec, a section of Soweto in the Johannesburg metropolitan area.

The Kaizer Chiefs, also known as Amakhosi (“Lords” or “Chiefs” in Zulu), began its first year in 1971 by finishing 2nd in the league. In 1974, they won the league for the first time. Immediately, they became a success on the field and were immensely popular with soccer fans in the country. They quickly grew into one of the biggest clubs not just in South Africa, but on the entire continent. To date, they count over 16 million fans and their trademark yellow-and-black jerseys are renowned the world over. Kaizer Chiefs are a part of one of the biggest rivalries in the entire world, the Soweto Derby. That rivalry was formed early on with fellow Soweto neighbors Orlando Pirates, the team where Kaizer Motaung began his professional career.

And their success on the field authenticated their popularity. They’ve won 12 league titles, 57 domestic cup competitions, and one African confederation cup. They’ve never finished lower than 9th in the league in the 40 years of their existence. Their best team was the 2001-2002 team, which won the Vodacom Challenge, the BP Top Eight Cup, the Coca-Cola Cup, and the African Cup Winners Cup. They eventually played Al Ahly in the 2001 CAF Super Cup, and at the end of the season Kaizer Chiefs was named the CAF Club of the Year.

The club has run into some tougher times in the past few years, but that hasn’t diminished their popularity. Their jersey releases are highly anticipated around the world due to its yellow-and-black striped designs, and many of the continent’s best players have played for the Chiefs at one point. The Kaizer Chiefs will no doubt continue to be one of the most popular teams in all of Africa, and it all began with an American link.

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https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2020/02/03/st-petersburg-gets-five-offers-for-prime-central-avenue-site/

St. Petersburg gets five offers for prime Central Avenue site

City Hall received development proposals for its Municipal Services Center from Blake Investment Partners, Echelon, Lincoln Property Co., and Allen Morris. It asked for proposals after a fifth company, Property Management Group, made an unsolicited bid.

The city of St. Petersburg has received two offers for the Municipal Services Center on Central Avenue at Fourth Street N. (Google street view) [Google street view]

ST. PETERSBURG — Five developers are now vying for the city's old Municipal Services Center on Central Avenue.

As of Friday’s deadline, the city received proposals from Blake Investment Partners, Echel...

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https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/mls-2020-jerseys/

MLS Teases 25th Anniversary Kits Ahead of New York Fashion Week Reveal

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https://wflanews.iheart.com/content/2020-02-03-3-knights-from-the-krewe-of-sant-yago-2020-knight-parade/

3 Knights from the Krewe of Sant’ Yago-2020 Knight Parade

3 Knights from the Krewe of Sant’ Yago (Jimmy Piloto Parade Chairman,Ray Favata Co-Chairman and Joseph Gonzalez El Barron 46) joined AM Tampa Bay to discuss the Krewe of Sant’ Yago Knight Parade.

The 2020 Knight Parade begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 as illuminated floats roll down Seventh Avenue in historic Ybor City.

The floats are accompanied by dozens of marching bands, local dignitaries and thousands of participants as they throw scores of beads to an expected 100,000 spectators.

Jerry Springer returns to the parade as a special guest and Titus O’Neil was named the Krewe of Sant’ Yago Knight Parade Grand Marshal.

The Krewe of Sant’ Yago through their foundation, they’ve provided nearly $3 million in scholarships to Tampa Bay area students to attend college.

To find out more information or if you want to attend click here

Krewe of Sant’ Yago Knight Parade

WWE superstar Titus O’Neil and Jimmy Piloto co-chair of the Knight Parade joined AM Tampa Bay to discuss the Krewe of Sant’ Yago Knight Parade.

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https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2020/02/03/six-big-tampa-bay-projects-racing-to-be-ready-for-super-bowl-55/

Six big Tampa Bay projects racing to be ready for Super Bowl 55

More than $1 billion worth of construction is targeted to open before February 2021.

St. Petersburg's new 26-acre Pier District, with components that will include a coastal thicket, walking path, marketplace, playground, tilted lawn, and pavilion, is expected to open in the spring. The project, which will also include two restaurants, the Teak on the fourth-floor of the pier head building, and Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille on the waterfront closer to downtown, is expected, to cost about $92 million. A view looking west off of the top of the pier head building shows the City of St. Petersburg skyline and Tampa Bay. [SCOTT KEELER | Tampa Bay Times]

Since Tampa’s last Super Bowl in 2009, the bay area has welcomed a lot of splashy new projects that are expected to offer new venues for visitors during Super Bowl 55. Here are six projects where cons...

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https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/list-of-top-5-projects-tampa-bay-must-finish-before-super-bowl-lv

List of top 5 projects Tampa Bay must finish before Super Bowl LV

TAMPA, Fla. — Miami’s Super Bowl LIV went off without a hitch, but now it's Tampa’s time to shine.

Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have won the championship title, Tampa Bay is in go-mode preparing to be the national stage for the NFL.

The to-do list is long and includes an array of construction projects slated to be done just in time for the big game.

Here are the top five projects the Urban Development team says will be done in time.

Midtown Tampa

It’s a project which has been decades in the making.

Right now, a dull, congested, concrete jungle will be transformed into a spunky and sophisticated Urban District. The 22-acre, $550 million, construction project sits about two miles south of Raymond James Stadium.

It’s expected to offer apartments, grocery stores, two hotels called Aloft and Element, an office building, fitness trail and of course restaurants.

Developers say about 10 buildings are currently under construction and will be ready to open in time for the big game in 2021.

ABC Acton News spoke with Tampa residents who say the city has so much more to offer now than it did when the Super Bowl was held in Tampa in 2009.

“We have so many more restaurants and just cool places to see and all the development around here is just really exciting,” Lance Wooles said.

JW Marriot Hotel

This waterfront project is one that helped land Tampa Super Bowl LV.

Costing more than $200 million, it will transform the city’s skyline and offer plenty of space for those coming to visit Tampa Bay.

The Marriot Hotel will be connected to the new J-W Hotel once it’s finished.

“Their main interest is to get those done by then. Another one is the Hyatt House and Hyatt Place that’s being built right next to city hall. It's a project we put out in 2016 and they should be on track to be open by then,” said Rob Rosner, with the City of Tampa’s Urban Development.

The hotel has been working extensively with the NFL and says it’s booked about everything for the Super Bowl already.

The JW Marriot will have 519 rooms as well as restaurants, the highest rooftop bar in Tampa and a spa.

The hotel is designed to be the center of activity.

“We didn’t have enough space or enough inventory to keep them in one complex, so it just opens us up to a whole new spectrum of business,” said Ron McAnaugh, the General Manager of JW Marriot.

The St. Pete Pier

A brand new Pier will also decorate the already beautiful City of St. Petersburg.

A $92 million investment will unveil 26 acres full of sightseeing. An aerial sculpture will invite tourists in, but it will be the million-dollar playground and restaurants that keep people there.

The pier will offer a fishing deck and places to eat, drink and to relax.

And now, a year ahead of completion, the St. Pete Pier already announced it is beginning to hire:

Building Maintenance Engineer
Maintenance Technician
Assistant Property Manager
Doc Ford's has positions available as well. Click here to learn more and apply.

Hotel Haya

A brand new boutique hotel in Ybor City is set to open in time for the big game as well.

Just minutes from downtown Tampa, according to Hotel Haya’s website, it will offer a unique dining space, grand ballrooms and over 4,000 square feet of meeting space.

At four stories, and with 176 rooms, the $52 million investment will also be ready to go for Super Bowl LV.

“I think it’s super exciting and great for all the local business,” Lance Wooles, a resident said.

Hyatt Place Hotels

Last, but definitely not least, the Hyatt Place Hotel in on the City of Tampa’s to-finish list before visitors make their way to Tampa Bay in 2021.

The 17-story building will offer tourists 230 rooms for short stays.

But on top of that, the Hyatt House will offer extended stays for those looking to enjoy Tampa for a length of time.

There will be 115 extended stay rooms.

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https://theathletic.com/1580104/2020/02/03/arthur-blank-on-atlanta-united-and-mlss-growth-the-beauty-of-what-weve-done-here-i-think-you-can-do-it-at-any-place/

Arthur Blank on Atlanta United and MLS’s growth: ‘The beauty of what we’ve done here, I think you can do it at any place.’

The night before the 2018 MLS All-Star game in Atlanta, commissioner Don Garber asked Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank for a favor.

The two executives were at dinner with other MLS owners and Garber had hoped that Blank, also owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, would share some of the key reasons behind the early success of Atlanta United.

“I said ‘Don, I don’t want to come across as a know-it-all,” Blank told The Athletic in his Atlanta office last week. “It’s just not who I am. I apologized probably five times after dinner, but the commissioner’s asked me to share. The beauty of what we’ve done here, I think you can do it at any place.”

In spite of that moment of self-effacement, the 77-year-old entrepreneur knew that bringing an MLS club to Atlanta in 2017 would be a success. He believed that the world’s game would thrive alongside established NFL, MLB and NBA franchises in the city.

Blank’s intuition...

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https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2020/02/03/63314/mls-and-u-s-soccer-select-stats-perform-as-global-data-partner/

GAMBLING IN THE USA

MLS and U.S. Soccer Select Stats Perform as Global Data Partner

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https://www.fccincinnati.com/post/2020/02/03/fc-cincy-partner-venuetize-launch-fan-centric-mobile-experience

FC Cincy partner with VenueTize to launch fan-centric mobile experience

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http://thewestgeorgian.com/atlanta-united-enters-new-era/

Atlanta United Enters New Era

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https://worldsoccertalk.com/2020/02/03/nwsl-needs-long-term-tv-partner-on-the-soccer-tv-media-column/

NWSL needs long-term TV partner: On The Soccer TV Media column

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/02/03/my-top-11-best-mls-kits-past-decade-j-sam-jones

My top 11 best MLS kits of the past decade | J. Sam Jones

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https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/education/pre-pro-soccer-team-to-use-south-bend-s-school/article_fc0611b2-46c5-11ea-89a5-67fefbdbf0a9.html

Pre-pro soccer team to use South Bend's School Field, offer programs for students

SOUTH BEND —TCU School Field is officially the home base for the newly formed South Bend Lions Football Club.

During its meeting Monday, the South Bend school board approved a $10,000 one-year lease with the United Soccer League Two franchise team. Starting in May, the soccer team will play its home games at School Field for their competitive summer season.

The Lions will train three to four times a week on School Field during its regular season between March and July, with playoffs to follow, according to the lease agreement. The team’s home opener will be at 7 p.m. May 15 against AFC Ann Arbor.

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https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/psg-continues-north-american-push-with-70m-florida-residential-academy/

PSG continues North American push with $70m Florida residential academy

Ligue 1 club Paris St-Germain is continuing its push into the North American market by opening a $70m residential soccer academy in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area in Florida.

The Paris St-Germain USA Campus is the largest academy set up to date by a European club on American soil.  It serves as the headquarters of all PSG academies across North America and is the home of the new PSG Academy pro residency program.

The South Florida site, built in partnership with franchise holder Paris St-Germain Academy USA, includes a 20,000-seat stadium, five pitches, and a residential program that can serve over 100 players aged U13-U19, including both boys and girls, per season.

Students are taught soccer in the PSG methodology combined with a traditional eduction at the exclusive North Broward Preparatory school in a 10-month program which runs from mid-August to mid-June. Prices range from $35,000 to $81,400 a year, while admission is by tryout only.

According to the academy website, participation in the program will help enable student-athletes attend exclusive American universities such as Duke, Stanford, and Michigan State as well as give them a route to turn professional in the US via the United Soccer League or Major League Soccer. The academy is directly affiliated with USL League Two club FC Miami City.

According to a press release: “To support its expansion strategy in the US, the club will aim to engage new partners among US domestic clubs to bring their expertise to PSG Academy USA. These partners would be key players in Paris St-Germain’s ability to reach its objective of three to five new academies per year.”

In 2018, PSG announced a three-year partnership with Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand, which was designed to strengthen the club’s brand in both the US and overseas.

Read this: Young, gifted and Parisian: why PSG means more than football to global youth

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https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/mls-2020-jerseys/

MLS Teases 25th Anniversary Kits Ahead of New York Fashion Week Reveal

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https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/02/03/key-group-calls-out-cooper-ingram-over-mls-stadium.html

Key group calls out Cooper, Ingram over MLS stadium deal

The future of the city's MLS stadium was turned on its head last week, when Mayor John Cooper and Nashville SC lead owner John Ingram began to publicly spar over the deal.

COURTESY OF NASHVILLE SC

In the fiery debate over Nashville's Major League Soccer stadium, there appears to be at least one area where Mayor John Cooper and Nashville SC lead owner John Ingram agree. Both have said the community benefits agreement governing the stadium's accompanying mixed-use development is critical to the community.

But the architect of that agreement is calling foul.

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https://ghanasoccernet.com/psg-an-mls-suitor-back-after-cavani

PSG - An MLS suitor back after CAVANI

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https://sportstalkflorida.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/https-wp-me-p81oan-1njc-2/

Pat Williams May Want The Tampa Bay Rays In Orlando, Not An Expansion Baseball Team

Pat Williams may be moving away from his goal of getting an Orlando, Florida Major League Baseball expansion team. Williams may have his eyes on the getting the Tampa Bay Rays franchise in the market. The 79-year-old Williams knows he has an uphill battle in getting a team. Major League Baseball is in no hurry to expand and the Rays ownership lease to use the St. Petersburg, Florida domed stadium ends in 2027. Williams failed in an attempt to land a Major League Baseball expansion franchise for Orlando in the 1990s. Williams thinks he can land the Rays by building a publicly financed domed stadium in a market that is one of the five fastest growing counties in the United States. Williams would dip into tourism taxes not local property tax or a range of other taxes to fund the project. Williams envisions foreign tourists going to Disney World or Universal by day and baseball at night.

Orlando is Florida’s fourth largest city Williams does not think highly of St. Petersburg as a sports market and doesn’t think the Tampa Bay market is all that great for Major League Baseball. Orlando is east of Tampa and would capture Tampa area baseball consumers. Williams is not interested in sharing a franchise with St. Petersburg or Tampa. He wants a full-time team and claims he has a waiting list of more than 11,000 people interested in buying season tickets. Williams also thinks he will have a good TV deal and corporate support for a team. But there is no rush. In December 2019, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman told the Rays owners franchise that the team must play every home game scheduled in St. Petersburg through the 2027 season. That means the plan of playing Rays summer home games in Montreal beginning in 2024 is dead. Rays owner Stu Sternberg isn’t sure Tampa Bay and Montreal are economically good baseball markets. Williams is patiently waiting.

Pat Williams, co-founder of the NBA Orlando Magic basketball team. AP-PHOTO

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/take-a-virtual-stroll-with-the-mayor-on-the-st-pete-pier-video/

KNOW

Take a virtual stroll with the mayor on the St. Pete Pier (VIDEO)

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https://www.sarasotapost.com/business/2939-waking-up-with-skullywag-s-coffee-bar-in-cortez-fl

Waking Up with Skullywag’s Coffee Bar in Cortez, FL

This coffee bar not only plans to “wake up Cortez” but it does so using fresh beans locally roasted in Ybor City. You can enjoy an Espresso, Latte, Cappuccino, Americano, Cafe Con Leche and more. Personally, I opted to try the Cafe Con Leche and it was seriously smooth and delicious.

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7964295/David-Beckham-gives-fans-scenes-look-Inter-Miamis-gleaming-new-stadium.html

David Beckham gives fans a behind the scenes look at Inter Miami's gleaming new stadium as former footballer's MLS franchise dream nears completion

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7964485/Inter-Miami-preparing-big-money-bids-Luka-Modric-Edinson-Cavani.html

Inter Miami 'preparing big-money bids for Luka Modric and Edinson Cavani' as David Beckham's new MLS side looks to bring in marquee players

Inter Miami want to sign two star players in Edinson Cavani and Luka Modric
Cavani looked set to leave PSG in January but failed to leave the French giants
Modric is also nearing the end of his contract with Real Madrid and could leave
David Beckham's new MLS franchise begin their first campaign on March 1

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https://gotechdaily.com/gareth-bale-is-moving-to-china-or-mls-sooner-than-going-back-to-the-premier-league-after-agent-tottenham-rumors-deny-it/

Gareth Bale “is moving to China or MLS” sooner than going back to the Premier League after Agent Tottenham rumors deny it