courtside Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I said on the other board I would try to find out more about St. Louis efforts for MLS expansion team. This is from a good source but they stressed to me that it is not 100% guaranteed info, so take it for what it is worth....but I am hearing Hunt Sports Group, as in Lamar Hunt who owns 3 MLS teams, and the KC Chiefs. Hunt is huge soccer booster as many know for decades. He put KC Wizards up for sale in 2004 and they still sit up for sale. St. Louis would be getting expansion team, not the Wizards. Hunt also owns Columbus Crew and Dallas Burn, and Hunt's group....sports and capital group provided much of the fiunding for the gorgeous new soccer stadium in Dallas...part of reasons he was allotted the team. I have no other specific info other than to say I have heard that Hunt's group has some sort of involvement ...minor or major...don't know. Is Hunt Sports Group, which is part of Hunt Capital....etc...merely an adviser or active participant, I don't know. Will Checketts be involved? etc...don't know. I do know that MLS commissioner Garber announced recently that in next 60 days an expansion team for 2008 will be announced and it will either be in Cleveland or St. Louis. So combo of Stan Kroenke, Lamar Hunt, Dave Checketts, all owners of MLS teams and new stadiums for soccer....would get a lot done for STL. ....also...on SLU's website yet another soccer recuit article from the kid from Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 thanks for the info Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Where is the MLS team gonna play? The jewel of midtown would need a major upgrade to have comparable facilities to other MLS teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion1818 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 The issue over a stadium is a HUGE hurdle to overcome. I've heard that MLS approached SLU about upgrading Hermann Stadium for MLS standards, but SLU refused, for unknown reasons. And besides that, there really is no suitable place to play, unless some $$$ owner wants to pony up $100mil for a new stadium. Honestly, I'd love to see MLS in St. Louis, but I just don't know about how it would work out. Sure they could get an owner, but getting a new stadium off the ground in 2 years time (from now) is highly unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 I may be wrong but I thought these soccer only stadiums were in the 50m range. ... Still alot of money Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtside Posted April 17, 2006 Author Share Posted April 17, 2006 The MLS team would temprorarily play somewhere else, but in order for St. Louis or anybody ele to get a team, they would need to have plans for a new stadium. People are way too focused on where they would play for 1-2 seasons which in long haul matters less. Skip,....soccer specific stadiums vary. Columbus was about the range you say, but it is bare bones....important for being first one, but not what future ones will be. Now people are building the soccer stadiums with dozens of youth fields and other multipurpose stuff around it....Dallas was $80 million. L.A.....which has many many other things too, tennis stadium and other sports etc...was well into the 100's....nobody else will hit that range. I would think 75m....would be more like it. If St. Louis gets a team they building a new soccer specific stadium, or they won't be getting a new team. Checketss is in process of getting one done in Utah. Kroneke's in going up in Denever, Hunt partially funded Dallas' complex. etc...the days of hadning out teams to cities who do not have plans for near future soccer stadiums are over. St. Louis wouldn't be in the final two if all of these topics hadn't been discussed a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtside Posted April 17, 2006 Author Share Posted April 17, 2006 Some samples....Chicago's is $95 million, Colorado $130 million, L.A. $150 million....Utah proposing $60 million....Columbus hs probably the cheapest one. Dallas $80 million. It depends on what else the complex will contain etc..and how big. Most of the stadiums are in the 20-25k seat range, with dozens of youth fields and otehr thing going on.....concerts etc... St. Louis would be looking at one more in its medium city expense range south of 100m I would imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion1818 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 It's also a common trend where these new soccer specific stadiums are being built outside of the downtown areas. Obviously, land is cheaper in the suburbs, thus the move to Carson, Commerce City, Bridgeview, Frisco, Harrison, and that other place in Utah. Obviously, it would be much better for a stadium to be built in downtown STL, like the Dome, Busch and Savvis... but don't be surprised if talk of a stadium ends up in Maryland Heights, Chesterfield, St. Charles or even South County. Let's just hope this happens though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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