Soccer in Nashville

[Andrew_3289]

44 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

Can anyone with access to the below article highlight the main points?

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/12/21/as-nashvilles-mls-push-rolls-forward-what-role.html

 

With Vanderbilt University hoping to revamp its athletics facilities, speculation has swirled recently about the potential of a shared stadium to house both the Commodores and a future Nashville Major League Soccer team.

That speculation intensified Wednesday as Nashville business heavyweight John Ingram, who has strong ties to the school, stepped forward as the lead investor for the city's MLS bid.

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With Vanderbilt University hoping to revamp its athletics facilities, speculation has… more

COURTESY OF U.S. SOCCER

Bill Hagerty, co-leader of the Nashville MLS Organizing Committee, confirmed Wednesday that the organizing committee has had multiple conversations with Ingram and the university about the possibility of such a partnership.

"[A shared stadium] has been a possibility for some time, and we continue to discuss it with Vanderbilt," Hagerty said.

Hagerty also said the possibility of a shared stadium is something the committee has discussed with MLS officials.

"We have that option on the table," he said.

Publicly, the MLS has made clear its desire to only grant new franchises to groups willing to build soccer-specific stadiums.

Hagerty said pulling together a deal for a stadium, with the help of the city, is high on the list of things he must accomplish as his effort moves forward, along with pulling together more corporate sponsorship and continuing to build momentum in the community.

Last week, MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that Nashville is among 10 finalists vying for one of four expansion teams. Formal applications from cities vying for franchises are due to the league by Jan. 31. By then, Hagerty said he hopes to have a stadium deal in place, though he said that plan may or may not be public at that time.

Hagerty made it clear that, despite Ingram stepping forward, his role leading the effort remains the same as it has been.

"[I am] still, with [co-head] Will Alexander, going to manage the bid process and … continue to put new elements together," Hagerty said.

Ingram's role, Hagerty said, will be that of a face and "anchor tenant" for the investment group.

"[Ingram stepping forward] is a statement to the league and to the city that we have one of Nashville's leading civic figures and a very solid business leader to take a very significant role in the financing of our team. … It shows the league we have staying power with a significant anchor tenant in the mix," Hagerty said.

Hagerty said he first spoke with Ingram, chairman of Ingram Industries Inc., about his MLS push at Ingram's sister's house over the summer. He said Ingram was excited about the franchise's potential for the city from the beginning and that his level of excitement remained consistent as he learned about the franchise's potential as a business investment. Hagerty said Ingram intends to have a long-term ownership interest in the franchise.

Multiple attempts by the Business Journal to reach Ingram on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

With Ingram's help, Hagerty said the investment group, of which he is a part, won't have trouble financing the launch of a franchise, which is expected to cost "well north" of $300 million, according to Garber.

Along with Ingram, Hagerty said there is a small group of high net worth investors who are ready to become involved in the effort as it moves forward.

Hagerty’s work on the MLS push over the past month comes as he has also served as President-elect Donald Trump's director of presidential appointments.

Despite a November Wall Street Journal article mentioning Hagerty as a potential selection by Trump for to become U.S. Trade Representative, Hagerty said he is looking forward to handing his baton off to people who will be working at the White House full-time.

"It was no surprise that speculation [tying him to the Trade Representative role] occurred, but it is my goal not to stay in Washington after [inauguration]," Hagerty said.

[Titans10]

With Ingram involved it seems way more likely that Vanderbilt and the MLS will be working together, which I think will be better for both sides being each can put in less money but get a better product. 

[titanhog]

But would a Vandy / MLS stadium hinder our chances a bit?  Seems that most everything I've seen indicates MLS wants soccer specific stadiums.  If there are cities willing to build soccer only stadiums and we're talking about sharing one with a football team, that seems to be a knock against us.

Of course, if that's our only avenue...I guess it's better than nothing at all.

[PruneTracy]

1 hour ago, titanhog said:

But would a Vandy / MLS stadium hinder our chances a bit?  Seems that most everything I've seen indicates MLS wants soccer specific stadiums.  If there are cities willing to build soccer only stadiums and we're talking about sharing one with a football team, that seems to be a knock against us.

Several of the soccer-specific stadia used by MLS clubs also serve as the home of football programs. BBVA Compass Park and Providence Park host NCAA football teams. Toyota Field is home to several Frisco high school teams. BMO Field was recently renovated and expanded for the CFL. There is talk of having the Chargers use the StubHub Center if they move to Los Angeles, albeit on a temporary basis. Chicago's Toyota Park is used by the Lingerie Legends Football League.

The point is for the MLS side to have equitable, or even favorable, revenue sharing from the project. If Nashville SC and Vanderbilt can work out a deal that accomplishes this goal from the viewpoint of the MLS I don't see any reason why it would be a black mark on the viability of the franchise here. But then the question, as it seems to be too often, is how much tax money other cities are going to dump on the pile for a sports franchise.

[Titans10]

2 hours ago, titanhog said:

But would a Vandy / MLS stadium hinder our chances a bit?  Seems that most everything I've seen indicates MLS wants soccer specific stadiums.  If there are cities willing to build soccer only stadiums and we're talking about sharing one with a football team, that seems to be a knock against us.

Of course, if that's our only avenue...I guess it's better than nothing at all.

I think the main reason MLS was wanting "soccer specific" stadiums was to eliminate cities using their NFL stadiums for soccer also giving the impression that the stadium was half empty.  A new stadium designed for both soccer and college football I don't think would hinder us from getting a team because it was designed to host soccer in the beginning. 

[markhollin]

I think the tandem-use facility has the best chance of working from Nashville's perspective.

First of all, I don't see Metro nor the citizenry being willing to approve another $100+ million outlay for a brand new soccer-only facility---especially one that may only be utilized about 25 times a year (20 games and 5 concerts).  We already have Nissan Stadium which has been underutilized because the Titans control it, and have turned down some big shows like U2 because they didn't want to work too hard or harm their turf. 

Secondly, Vandy would probably like to have another tenant to help maximize their investment in the new stadium.

Thirdly, MLS does have some prime franchises that share stadia with NFL teams: New England, Seattle, and the new Atlanta franchise come to mind. If it's a good fit, the league seems open. And I think Vandy's new stadium would not be as cavernous with an empty upper deck like Nissan would have for most soccer matches.

Lastly, MLS is not a guaranteed sell-out kind of sport.  Just like it took the Preds 15 seasons to get to the point of filling 98% capacity the past few years (and now selling out 17,113 seats every single game this year), it could be a challenge for MLS to sell-out 20-25,000 seats for every game in this market over the course of its first five seasons (at least). And TV ratings are not strong enough to generate much additional interest nor revenue. It's still a niche kind of endeavor to the bulk of Americans. I think MLS is greedy asking a $200 million (I think that's correct amount) expansion fee.  It would take at least a decade for that to be considered a good investment by an ownership group.  Pretty risky by my way of thinking. 

[smeagolsfree]

There really is no new news here. The article just states that Ingram has close ties to Vandy and everyone is in discussion including the Nashville MLS group, MLS national, Metro, And Vanderbilt.

Many times some of the newspapers run a basic repeat with a spin or differing angle..It is what it is....

[titanhog]

24 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

There really is no new news here. The article just states that Ingram has close ties to Vandy and everyone is in discussion including the Nashville MLS group, MLS national, Metro, And Vanderbilt.

Many times some of the newspapers run a basic repeat with a spin or differing angle..It is what it is....

So...if they do team up with Vandy, we all have to assume the stadium would be built on the Vandy campus near the current stadium, right?  I can't see Vandy wanting to move their games off-campus.

[SumnerCountian]

While I would love for Nashville to get a MLS team, I would prefer it to be housed in its own stadium. I think that being tied to Vanderbilt could possibly be a detriment as the MLS has stated they want their franchises to have a soccer specific stadium. Soccer is best played on a flat pitch while most football field have some crown in them. I suppose with more modern drainage systems, the need for a crown is eliminated. And, perhaps unimportant, as a UT fan, I would rather not have to go to Vanderbilts campus for a soccer match. I would be a t all of my proceeds to go to the soccer team and not a dime to VU. Ok, sports rant over.

[japan]

2 hours ago, SumnerCountian said:

While I would love for Nashville to get a MLS team, I would prefer it to be housed in its own stadium. I think that being tied to Vanderbilt could possibly be a detriment as the MLS has stated they want their franchises to have a soccer specific stadium. Soccer is best played on a flat pitch while most football field have some crown in them. I suppose with more modern drainage systems, the need for a crown is eliminated. And, perhaps unimportant, as a UT fan, I would rather not have to go to Vanderbilts campus for a soccer match. I would be a t all of my proceeds to go to the soccer team and not a dime to VU. Ok, sports rant over.

As someone said above, I think the 'soccer specific' is more about them not wanting NFL sized stadiums.  Vandy would need at most 40k seats, which is at the high end for MLS, but not crazy.

[smeagolsfree]

I think a Vanderbilt location would be a mistake and I also think they need a dedicated stadium closer to the core. I really do not think we will get a team this go around as other cities are way ahead of us as far as planning goes.

[grilled_cheese]

4 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

I think a Vanderbilt location would be a mistake and I also think they need a dedicated stadium closer to the core. I really do not think we will get a team this go around as other cities are way ahead of us as far as planning goes.

Agreed on both points.  We won't get a team without a soccer specific stadium, for one they don't want to see a half empty stadium and two they don't want to have to cover up other teams/leagues logos for the MLS telecast.  The Vandy site would not be a good location for getting in/out and it keeps people closer to the core and closer to more bars and infrastructure.  We wouldn't want those poor West End people to have to deal with anymore traffic, would we?! 

I think we put together our proposal last minute and get denied but we'll watch and learn from the other cities who are ahead of us.  Then we'll be on the short list next go around.

Nashville MLS team names:

Nashville FC

Nashville United

Nashville Troubadours

Nashville Highlanders

Nashville Capitols

Nashville Medics

Nashville Governors

Nashville Senators

Nashville Buskers

Nashville Hot Chicken and Kickin

 

 

[dmillsphoto]

8 hours ago, grilled_cheese said:

 

Nashville Hot Chicken and Kickin

 

 

No. Never this. I LOL'd but no.

How about VFC - Volunteer Football Club?

[donNdonelson2]

MCFC-music city football club

[BnaBreaker]

I hope they just keep it classic and simple.  Nashville FC.  Done.  No need for a corny nickname.

[grilled_cheese]

11 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

MCFC-music city football club

Woah!  I like this one!

10 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

I hope they just keep it classic and simple.  Nashville FC.  Done.  No need for a corny nickname.

Agreed but you know they are going to name it something dumb if they get a chance.

[nashvylle]

Nashville Bootleggers

[Flatrock]

Music City Shi* Kickers.

Sorry, couldn't resist. 

 

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

A series that will be worth the read. From Sports Illustrated.

 

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/mls-expansion-prospective-cities-bids-28-teams

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

A series that will be worth the read. From Sports Illustrated.

 

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/mls-expansion-prospective-cities-bids-28-teams

The question is how far will the MLS go?  Will they eventually expand to 30...32...more?  I would like to see us make the 28 just in case...but I still think we're a tad late to the game for the Jan 2017 deadline.  Of course, we could pull a rabbit out of the hat that's not expected and wow the MLS.

[markhollin]

With debate looming over cost of an MLS Stadium, this article shows that most of the new stadia around the league are bing built primarily with private funding:

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/12/28/with-debate-over-a-nashville-stadium-looming-a.html

[tragenvol]

On 12/23/2016 at 11:00 PM, donNdonelson2 said:

MCFC-music city football club

"City til I die!"  To borrow more from Man City.

[nashvylle]

The article states it is unknown what Bill Haggerty's designation would mean for his role in the MLS push, but does anyone have any speculation?

http://www.nashvillepost.com/politics/article/20848161/hagerty-tapped-fro-japan-ambassadorship

[MLBrumby]

Probably very little effect on MLS... but my sense is that John Ingram is driving that bus anyway. I understand there's much going on behind the scenes with Vandy in this effort. Nashville has a decent to good chance of landing a new team, but it's a race against the clock, as much as anything (namely a competition with other cities). 

[markhollin]

The two competing pro soccer ownership groups are talking about merging together:

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/01/13/nashvilles-competing-pro-soccer-groups-in-merger.html