Soccer in Nashville

[Bark At The Sun]

On 10/16/2019 at 8:05 AM, PaulChinetti said:

Here are some shots from last night. Doesn't look like they have started any demo.

These should give us a good baseline for all construction though.

Awesome shot of the track.........but I cant help but look at that line of buildings between West End all the way to East side of downtown.

 

[PaulChinetti]

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/demolition-for-mls-stadium-at-fairgrounds-nashville-delayed

Looks like Cooper isn’t signing the demo contracts. It’s what it says at the bottom. He’s gonna slow walk it and see if he can make it fall apart. 

[DDIG]

7 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/demolition-for-mls-stadium-at-fairgrounds-nashville-delayed

Looks like Cooper isn’t signing the demo contracts. It’s what it says at the bottom. He’s gonna slow walk it and see if he can make it fall apart. 

Yep. He's positioning to get this project out of the Fairgrounds or kill it altogether. He probably would love to keep the old and new sheds for an expanded flea market.

[BnaBreaker]

12 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/demolition-for-mls-stadium-at-fairgrounds-nashville-delayed

Looks like Cooper isn’t signing the demo contracts. It’s what it says at the bottom. He’s gonna slow walk it and see if he can make it fall apart. 

Cooper is going to be a disaster.  I mean, Nashville essentially elected a guy who's primary message was, 'lets shoot ourselves in our own feet!'  

[PaulChinetti]

7 minutes ago, DDIG said:

Yep. He's positioning to get this project out of the Fairgrounds or kill it altogether. He probably would love to keep the old and new sheds for an expanded flea market.

If that happens I don't ever wish bad on anyone but I would wish for a targeted tornado on the new and old buildings. I can play mean just like them, ha.

[nashvylle]

1 hour ago, DDIG said:

Yep. He's positioning to get this project out of the Fairgrounds or kill it altogether. He probably would love to keep the old and new sheds for an expanded flea market.

There will be lawsuits against the city, so I don't think Cooper can "kill it all together" unless he is prepared to have another location. Perhaps keep the mixed used at the fairgrounds to fund other projects like NASCAR and relocate the MLS stadium in a footprint small enough behind the Titans stadium so the Titans can still rebuild a new stadium if they want, or renovate the current one. 

Either way, a MLS stadium behind the Titans stadium vastly increases the land around the stadium stadium, which will be used for funding renovations to Nissan Stadium. 

[Armacing]

On ‎10‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 3:30 PM, nashvylle said:

3. Developer self financing (I do not think this will happen)

Just curious - why don't you think the developer will self-finance the stadium?  What is the business relationship between the developer and the soccer team?

----

Also, this may be a dumb question, but who will own the soccer stadium when it is complete?

[titanhog]

If Ingram could somehow find enough land within the DT loop (I know...probably next to impossible, if not outright impossible)...he should strongly consider doing this all himself if financially possible.  Once you allow government to hold the cards, you lose most of your control over your own franchise.

[bnacincy]

I always thought a sports park on the East Bank would be nice....Nissan Stadium is between Shelby Street and Woodland Street, why not put the soccer stadium between James Robertson Pkwy and the railroad tracks and if it comes to it a major league baseball stadium between the railroad tracks and Spring Street/Jefferson Street Bridge? That would clean up the East Bank a lot and increase parking which could be shared by whoever has a home game-and create more parking for downtown commuters which would keep more cars out of the CBD.

Yes, it would be very expensive to relocate the industrial sites currently there-particularly the fuel depot-but the city needs to put it in context of a larger plan to deindustrialize the Cumberland river from downtown to Opryland in order to create more green space for all the new downtown and near downtown residents that are pouring in.

Edited October 22, 2019 by bnacincy
Content

[TheRaglander]

I remember when the Sounds had issues many years ago.  Mayor Miller in Franklin considered luring them to Franklin.

[Jamie Hall]

2 hours ago, TheRaglander said:

I remember when the Sounds had issues many years ago.  Mayor Miller in Franklin considered luring them to Franklin.

Talk about a poke in the eye to Davidson and Metro Nashville -- just imagine if Ingram gets a spiteful mood and takes his team to Williamson County as form of protest.

[nashwatcher]

I can't imagine Cooper really trying to sink the MLS deal. Metro Council has already given the thumbs up and the MLS ownership has moved forward due to that vote. It would be incredibly bad faith and a lack of integrity to try sink it now on loopholes.

[grilled_cheese]

8 hours ago, DDIG said:

Yep. He's positioning to get this project out of the Fairgrounds or kill it altogether. He probably would love to keep the old and new sheds for an expanded flea market.

I would be all for bulldozing those at midnight if the deal falls through.

 

5 hours ago, bnacincy said:

I always thought a sports park on the East Bank would be nice....Nissan Stadium is between Shelby Street and Woodland Street, why not put the soccer stadium between James Robertson Pkwy and the railroad tracks and if it comes to it a major league baseball stadium between the railroad tracks and Spring Street/Jefferson Street Bridge? That would clean up the East Bank a lot and increase parking which could be shared by whoever has a home game-and create more parking for downtown commuters which would keep more cars out of the CBD.

Yes, it would be very expensive to relocate the industrial sites currently there-particularly the fuel depot-but the city needs to put it in context of a larger plan to deindustrialize the Cumberland river from downtown to Opryland in order to create more green space for all the new downtown and near downtown residents that are pouring in.

Everyone should've bit the bullet and built a domed multi use (foosball, baseball, soccer, concerts) stadium next to Adelphia Coliseum and called it a day for the next 30 years.  And yes, I understand the "requirements" for some of the other franchises but if they don't take it then they can take their crap somewhere else.

[MidTenn1]

Coopers comments on the soccer stadium last August....FOX17 story.

Quote

“I’m trying to be very clear about this to everybody. We voted for soccer and now soccer has to be a success,” Cooper said. “Frankly the most recent news about the cost overruns at the stadium are a huge concern. And that’s one of the reasons why the next mayor has to get on it.”

……….

Cooper said while the project needs to stay at the fairgrounds, he does believe the master plan needs serious work.

“At this point, we have to make what’s their work out. That is going to require a lot of creativity,” Cooper continued before calling for a women’s team to join the men’s team.

 

[jmtunafish]

8 hours ago, PHofKS said:

Coopers comments on the soccer stadium last August....FOX17 story.

 

He wants to bring professional women's soccer to Nashville, too?  That's pretty cool.

[TheRaglander]

2 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

He wants to bring professional women's soccer to Nashville, too?  That's pretty cool.

This will be bigger than some may think.  The girls youth rec and club soccer presence in the mid south is pretty large.  It will likely not sell-out the MLS stadium but will have good numbers.

[Armacing]

So I take it nobody in here (including me) knows what the business relationship is between the developer and he soccer franchise?  And nobody knows who would own the stadium at the fairgrounds?

[nashvylle]

13 minutes ago, Armacing said:

So I take it nobody in here (including me) knows what the business relationship is between the developer and he soccer franchise?  And nobody knows who would own the stadium at the fairgrounds?

Developer (Market Street Enterprises) is a minority owner in Nashville Soccer Club. Metro would own the stadium, with Nashville Soccer Club being responsible for the vast majority of the debt payments.

Nashville Soccer Club is comfortable paying the debt service due to the 10 acre private development.

Market Street would develop the 10 acres with a loan of approximately 65-70% of the cost of the development. However, banks are not going to lend because the land could revert to metro if the stadium delays cause the team not play within a two year time frame.

 

[Armacing]

2 hours ago, nashvylle said:

Developer (Market Street Enterprises) is a minority owner in Nashville Soccer Club...

Awesome, thanks for that summary!

Any idea who the majority owner is in the Soccer Club?  I think that party would have a vested interest in making up the financing gap left by the unwilling banks.

[tragenvol]

21 hours ago, Armacing said:

Any idea who the majority owner is in the Soccer Club?  I think that party would have a vested interest in making up the financing gap left by the unwilling banks.

John Ingram.

[Armacing]

19 hours ago, tragenvol said:

John Ingram.

Perfect!  Now we know, folks.  That's the guy who needs to rustle up some cash to finance this stadium.  This guy is the face of crony-capitalism - - trying to use public funds to finance his business venture.  He wants the Davidson taxpayers to underwrite the loans for his project (i.e., take on the risk), but he fully intends to keep 100% of the profits for himself. 

The only reason this guy isn't run out of town on a rail is because the public is so de-sensitized to this type of corruption.  Of course, I could say they are uneducated about how economics works or deceived by "experts" with vested interests, but I prefer to give the public the benefit of the doubt... They're probably just not paying close attention. 

Surely most soccer fans would be willing to pay the true market price for a ticket that is high enough to also fund a stadium.  What would that be, $500 per seat for a game?  Why, for a soccer super-fan, that's peanuts.  I don't think we will find many fans whose self-respect would even allow them to contemplate having their ticket prices subsidized by taxpayers... unless maybe they never stopped to think about it because they were very busy thinking about other things.  That's probably it:  Too busy to think about the philosophical implications.

[Ingram]

8 minutes ago, Armacing said:

Perfect!  Now we know, folks.  That's the guy who needs to rustle up some cash to finance this stadium.  This guy is the face of crony-capitalism - - trying to use public funds to finance his business venture.  He wants the Davidson taxpayers to underwrite the loans for his project (i.e., take on the risk), but he fully intends to keep 100% of the profits for himself. 

The only reason this guy isn't run out of town on a rail is because the public is so de-sensitized to this type of corruption.  Of course, I could say they are uneducated about how economics works or deceived by "experts" with vested interests, but I prefer to give the public the benefit of the doubt... They're probably just not paying close attention. 

Surely most soccer fans would be willing to pay the true market price for a ticket that is high enough to also fund a stadium.  What would that be, $500 per seat for a game?  Why, for a soccer super-fan, that's peanuts.  I don't think we will find many fans whose self-respect would even allow them to contemplate having their ticket prices subsidized by taxpayers... unless maybe they never stopped to think about it because they were very busy thinking about other things.  That's probably it:  Too busy to think about the philosophical implications.

 

Hopefully "They" sent Cooper to stop all of this.

[Ingram]

1 hour ago, Armacing said:

The only reason this guy isn't run out of town on a rail is because the public is so de-sensitized to this type of corruption.  Of course, I could say they are uneducated about how economics works or deceived by "experts" with vested interests, but I prefer to give the public the benefit of the doubt... They're probably just not paying close attention. 

The irony is that 24 years ago the public actually forced a referendum vote on the NFL welfare giveaway. Now things have degenerated so much that a Major League Soccer stadium faced little to no opposition.

1 hour ago, Armacing said:

Surely most soccer fans would be willing to pay the true market price for a ticket that is high enough to also fund a stadium.  What would that be, $500 per seat for a game?  Why, for a soccer super-fan, that's peanuts.  I don't think we will find many fans whose self-respect would even allow them to contemplate having their ticket prices subsidized by taxpayers... unless maybe they never stopped to think about it because they were very busy thinking about other things.  That's probably it:  Too busy to think about the philosophical implications.

Too busy with their cravings for craft beer.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Ingram

[PaulChinetti]

5 minutes ago, Ingram said:

The irony is that the 24 years ago the public actually forced a referendum vote on the NFL welfare giveaway. Now things have degenerated so much that a Major League Soccer stadium faced little to no opposition.

They forced a referendum then lost, 59% to 41%. So it seems like the citizens wanted it.

[Armacing]

34 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

They forced a referendum then lost, 59% to 41%. So it seems like the citizens wanted it.

Good point. But we can't let the 59% hide behind their democratic victory... they still have to defend their moral position.  Why should some elderly fixed-income residents be forced to subsidize their ticket costs on game day?  Shouldn't the super-fan who finds themselves unable to afford the true cost of a ticket (including the stadium) simply resign themselves to live a boring life because they can't afford the fun they so greatly desire?  Or is it an every-man-for-himself world now where even the un-satisfied need for entertainment is a good enough reason to take money from someone else, and leverage the local government as the apparatus for taking that money?