Richmond Sports

[blopp1234]

Maybe we could eventually get an MLS team out of this if they allow for even further expansion.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'm happy they are doing something, but I'm kind of underwhelmed by what they have proposed. We would need a much larger, nicer facility with stronger ownership for mls. 

[eandslee]

32 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I'm happy they are doing something, but I'm kind of underwhelmed by what they have proposed. We would need a much larger, nicer facility with stronger ownership for mls. 

Plus it's going to take too long. 

[wrldcoupe4]

Over 8,000 at the Kickers game last night, an attendance record!

 

[eandslee]

9 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Over 8,000 at the Kickers game last night, an attendance record!

 

So great to see that!  I was wondering what the attendance was.  I think the Kickers have became me popular all of a sudden because they are the one team in town not looking for king for some money from the localities.

[eandslee]

Okay, since no one else has posted it yet, here is the major news on the NASCAR Richmond Raceway (new name) and a $30 million upgrade to the infield facilities thereby improving the fan experience.  I am not a NASCAR fan, but I'm sure this is huge news for all the fans in the area.  Hopefully, this helps improve attendance numbers:

http://www.richmondraceway.com/Articles/2017/07/redevelopment.aspx

[drayrichmond]

haha I guess not a lot of NASCAR fans on here (don't count me as one), but I read the article, nice to get some investment. One bit to pull out of the article is this quote:

“This is the first step in what I view as a redevelopment of the entire area,” McAuliffe said. “If we look at the next five, 10 or 20 years, I envision this whole area developed into a gigantic entertainment district. That’s what the France family has done at some of the other racetracks they have.”

[rjp212]

Hi all. New to town from Charlotte, but have been an UPer since 2005.  I'm loving Richmond and can sense its on the verge of exploding.  Looking forward to being a part of the city.

Noticed that TopGolf is looking to build a facility in Henrico, although a location near Rocketts Landing would've been perfect.  One just opened in Charlotte and they are a huge draw.  Could've been great to take out-of-towners to and then grab a beer at Stone's.

http://richmondbizsense.com/2017/08/25/topgolf-zeroes-in-on-richmond/

Edited August 26, 2017 by rjp212

[Brent114]

Welcome to Richmond! 

When it comes to recognizing the signs of an impending construction boom, I trust the intuitions of a (past) Charlotte resident  

[vaceltic]

I was curious how the Richmond Braves relocation to Georgia was doing and, like most other municipalities that woo sports teams, they found they got a raw deal. Sounds eerily similar to the Redskins training camp. For anyone interested:

https://web.archive.org/web/20091108172929/http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/gwinnett-braves-parking-revenue-188884.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/08/19/minor-league-team-sharing-name-market-atlanta-braves-not-easy/578769001/

https://politics.myajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-hook-for-struggling-ballpark/EBBmymL74kL3lEeAihsnxN/

[Wahoo 07]

2 hours ago, vaceltic said:

I was curious how the Richmond Braves relocation to Georgia was doing and, like most other municipalities that woo sports teams, they found they got a raw deal. Sounds eerily similar to the Redskins training camp. For anyone interested:

https://web.archive.org/web/20091108172929/http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/gwinnett-braves-parking-revenue-188884.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/08/19/minor-league-team-sharing-name-market-atlanta-braves-not-easy/578769001/

https://politics.myajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-hook-for-struggling-ballpark/EBBmymL74kL3lEeAihsnxN/

I think that the city and surrounding counties ought to be rather reluctant to spend public funds on a minor league baseball stadium.  Minor league baseball is not a big draw and I seriously doubt will be a catalyst for anything other than parking fees.  If this was for a major league team, perhaps I would feel differently.  An arena is different because of its versatility and ability to elevate the region's profile, while minor league stadiums are single use and minor league teams are the proverbial dime-a-dozen.  Curious as to what the board thinks about this.

[cbl1]

I thought the city and surrounding counties were reluctant to spend public funds on minor league baseball stadium - no current debate.   Having VCU as partner appears to the current strategy (and a good one).

Gwinnett went all in and was very irresponsible with public funds - that appears to be a fact.   And Richmond wouldn't do it.

The baseball stadium thing has been debated way to much in Richmond is just a pretty sore subject.   I'm looking forward to the partnerships they have been working on to get a new stadium built in the 2020 timeframe.

[RVAbigdawg]

Wow.... Fredericksburg could be building a new baseball stadium for a Nationals affiliate team.  And Richmond can't even get past a phone conversation about building a new stadium.  COME ON!  Our city desperately needs a new stadium!!

[eandslee]

8 minutes ago, RVAbigdawg said:

Wow.... Fredericksburg could be building a new baseball stadium for a Nationals affiliate team.  And Richmond can't even get past a phone conversation about building a new stadium.  COME ON!  Our city desperately needs a new stadium!!

Source?  I want to learn more.  This is frustrating though.

[Downtowner]

1 hour ago, eandslee said:

Source?  I want to learn more.  This is frustrating though.

If you go on the potomac Nationals  facebook page it will show all the renderings of the stadium and talk about the move down I-95 to fredericksburg.

[blopp1234]

Good for Fredericksburg. However, who knows if this will be shot down or not because it was just proposed and Fredericksburg is about as bad as RVA when it comes to NIMBYs so we will see what happens with this. Hopefully with VCU involved, the baseball debate will be solved, once and for all. 

[wrldcoupe4]

Building a new ball park on the boulevard has nothing to do with NIMBYs. Just the city sitting on some of the most valuable real estate in the region.

[vaceltic]

Its a single A affiliate, 4500 seat stadium that's being "privately funded." Confusing, because the article says "Under the proposed deal with the city, Silber's Potomac Baseball would plan, design, finance and build the stadium in Celebrate Virginia South" then goes on to state "Potomac Baseball would have a projected debt service payment of approximately $2.5 million annually, with the city paying $1.05 million annually to Potomac Baseball for 30 years."  Not sure how you can say 'privately funded' with the city paying something. A similar deal sought by Silber in Prince William County fell through earlier because of financing through the county.

Regardless, not sure this facility is a good comparison to what Richmond is trying to do with a new AA/college, 10,000 seat baseball stadium.

http://www.insidenova.com/news/business/prince_william/potomac-nationals-announce-plans-for-fredericksburg-stadium/article_46e3e774-79ac-11e8-9de2-e71df0d303fb.html

Edited June 27, 2018 by vaceltic

[eandslee]

I’ve been to a few Potomac National games and yes, it is a very small league...tiny, even.  This stadium would be a huge upgrade for them!  Shame Richmond is having trouble doing something similar for the Flying Squirrels.  We’ll see if this actually gets off the ground. 

[DowntownCoruscant]

When it comes to stadium  financing-speak, up is down and black is white and dogs and cats sleep together. That said, the Fredericksburg market has been ready for A-ball for some time.

[RVAbigdawg]

Latest news on that ballpark in Fxburg...

https://www.richmond.com/sports/flying-squirrels/eastern-league-squirrels-monitoring-potential-of-class-a-franchise-relocating/article_c5b44b9b-0a2e-583a-adf2-b3d817d9a4e7.html

 

[blopp1234]

Cool article from the firm doing the financial report for the coliseum deal. They have Richmond ranked 4th on a list of potential sports markets, behind Austin, Louisville and Hampton Roads. If you look at the NBA, they most likely will add an expansion team in Seattle, but then after that is a mystery. Austin doesn’t have an arena and is pretty much Spurs country. Louisville is a definent Lansing spot, with the KFC YUM Center. Hampton Roads can’t get an arena deal together, leaving Richmond as most likely the second or third option for expansion for the NBA. Not saying it will happen for sure, but it is possible, especially if we get this arena built, RVA could become a gold mine for the NBA(strong millennial population, growing city identity, Growing population, brand new 17,500 seat arena, underserved market with the potential to draw over 3 million peoples day proven love for basketball, which are all things the NBA says they want in a potential market.) Richmond or Hampton Roads also ranked top 5 in most likely markets to land an NFL expansion team, or an MLB expansion team.

https://www.richmond.com/sports/professional/basketball/firm-hired-by-stoney-declares-richmond-a-top-city-for/article_42cfb01e-cb76-5ca7-b3c7-8942608bf8c1.html

Here is the study linked in the article.

https://hundenpartners.com/download/presentations/alsd_presentation_pdf_6_27_18_bp_opt.pdf

Edited July 13, 2018 by blopp1234

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

There are at least 10 markets I can name that sound more likely to draw expansion teams than RVA.

 

[wrldcoupe4]

Interesting - I suspect they are looking at the two markets as  combined, and that the location of the franchise would be either in Richmond or HR but serving both markets?

[vaceltic]

I can see them lumping the two together as one market because Norfolk does not have the corporate presence needed to support stadium sponsorships, luxury boxes, etc; whereas Richmond does, but not necessarily the population totals. When Hampton Roads tried to lure an NHL franchise, the pitch was to treat Richmond-Norfolk as a continguous area that the team would draw from. It was a stretch then and probably even moreso today. I think an MLS franchise could work, but any attempt for Richmond to shoot for major leagues would meet heavy resistance from DC franchises.