MLS in Charlotte - 2021

[CLT2014]

 

A jab from Raleigh's bid on Twitter:

 

Edited July 19, 2017 by CLT2014

[elrodvt]

There is currently a CLT talks about MLS. The city council person sounds naive and completely uninformed. Want it or not at least be on top of a major topic like this. 

[cityboi]

Intial rendering for Raleigh's proposal

[DMann]

looks expensive!

[Jack152]

That rendering looks like it was done in 10 minutes.

[dylansukkert]

The location of the rally was terrible, why not have it at the French Quarter where you have Hooligans where most Charlotte soccer fans actually watch matches... also 5pm on a super hot day, no ones coming out for that.

[KJHburg]

The stadium looks good in Raleigh but I think this means tearing down some state owned office buildings and parking decks. I am not sure that is feasible. 

[cityboi]

Charlotte needs to put together some renderings. I think the Raleigh rendering is pretty good but the design could be even better. 

[SgtCampsalot]

4 hours ago, elrodvt said:

There is currently a CLT talks about MLS. The city council person sounds naive and completely uninformed. Want it or not at least be on top of a major topic like this. 

Guest Mike Burch of CLT of MLS went full on toe-to-toe at one point (by Charlotte Talks' standards) with the other guest who was opposed to publically-funded stadiums.

My favorite was when they brought up the MLS/Greenway trade off and he basically said "I'd love to see the numbers of how much greenways do for the public." 

And the other guy had this pause, as if thinking did he just say that?

Edited July 19, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[ah59396]

1 hour ago, dylansukkert said:

The location of the rally was terrible, why not have it at the French Quarter where you have Hooligans where most Charlotte soccer fans actually watch matches... also 5pm on a super hot day, no ones coming out for that.

 

It's because this group of investors know nothing about soccer, nor MLS, nor the Charlotte market for MLS.  All they know is that they want a piece of the growing pie that the MLS has created.  That picture of Marcus Smith up on stage last night with that stupid scarf on is laughable to me.  

 

It reminded me of Assem Allam, the rich Egyptian oil magnet who bought Hull City.  He wanted to change the 109 year name to Hull Tigers.  Because the name "Hull City AFC" was too long and "irrelevant".  I think he also said if he owned Manchester City he'd change the name to Manchester Hunter.  Just a complete disconnect from the actual fanbase.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2017 by ah59396

[Guest]

The buildings in Yellow would have to get wrangled from the General Assembly and demolished for the raleigh proposal. The ones in Purple would have to be demolished and built up to replace the General Assembly buildings. Good luck with that Raleigh.

[dylansukkert]

MLS said they loved the Memorial Stadium location. That along with the fact that Raleigh has to demo a lot of building should easily put us ahead of Raleigh correct? We just don't have the following that other cities do right now but I feel like attendance would do great. 

[asthasr]

1 hour ago, SgtCampsalot said:

My favorite was when they brought up the MLS/Greenway trade off and he basically said "I'd love to see the numbers of how much greenways do for the public." 

You see, rich people have private golf club memberships and thus have access to acres upon acres of immaculately manicured green space in the middle of cities. They have no understanding of people who live in apartments and want to get fresh air.

[jednc]

22 hours ago, dylansukkert said:

We just don't have the following that other cities do right now but I feel like attendance would do great. 

Well, unless it's too hot or the stadium isn't built near Hooligans. Then, apparently no one will show up.

[Desert Power]

On ‎7‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 3:39 PM, dylansukkert said:

MLS said they loved the Memorial Stadium location. That along with the fact that Raleigh has to demo a lot of building should easily put us ahead of Raleigh correct? We just don't have the following that other cities do right now but I feel like attendance would do great. 

Charlotte does great in AAA, but just average for the Checkers.  The ICC and Gold Cup games have done well.  Memorial Stadium is a great site.  I think it would do well even with the current lack of support. 

2 hours ago, jednc said:

Well, unless it's too hot or the stadium isn't built near Hooligans. Then, apparently no one will show up.

It was hot as fudge for the ICC game last year.  Attendance still 54k 

[ah59396]

Someone with some extra time (maybe me) might be able to answer this:

 

What are the "downtown" populations of prospective MLS expansion teams?  The MLS has made it clear they want an urban setting for their stadium.  I think transit and walk-ability play a significant factor in making urban stadiums successful.  At least for something like MLS, which is driven by millennials.

I wonder how Charlotte would compare to the other candidates.

[jednc]

3 hours ago, Desert Power said:

Charlotte does great in AAA, but just average for the Checkers.  The ICC and Gold Cup games have done well.  Memorial Stadium is a great site.  I think it would do well even with the current lack of support. 

It was hot as fudge for the ICC game last year.  Attendance still 54k 

Oh, I don't think those two things will matter at all...I was just making a point that it probably also had nothing to do with attendance at the rally on Tuesday.

[kermit]

4 hours ago, Desert Power said:

Charlotte does great in AAA, but just average for the Checkers.

sorry about the digression but I gotta defend the Checkers. They are a bit better than average in attendance in their league -- in the top third of their 30 team league (although only about 300 fans per game above the league average, so yeah, you are right). They do actually outdraw Toronto and Winnipeg (granted they both have local NHL competition). Slightly above league average is pretty decent for a Southern city.

Edited July 21, 2017 by kermit

[grodney]

3 hours ago, ah59396 said:

Someone with some extra time (maybe me) might be able to answer this:

 

What are the "downtown" populations of prospective MLS expansion teams?  The MLS has made it clear they want an urban setting for their stadium.  I think transit and walk-ability play a significant factor in making urban stadiums successful.  At least for something like MLS, which is driven by millennials.

I wonder how Charlotte would compare to the other candidates.

Is there any way to justify expanded/subsidized bus service to Latino areas on game days?  Light rail and walkability aren't much of an option from the east side, right? Or are buses too small to move the number of people that would actually make a difference?  I just think there's a huge market there, beyond the millennial knight's game hangout crowd.

[Niner National]

7 minutes ago, grodney said:

Is there any way to justify expanded/subsidized bus service to Latino areas on game days?  Light rail and walkability aren't much of an option from the east side, right? Or are buses too small to move the number of people that would actually make a difference?  I just think there's a huge market there, beyond the millennial knight's game hangout crowd.

Do Latinos even care about MLS? I see people cite hispanic populations when discussing MLS expansion, but from the (few) MLS games I've watched, it seems like more of a millennial thing. 

[KJHburg]

Is the Raleigh bid counting on state support for their MLS bid? Check out this article from News and Observer and how state reps from this area are trying to make sure it does not happen. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article162779123.html

[ah59396]

3 hours ago, Niner National said:

Do Latinos even care about MLS? I see people cite hispanic populations when discussing MLS expansion, but from the (few) MLS games I've watched, it seems like more of a millennial thing. 

I mean, I won't  speak for Mexicans.  But Liga MX is still a better, higher rated league in comparison to MLS.  If I moved to Charlotte from Monterrey or Guadalajara or Mexico City, I'd have a tough time getting into MLS after being a Club America or Chivas fan.

I'd assume in the eyes of them, MLS is AAA.  Why not just go to the bar and watch Liga MX?

As far as the rest of Latin America is concerned, MLS is far better than their domestic leagues.  Still, i don't think the MLS draw is as significant as some think it is.  I'm sure the MLS has the numbers floating around somewhere to tell us though.

[Merthecat]

Why should Charlotte care if Raleigh's bid involves the state government?  Charlotte never (as far as I know) asked for land from the state to build their stadium.  Raleigh's proposal requires state involvement, Charlotte's does not.  It's totally absurd to me to think that one city would wish to stop another city in the state from growing.  If anything they should be cooperating, not competing (although with the bids that does make it difficult).  It would be great for either city, and if one were awarded a team over the other, both cities should be grateful that MLS even came to NC in the first place.

I personally prefer Charlotte's stadium plan, but I think Raleigh has the advantage overall.  We're a smaller market, yes, but the local support is far deeper than in Charlotte.  I was at the Raleigh rally, and I would estimate that we had at least twice as many attendees as Charlotte.  I couldn't even get inside the building at City Market, and there were hundreds of people standing outside.  Malik isn't asking for public money aside from infrastructure, whereas Smith is. 

Mecklenburg's politicians who are crying over Raleigh's attempt to land a pro sports team should be ashamed of themselves.  It's not one city over the other, it's two cities with inherently different bids and different needs, both hoping to be awarded a team.  I don't think the state will complain if Charlotte is awarded an MLS team, it's just that they have to work with Raleigh to make their stadium plan feasible.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Merthecat said:

Why should Charlotte care if Raleigh's bid involves the state government?  Charlotte never (as far as I know) asked for land from the state to build their stadium.  Raleigh's proposal requires state involvement, Charlotte's does not.  It's totally absurd to me to think that one city would wish to stop another city in the state from growing.  If anything they should be cooperating, not competing (although with the bids that does make it difficult).  It would be great for either city, and if one were awarded a team over the other, both cities should be grateful that MLS even came to NC in the first place.

I personally prefer Charlotte's stadium plan, but I think Raleigh has the advantage overall.  We're a smaller market, yes, but the local support is far deeper than in Charlotte.  I was at the Raleigh rally, and I would estimate that we had at least twice as many attendees as Charlotte.  I couldn't even get inside the building at City Market, and there were hundreds of people standing outside.  Malik isn't asking for public money aside from infrastructure, whereas Smith is. 

Mecklenburg's politicians who are crying over Raleigh's attempt to land a pro sports team should be ashamed of themselves.  It's not one city over the other, it's two cities with inherently different bids and different needs, both hoping to be awarded a team.  I don't think the state will complain if Charlotte is awarded an MLS team, it's just that they have to work with Raleigh to make their stadium plan feasible.

I don't think the local support for soccer is deeper in Raleigh. I think Charlotte has been burned by bad ownership twice (Bob Johnson and George Shinn), and Bruton Smith doesn't seem like he knows jack about MLS, so people aren't getting behind an effort that is clearly about making money and jumping on a bandwagon, instead of being something more organic, like the Independence are.

[js4life]

9 minutes ago, Merthecat said:

Why should Charlotte care if Raleigh's bid involves the state government?  Charlotte never (as far as I know) asked for land from the state to build their stadium.  Raleigh's proposal requires state involvement, Charlotte's does not.  It's totally absurd to me to think that one city would wish to stop another city in the state from growing.  If anything they should be cooperating, not competing (although with the bids that does make it difficult).  It would be great for either city, and if one were awarded a team over the other, both cities should be grateful that MLS even came to NC in the first place.

I personally prefer Charlotte's stadium plan, but I think Raleigh has the advantage overall.  We're a smaller market, yes, but the local support is far deeper than in Charlotte.  I was at the Raleigh rally, and I would estimate that we had at least twice as many attendees as Charlotte.  I couldn't even get inside the building at City Market, and there were hundreds of people standing outside.  Malik isn't asking for public money aside from infrastructure, whereas Smith is. 

Mecklenburg's po7liticians who are crying over Raleigh's attempt to land a pro sports team should be ashamed of themselves.  It's not one city over the other, it's two cities with inherently different bids and different needs, both hoping to be awarded a team.  I don't think the state will complain if Charlotte is awarded an MLS team, it's just that they have to work with Raleigh to make their stadium plan feasible.

Because these deals generally require a low lease requirement to make them viable. The Panthers &Knights pay 1  dollar per year for example & that is from a local government  not state owned land