MLS in Charlotte - 2021

[kermit]

Is the new Matthews facility something the Independence can walk away from easily? (Contracts? Quality? Ability to expand? Ability to sell beer?...)

Edited August 3, 2017 by kermit

[archiham04]

I mapped the area of potential development around the stadium on the UP dev map in an attempt to illustrate how ridiculous it is to assume that there will be a major redevelopment potential here.  IF you assume that future redevelopment is attributable to the stadium (and not the streetcar, greenway, or other major public investment)  and you look at what is redevelop-able in the surrounding 325 acres, you will find that only 55 acres have ANY potential for redevelopment within at 20 year timeframe.  There are arguements for MLS, but redevelopment potential is not one of them.

Edited August 3, 2017 by archiham04

[SouthEndCLT811]

38 minutes ago, kermit said:

Is the new Matthews facility something the Independence can walk away from easily? (Contracts? Quality? Ability to expand? Ability to sell beer?...)

Contract - Not sure on the agreement

Quality - Matthews Sportsplex is best they've played at so far.  Field looks great outside of this time of year when parks and rec throws sand on the field to kill weeds.  The amenities are top notch, scoreboard is great, concourse is spacious and room to grow.  Concessions are still run by the team with food trucks/carts coming in.  Those are no different than typical speed you'd get a food truck elsewhere but seems to queue up pretty fast with only 2-3 options on each side. 

Expand - USSF Division 2 requires a capacity of 5,000 but the USL was granted provisional status for time to get up to speed.  The county will expand seats to 4,000 and I'm sure with the grass berm on one side and standing areas elsewhere the team can reach the 5,000 requirement

Beer - Run by Hooligans and OMB, lines seem to be improved since the first game when CO2 was shot.  Much faster than at their previous stadiums.  Still only sold inside the field and no alcohol is allowed on county property at tailgates still

Edited August 3, 2017 by SouthEndCLT811

[js4life]

To clarify my earlier statement, I don't think you can look at the immediate area like BB&T/Bearden park. If what was discussed comes to fruition in terms of connecting Independence Park/Stadium/Cross Charlotte Trail that could help spur more development in 1st ward,midtown,brooklyn village etc as well as fill in some of gaps between Uptown,PM,Belmont & so on

[archiham04]

If the MLS stadium will bring 700M in investment then great.  I predict that there already is at least 700M in investment in this area that will happen without MLS. That means that when we add MLS  we will have 1.4B in investment in the coming years.  Sounds great.  Can't wait.  Definitely worth the investment.

[js4life]

36 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

If the MLS stadium will bring 700M in investment then great.  I predict that there already is at least 700M in investment in this area that will happen without MLS. That means that when we add MLS  we will have 1.4B in investment in the coming years.  Sounds great.  Can't wait.  Definitely worth the investment.

MLS or not I feel the city should take Memorial either way since the county is unlikely to ever do anything with it. Also it hasn't been widely discussed but the Smith bid is also pledging to improve soccer facilities at parks including Clanton rd,Revolution as well as building their team training facility on the Eastland site

Edited August 3, 2017 by js4life

[Merthecat]

Not that these mean much, but here is an updated power ranking list from SoccerNation:  https://www.soccernation.com/updated-mls-expansion-quest-power-rankings/

Charlotte is listed at a dismal 11th.

[Jack152]

18 minutes ago, Merthecat said:

Not that these mean much, but here is an updated power ranking list from SoccerNation:  https://www.soccernation.com/updated-mls-expansion-quest-power-rankings/

Charlotte is listed at a dismal 11th.

I've seen a bunch of these, and Charlotte is usually listed somewhere near the bottom. It's a direct reflection on the dysfunction between Smith and the local government.

Shame, because Charlotte is the exact demographic MLS wants: young, growing, and increasingly urban.

 

[Synopsis101]

I visited Lagos, Nigeria a few months ago. I was surprised to see people wearing MLS jerseys. Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers have sort of a cult following there. An MLS team could be big for Charlotte internationally.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Synopsis101

[SgtCampsalot]

2 hours ago, js4life said:

MLS or not I feel the city should take Memorial either way since the county is unlikely to ever do anything with it. Also it hasn't been widely discussed but the Smith bid is also pledging to improve soccer facilities at parks including Clanton rd,Revolution, as well as building their team training facility on the Eastland site

That's rich. Like the Panthers practice field has done wonders for the land around it.

Edited August 3, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[kermit]

2 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

That's rich. Like the Panthers practice field has done wonders for the land around it.

I agree with you that the Panthers practice field has done nothing to stimulate development directly. However, before it was turfed and fenced it was a scrapyard. BoA CDC (run by Dennis Rash) went to great effort to get the scrapyard a new home in Derita so redevelopment could get started. I think the parcel was only partly remediated so housing can't go there easily (IIRC).

The Panthers facility was a pioneering project, Eastland soccer, not so much.

Edited August 3, 2017 by kermit

[videtur quam contuor]

The Johnson & Wales dorm is on that same property that was (I think) Smith scrap iron company. Nasty business from the mid 1800's on. Though the nastiness was not generally recognized until the later 20th century.

[js4life]

2 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

That's rich. Like the Panthers practice field has done wonders for the land around it.

Wasn't implying that it would but from my understanding Smith's  group would allow the general public to use the fields. So it would be more of a public space located in a underserved area that the city is attempting to spur more economic activity in. 

[cjd5050]

18 hours ago, Jack152 said:

I've seen a bunch of these, and Charlotte is usually listed somewhere near the bottom. It's a direct reflection on the dysfunction between Smith and the local government.

Shame, because Charlotte is the exact demographic MLS wants: young, growing, and increasingly urban.

 

 

Posted this last November but I wish Jordan was behind the bid.  We would not see nearly the same public kickback and I think the Charlotte MLS team would have become the Nike testing grounds similar to Oregon Football.    You would think the largest sports brand on the planet would want to get more active in the sport.  Instead, we get a guy playing with the money from Daddy's empire trying to pivot away from a sport that's on the decline.  

The thing about these leagues is that they really are a fraternity of owners.  It's a club and they vote in the owner just as much, if not more than the city.  

I remember reading that when Terry Pegula purchased the Bills Jerry Jones said that from day 1 he was a top tier owner.  On the other hand, the NFL is stuck with Mark Davis in Oakland coasting with Daddy's team.  You would think the MLS owners are looking at the candidates the same.  And I think it's safe to assume they would welcome MJ into their fraternity with open arms.  

Does the city have any deal makers around?  Feels like 20 years ago this is something McColl and Crutchfield could solve over lunch at a Country Club.  Is there a leader that can 1) Reach out to Jordan and try to get him to bid.  2) Reach out to someone at the city and get them to accept the stadium so they can roll this out.  3) Reach out to the MLS and get them to pass on Charlotte in Round 1 but come back in Round 2?

I read what Smith did to the city of Concord when he threatened to leave.  Because of that I don't give a sh*t if they get worked out of a deal. 

Am I just dreaming?

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2017 by cjd5050

[SouthEndCLT811]

Jordan won't come close to MLS till 2024 now IMO

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/adidas-extends-major-league-soccer-sponsorship-6-years-700-million-152955630.html

Guy is Nike for life and MLS is exclusive with Adidas, no way he gets involved.  You can argue NBA was Adidas till this coming season but a little different where he had to deal with the league sponsors to play the sport he loves.  I don't think as an owner he'd come in if he couldn't brand his own team with Jumpman apparel.

Edited August 4, 2017 by SouthEndCLT811

[CLT2014]

City said no to taking Memorial Stadium. I'd say our chances of landing an MLS team are pretty close to 0%. 

"James Mitchell, head of the council committee, said landing a soccer team isn’t an impossible task, but it does require a new approach. The difference, he said, is that the city is going to lead the process, whereas the county has done so to this point."

“Soccer’s not dead, but it’s definitely dead at Memorial Stadium,” Mitchell told me.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/08/17/mls-in-charlotte-hits-dead-end-on-stadium-site.html

 

Nashville's stadium process seems to be going even better than Raleigh. My guess is the Southern team added to MLS ends up in Nashville. 

http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3180339/nashville-group-unveils-plan-for-30,000-seat-mls-stadium

Edited August 17, 2017 by CLT2014

[R.Talbott]

The Hurricanes have the worst attendance in the NHL.  I'd question putting another pro team in Raleigh. 

[KJHburg]

I question both Raleigh and Nashville's chances. Nashville is a smaller tv market than even Raleigh and I am not sure how MLS would do in either cities. Nashville's stadium proposal is at their fairgrounds which is a couple of miles from downtown Nashville hardly an urban walkable setting MLS says they want. I am betting San Diego, Sacramento, maybe Cincy and Detroit or Phoenix The problem in Raleigh is will the state support the bid for that land downtown? I bet no city in the southeast will get one. 

Edited August 18, 2017 by KJHburg

[Jack152]

 

Quote

It’s reboot or bust for MLS4CLT.

Charlotte City Council’s Economic Development Committee voted today to reject Mecklenburg County’s proposal to deed American Legion Memorial Stadium and Grady Cole Center to the city for construction of a Major League Soccer stadium. County Commissioners voted 5-3 last month to deed the property to Charlotte and fund $49 million to the 2008 park bond referendum. EDC Chairman James Mitchell motioned to reject the county’s offer—which the committee approved. An official vote will take place at the Sept. 11 council meeting, and the EDC will meet again on Sept. 14 for what Mitchell coined “MLS 2.0.”

“We’re going to review all the sites again,” he said. “We’re going to start over from scratch. Look at other public-private partnerships. What has worked for other cities? What has worked for us? More importantly, we are going to look at locations, and make sure that we have a checklist for what we think could make us successful.”

Mitchell specified his disdain for the county’s move as it relinquished any fiscal responsibility while placing the entire financial demand on Charlotte and MLS4CLT, the group leading a bid for an expansion franchise.

“I made the motion to reject the county giving us Grady Cole and Memorial Stadium specifically for MLS,” Mitchell said. “We did not need it with these strings attached. What was a big factor was, because of the county motion, they were not giving us any other financial support. The $43.75 million [originally proposed by the county for construction] would be removed and the loan that they would provide for [MLS4CLT CEO] Marcus Smith. We are no longer interested in Memorial Stadium for MLS soccer. What we are going to do is do a reboot. It’s MLS all over again. The city can really drive this. We’re known to be the economic developers.”

A key concern for Charlotte when the league announced its expansion plans in December and the Jan. 31 bid deadline was the lack of time for public discourse.

“We’re in the driver’s seat now,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to have public engagement. We’ll make sure that we have the right private-public partnership. More importantly, we’re going to make sure that we have the right economic stimulus in a section of our community that needs a catalyst like this. To have people think that there was still some hope for MLS soccer at Memorial Stadium, we wanted to bring that to a head today. This will be on the city council agenda for Sept. 11 for the full council to support the EDC recommendation of declining the offer.”

A key component in the MLS bid process stems from the proposed soccer-specific stadium location. MLS has specified that the stadium must be in close proximity to the urban core. During his visit to Charlotte on July 18, league President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott specified four components for a successful bid: ownership, stadium plan, support for soccer and how the market can help increase league popularity.

“What we want more than anything are our expansion teams to be successful, and the factors that we’ve laid out are factors to be successful,” Abbott said. “You wouldn’t want a team if you didn’t have those factors.”

Abbott toured the county-owned Memorial Stadium site, and praised its proximity to Uptown.

“We’re not at a point of ranking markets,” Abbott said. “We evaluate each market by its own merits. I saw a lot of positives in Charlotte.”

Said Smith in July: “Adding a MLS franchise and a stadium to our community would be a positive impact on our quality of life.”

Based on MLS stipulations, Mitchell emphasized sites such as Eastland Mall are not viable for a stadium. However, Smith did note at last month’s EDC meeting the site could be repurposed as the club’s training facility.

“MLS has tied our hands,” Mitchell said. “It has to be an urban location. I like any activity on the West Trade Street/Beatties Ford Road corridor. With our Gold Lynx Line going [from Elizabeth Avenue to Beatties Ford Road], it could provide synergy near Bank of America Stadium. Just call that what I call the ‘sports district,’ with the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Knights and if we could find some space for MLS soccer. We’re handicapped a bit by MLS to stay in an urban location, but I’d like to see all the potential locations. We don’t know all the other locations that were looked at prior [to Memorial Stadium]. We heard there were a total of 12, but we would like to get an update about all of the locations which were up for consideration.”

http://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2017/08/17/qcfc/charlotte-to-mecklenburg-county-nope-on-memorial-stadium/

 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Jack152

[Green_man]

11 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I question both Raleigh and Nashville's chances. Nashville is a smaller tv market than even Raleigh and I am not sure how MLS would do in either cities. Nashville's stadium proposal is at their fairgrounds which is a couple of miles from downtown Nashville hardly an urban walkable setting MLS says they want. I am betting San Diego, Sacramento, maybe Cincy and Detroit or Phoenix The problem in Raleigh is will the state support the bid for that land downtown? I bet no city in the southeast will get one. 

Well San Diego's bid looks to be in the same category of St. Louis and Charlotte.  Very desirable markets but no stadium option.  I'd put the cities in 4 groups...

Frontrunners:  Sacramento, Cincinnati

Next Tier: Detroit, Phoenix, Nashville

Possibles:  Tampa, Raleigh, Indy, San Antonio

Out: St. Louis, San Diego, Charlotte

[KJHburg]

2 hours ago, Green_man said:

Well San Diego's bid looks to be in the same category of St. Louis and Charlotte.  Very desirable markets but no stadium option.  I'd put the cities in 4 groups...

Frontrunners:  Sacramento, Cincinnati

Next Tier: Detroit, Phoenix, Nashville

Possibles:  Tampa, Raleigh, Indy, San Antonio

Out: St. Louis, San Diego, Charlotte

and I want Raleigh to get a team but I just dont see it happening. However if NC get no team we will still be thriving believe me. 2 of the top 10 fastest growing metro areas in the country both in NC I am not worried about it. 

[ah59396]

3 hours ago, Green_man said:

Well San Diego's bid looks to be in the same category of St. Louis and Charlotte.  Very desirable markets but no stadium option.  I'd put the cities in 4 groups...

Frontrunners:  Sacramento, Cincinnati

Next Tier: Detroit, Phoenix, Nashville

Possibles:  Tampa, Raleigh, Indy, San Antonio

Out: St. Louis, San Diego, Charlotte

 

You're dead on.  If I had to bet money at this point, I think it'll be Sacramento, Cincinnati, Detroit and Phoenix.

 

Detroit's stadium plan is really starting to come together and Phoenix has the backing of Didier Drogba.

 

Side note:  I'm really enjoying the momentum that Detroit continues to have.  Their downfall was as well documented and panned as any American city, but I'm glad to see it getting back up on its feet.

Edited August 18, 2017 by ah59396

[Merthecat]

On 8/17/2017 at 9:27 PM, R.Talbott said:

The Hurricanes have the worst attendance in the NHL.  I'd question putting another pro team in Raleigh. 

But who wants to attend a game when they know their team will probably lose?

Edited August 19, 2017 by Merthecat

[AuLukey]

But who wants to attend a game when they know their team will probably lose?

Cleveland Browns fans

[Merthecat]

3 hours ago, AuLukey said:

Cleveland Browns fans

Good point.