Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is proposing to get a soccer stadium for Orlando City Soccer Club built sooner rather than later, despite the Florida legislature’s rejection of state funds, by building it in stages:
Dyer said the new preferred plan is to split the project into two phases — the same approach that allowed construction to begin on the then-stalled Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The first phase would cost about $70 million, Dyer said, not including land costs of $12 million to $15 million.
To bring the cost down, representatives of the city and the team are considering several options: cutting the size of the roof to leave the end zones exposed; leaving some office and locker-room space unfinished; reducing the number of club areas from three to two; and delaying the installation of 500 to 1,000 seats in one end zone.
That’s all well and good, and actually follows in the footsteps of the phased construction of some early 20th-century stadiums — take a look at what Yankee Stadium looked like in its first season, for example. But building in stages doesn’t actually reduce the cost, it just spreads it out; and while Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said the soccer club is “absolutely committed” to putting in more money “if we go forward,” presumably the whole reason to wait is in order to see if the state will kick in more down the road.
Still, the plan here is apparently to try to get something approved fast, for fear that David Beckham — who had a clause in his player contract with MLS that allows him to buy an expansion franchise for $25 million, less than half the going rate — will get there first and put a team in Miami and then … MLS won’t want another team in Florida, despite already having two teams in L.A. and New York? It doesn’t actually make much sense when you think about it, but then, thinking about it is never the strong point of most league-sponsored stadium frenzies.
If the phased construction plan does go ahead, it could make for an interesting scenario: If Orlando City already has a new stadium and Orlando has its team, is the state legislature really going to throw more public money at the deal just for a bigger roof and more lavish suites? This is Florida, so the answer might well be yes. But it’s also possible that Orlando City would have to think about paying for further expansion plans out of their own pocket — which, given that they’re only talking about paying for $30 million of the first $85 million, would still put them coming out ahead of many other MLS teams’ stadium deals.
An Englishman and a Brazilian walk into a council meeting…
This is such a prototypical Orlando story: a group of outside investors barges into town, hypes up this huge project, tries to extract what they can from the people who actually live here, gets what they want from the local pols, and starts counting the money while the locals get next to nothing on the deal. The only saving grace is that this deal won’t be as big a screwjob as the Scamway Center was… yay?
I’ve gotten into some sparring matches with City fans on Twitter, and their main argument seems to be along the lines of “but the team is kicking in an X amount of money!” It’s laughable how they look at the team contributing $30 mil (and not over half, as many of their fans would have you believe) toward a stadium that could run north of $100 mil as if it were some sort of noble act.
This is a USL Pro team, right? That’s third division soccer. I know the club has solid attendance figures and a language-learning magnate behind them (I have no idea what he’s actually worth, I just like the phrase ‘language-learning magnate’) but this is still a third division team. If private money wants to put the cart before the horse and build the stadium hoping they can buy up to MLS, then have at it. But public money for the hope that it will make them more MLS attractive is stupidly risky.
Although my guess isn’t that Orlando wants to get there before Beckham, but they actually look at that as making them more attractive. MLS is trying to cultivate local rivalries—and it has worked in the Pac Northwest—they even had a ‘Rivalry Weekend’ on NBCS at the start of the season trying to hype up dislike between teams that are geographically close. Anyway, Orlando could claim they would be the local rival to a potential Beckham-Miami team.
I’ll start by saying that $70-100M for a minor league stadium is farcical.
Yes, I know about the spring training facilities MLB clubs fleece Arizona and Florida residents out of. But that’s not really minor league… those are scaled down big league facilities (you know, less benefit with massive cost…)
I have less of an issue with cities funding minor league stadia (particularly if there is an amateur or public university athletic tie in). Major league facilities could be built (smaller, less grandiose, and less costly) without subsidy. I’m not sure minor league or amateur facilities ever could, absent a very wealthy benefactor.
A USL pro club actually “needs” a stadium around 5k in capacity. If they think they are ready to move up, 8-10k at the most. $100m for that is ridiculous.
What ever happened to building up your business as it grows and succeeds? Why is it the taxpayers’ problem that the owner of a franchise wants it to be more than it is?
If Orlando wanted to offer them $15-20m toward a $40-45m stadium, it wouldn’t offend me as a taxpayer (though I don’t live in Orlando…). Use FIU stadium as a model, scale it down and adapt it for USL needs. $40m should be more than enough.
On John’s point, the team does draw 6,000-10,000 a game already. They should do 10,000 to start with with room to expand if they stay at the third level. With that said, it’s clear this team is MLS or bust. At that point why even build a new stadium if the team never makes MLS. I think they will get a team in the next 3-4 years but sadly MLS will do the “yeah, we know NYFC wasn’t required to have one and neither is Miami, but you are” deal.
Then again no one has a clue where OCSC will play next year with the city “refurbishing” the Citrus Bowl for $185 million (when it holds 5 football games, a monster truck show that could be off if the new entrance in the north end is not big enough and random failed mega-concerts). And the idea of getting 2 all-star games in 3-4 year (not happening) is a “requirement” is hilarious.
The team is putting up $50 million of their own money, not $30 million. Get your slander straight.
That being said, this stadium will not be built if this team isn’t granted a MLS franchise. It’s the entire goal and reason for the stadium.
Xander: From the Orlando Sentinel article linked above: “The initial plan called for a $110 million stadium, with $30 million coming from the team; $30 million in state sales-tax rebates; $25 million from the county; and $25 million from the city, mostly in land costs.”
The state money didn’t come through, but the other amounts are unchanged. Where are you seeing $50m?
This is classical “Not My Buddy” Dyer corporate welfare. He’s also facing another budget shortfall this year, yet campaigns full-time for the new soccer stadium. Wonder what his payoff will be?
http://youtu.be/Y1lev-5nvWE
(The Rich Man’s Orlando – Buddy Dyer’s World)