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sakyle04

Mar 13, 2010 2:22 PM

Spurs Consider Managing Alamo Stadium - Big Urban/MLS Implications

So an Express-News story came out recently that the San Antonio Spurs parent group (SS&E) had been in discussions to take over and manage Alamo Stadium, the historic 23,000 seat stadium near downtown (for the obvious intention of bringing a Major League Soccer team).

SAISD would continue to use the stadium under the agreement.

This has potentially big implications...

1. The addition of 20-30 major attendence dates (between soccer and concerts) to the Alamo Stadium calendar would continue to enliven the area.

2. The strategic renovation and reclamation of the urban stadium will undergird the River North/inner-city revitilization efforts and show the urban core to be stronger than ever.

3. The close proximity of Alamo Stadium to improved transportation systems (3/4 mile from Witte Station on Streetcar line) may help provide a boost to those systems.

4. Major League Soccer has proven to be an urban success story in America, with huge successes in Seattle, Toronto, DC and (soon) Portland, Vancouver, Philadelphia and New York (who are all opening urban or semi-urban rail-accessible stadia).

There is a group of soccer "supporters" already assembled in San Antonio (I dabble) and they are working towards building support for a team that would, for the benefits of this forum, hopefully do as much for those who love urbanity as it would for those who love soccer. Check 'em out: http://www.crocketteers.com/

oldmanshirt

Mar 13, 2010 5:20 PM

Wasn't it Hardberger who chased MLS away in the first place?

I've always thought a bridge going over 281 that linked Alamo Stadium and Brackenridge would be pretty flippin sweet. You wouldn't have to go that far since the ped walkways already overlap the freeway anyway.

miaht82

Mar 13, 2010 5:38 PM

Good stuff,
Not sure how I missed that article.
I am not a soccer "fan" but its funny that I say that since I have been to more MLS matches and even MLB games than NBA or NFL combined; two sports which I would consider myself a "fan" of.
It's the atmosphere that makes it great for me. I can't watch it on TV, but being at a game is just so different.
Even at RFK Stadium (DC) it was close to 1/2 mile from Metro door to Stadium turnstile, so 3/4 of a mile from Witte to Alamo Stadium is definitely walkable.
The renovation/expanded use of the stadium would solidify that northern end of the core and add another item on the "things to do" list.
Now we just have to wait and see. Keep the news coming

UrbanTrance

Mar 13, 2010 6:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miaht82 (Post 4744545)

Same here. Never that big a fan of soccer, but it is extremely worth watching in person than on television. Good to hear the city pushing for it.

sakyle04

Jul 2, 2010 5:43 PM

Front page of this week SA Biz Journal!!!

SPURS PARENT EYEING PRO SOCCER IN SAN ANTONIO
Plans call for developing new stadium complex (renovation of existing school district facility mentioned)

Any subscribers able to reveal bulk of article?

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...05/story1.html

oldmanshirt

Jul 2, 2010 8:01 PM

If they're using Frisco as a model that would seem to imply new construction rather than using Alamo stadium...

But having access to the rest of the article would be helpful :)

miaht82

Jul 2, 2010 8:26 PM

Here it is...

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...05/story1.html

Quote:

Friday, July 2, 2010
Spurs’ parent eying pro soccer for San Antonio
Plan calls for developing a new stadium complex
San Antonio Business Journal - by W. Scott Bailey

Spurs Sports & Entertainment’s Leo Gomez says the parent company of San Antonio’s NBA franchise is interested in pursuing a professional soccer team for the Alamo City.

Gomez says heightened interest in the U.S. team’s 2010 World Cup run has reaffirmed SS&E research indicating that there is growing support for the sport of soccer in the nation’s seventh largest city.

If SS&E is successful in its effort to secure a soccer franchise, it would expand the organization’s San Antonio sports reach beyond AT&T Center. It would also represent a belated victory of sorts for former San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza, who tried to convince local leaders a half-decade ago that the Alamo City should pursue soccer.

Gomez says SS&E’s plan is to re-create the model Dallas’ Major League Soccer franchise used to secure a new stadium in North Texas — called Pizza Hut Park. That would require SS&E to team up with an area independent school district interested in developing or renovating a venue to accommodate professional soccer, high school football and various entertainment events.

Dallas-based Hunt Sports Group, the Frisco Independent School District, the City of Frisco and Collin County agreed several years ago to team up on the development of Pizza Hut Park, a $65 million soccer-specific stadium complex that is now home to the Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas franchise. In September, the stadium is scheduled to host the rock band KISS.

Gomez says the Frisco model is one SS&E believes will work in San Antonio.

“Multiple school districts have expressed an interest,” he says. “We just haven’t found the right opportunity and the right timing yet to make it happen. But we ... believe the opportunity will come here in the near future to co-develop a stadium with a school district.”

Huge benefit

Garza tried to bring an MLS team to the Alamo City roughly five years ago. He is now a member of the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Board of Trustees.

Garza says there have been some talks between SS&E and the SAISD about the possibility of renovating the aging Alamo Stadium, located off of U.S. Highway 281 in North Central San Antonio. The plan would be to convert the structure into a multi-use facility that could serve as a home for a pro soccer team, high school sports and assorted other events.

“They have expressed their interest in being a partner with us in enhancing that venue,” Garza says.

“We know we have to make an investment in Alamo Stadium with or without the Spurs,” he adds. “If we can do that with a partner and then can have a facility that can accommodate professional soccer and other events, that could be a huge benefit for everyone involved.”

Gil Garza, executive director of athletics for the SAISD, says there have been discussions about making significant improvements at Alamo Stadium as part of a plan to accommodate a pro soccer team. Under that scenario, he says, SS&E would manage the facility.

Could pro soccer work at the venerable stadium?

“I think it can with the right improvements,” Gil Garza says. But he says it’s unclear how much those improvements would cost the school district.

Gomez did not divulge how much SS&E is willing to invest to develop a home for a pro soccer team. But he does say that Alamo Stadium is worthy of consideration.

“There may be an opportunity,” he says. But that district’s leaders have other important things to consider first, and we understand that.”

Serious discussions

The Spurs are not the only entity interested in securing a pro soccer franchise. Former home builder and developer Gordon Hartman says he, too, hopes to bring a team to San Antonio.

Hartman helped develop Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park for special needs children, and the STAR Soccer complex — both located at the site of the former Longhorn Quarry on San Antonio’s Northeast Side.

“I’m working very aggressively to put together a plan to bring a professional soccer team to San Antonio,” Hartman explains. “I want to build a venue that would accommodate a pro soccer team.”

Hartman says he has had conversations with multiple teams about relocating to San Antonio.

“We’ve had serious discussions,” he says.

Hartman’s focus is the United Soccer Leagues (USL), which currently has teams in markets such as Austin, Portland and Tampa Bay.

Gomez says he believes San Antonio should start with a team in the USL.

But he says SS&E is interested in a plan that would include a stadium suitable for the MLS.

Scott Metzger, founder of Freetail Brewing Co., has been to MLS matches in Houston and to the MLS Cup in Seattle. His San Antonio brew pub has hosted several World Cup viewing parties that attracted overflow crowds.

“I do believe there is support for a pro team,” say Metzger about the prospect of San Antonio getting its own franchise. “But I believe it has to be done on the top professional level.”

SAISD’s Ed Garza says he isn’t sure how this will play out. But he says San Antonio has come a long way since he left City Hall.

“We can now sustain and support professional soccer in San Antonio,” he says. “We have grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years.”

Gomez says the excitement generated over the World Cup in San Antonio helped “put a face” with the research SS&E has performed with regard to the viability of bringing a soccer team to San Antonio.

“We absolutely believe that professional soccer is the next sport to bring to San Antonio,” Gomez insists. “But it has to be at the right level and at the right venue. We want to do it. But we want to do it the right way.”

SS&E officials say what they can offer a potential venue partner is the expertise from operating multiple professional sports franchises and a major league sports venue — AT&T Center.

“We are a willing, potential partner in the development of a stadium with a school district,” Gomez says. “Frisco has showed how this can work ... .”

Read more: Spurs’ parent eying pro soccer for San Antonio - San Antonio Business Journal

jaga185

Jul 3, 2010 1:15 AM

I would love a MLS team here, FIFA surely has sparked my interest in soccer. Alamo Stadium is a perfect choice, although I think if need be something adjacent to RiverNorth would be amazing... weren't they closing a school downtown or something?

Keep-SA-Lame

Jul 3, 2010 3:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaga185 (Post 4899011)

Fox Tech is a magnet school now, so it's not available for conversion into a MLS stadium.

miaht82

Jul 3, 2010 3:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaga185 (Post 4899011)

Alamo Stadium would be perfect; perfect chance to fix it up before it falls apart. If not, I could see a land swap with the city and SAISD for the land on the corner of Alamo/Durango and the district to get to "use" a new stadium next to the Alamodome. Hey, it'd be on a streetcar line and there's plenty of parking.

Boquillas

Jul 3, 2010 5:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt (Post 4744531)

I've always thought a bridge going over 281 that linked Alamo Stadium and Brackenridge would be pretty flippin sweet. You wouldn't have to go that far since the ped walkways already overlap the freeway anyway.

There already is a bridge exactly where you're describing, between Alamo Stadium and Brackenridge Park, right behind the Sunken Garden Theater: Stadium Drive. It has a fenced sidewalk that steps down to the Sunken Garden cantilevered driveway (Alpine Dr) above 281. I've been on it. Anyone can use it but no one does. That and Tuleta Dr goes under 281 to the Zoo only steps from the east stadium parking lot.

Keep-SA-Lame

Jul 3, 2010 3:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boquillas (Post 4899202)

I recently discovered that. It's a nifty back entrance to the park.

oldmanshirt

Jul 3, 2010 9:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boquillas (Post 4899202)

Yeah I guess I was thinking of something a little further north, between Stadium Drive and Hildebrand. Maybe the city could one day revisit the original plans for 281 that called for a tunnel going under the park instead of cutting between it and the stadium. With the current interest in freeway parks (including plans for one over the Wornall-Rodgers Fwy in Dallas), it seems like it could be worth considering.

jaga185

Jul 3, 2010 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt (Post 4899667)

I've always thought that, and traffic wouldn't be too too bad, seeing as how we have 35, San Pedro, McCullough, Broadway, and 10 going North. There would be many options for commuters heading to and from downtown for them close it completely. It would make that area even more amazing.

sakyle04

Aug 8, 2010 4:46 PM

More news on the refurbishment of Alamo Stadium and the possibility of the Spurs/MLS playing a role...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/soc...wFullArticle=y

sakyle04

Aug 8, 2010 4:50 PM

A quote from the above linked article...

Quote:

In the spring, Garza said, he saw some drawings of the stadium if SS&E became a partner.

“There are plans for suites and a restaurant. There wouldn't be a track, there would be a state-of-the-art sound system. It would be a whole new look for Alamo Stadium that would allow for concerts and multipurpose use, but my understanding is that it wouldn't be managed by SAISD. We'd have first rights for our events.”

sakyle04

Aug 26, 2010 7:35 PM

And it's DEAD. At least until after the November bond election. So there you go...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/edu...wFullArticle=y

miaht82

Aug 27, 2010 4:28 PM

Good move by SAISD. Maybe now they can get rid of some of the confusion and get support for the bond elections.
Similar topic, different sport; I read somewhere (trying to find the article,) that SA Missions were looking to partner with SAISD, or UTSA to team up on a stadium near DT. Anyone else heard any details about this?

tgannaway89

Aug 28, 2010 2:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miaht82 (Post 4962048)

Not likely UTSA. They are planning to build all athletic facilities on Park West. Current facilities on Main Campus will become intramural. UTSA is even negotiating an additional land purchase for Park West to allow room for all the planned facilities (including a football stadium). The first student housing by Park West opened this year. That area will explode with growth.

miaht82

Aug 30, 2010 10:15 PM

I misread; the owner did say he would love to be DT, but said a more likely scenario would be out by UTSA.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...wFullArticle=y

Missions owner intrigued by future
Richard Oliver - Richard Oliver

Quote:

Speculation about San Antonio's future as a sports destination has included sporadic dialogue among city leaders about athletic facilities, including perhaps a ballpark closer to the community's tourism hub.

“Obviously, everyone would love to be downtown,” Elmore said. “Every ballpark built downtown, whether in Little Rock or wherever, has been successful.”

A more practical scenario has the Missions partnering with UTSA on a stadium planned near its main campus on Loop 1604. Earlier this year, Elmore visited with Roadrunners athletic director Lynn Hickey and her staff about the possibility.

Article from earlier this year:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c..._94678639.html

Missions and UTSA talk about teaming up
Richard Oliver - Richard Oliver

Quote:

The 125 acres is nestled against Loop 1604 between Farris Stadium and Babcock Road. Level and unremarkable, largely populated by scrub brush, mesquite and cactus, the landscape doesn't exactly stir the soul.
But for UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey, it's a foundation for the future.

Hickey sees the property, just down the road from the burgeoning university, as the would-be home of the state's most ambitious athletic complex. Already poised to host construction of track and field and soccer facilities next spring, long-term plans have the site someday accommodating football practice and soccer fields, tennis courts and a wide array of other sports.

And, just maybe, San Antonio Missions baseball.

Earlier this month, Hickey sat down with Dave Elmore, owner of the city's minor-league baseball team, to discuss a possible partnership.

miaht82

Oct 5, 2010 1:49 AM

San Antonio nets pro soccer franchise

Quote:

Originally Posted by miaht82 (Post 4898690)

Here it is...

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...05/story1.html

Quote:

Friday, July 2, 2010
Spurs’ parent eying pro soccer for San Antonio
Plan calls for developing a new stadium complex
San Antonio Business Journal - by W. Scott Bailey

...................
Serious discussions

The Spurs are not the only entity interested in securing a pro soccer franchise. Former home builder and developer Gordon Hartman says he, too, hopes to bring a team to San Antonio.

Hartman helped develop Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park for special needs children, and the STAR Soccer complex — both located at the site of the former Longhorn Quarry on San Antonio’s Northeast Side.

“I’m working very aggressively to put together a plan to bring a professional soccer team to San Antonio,” Hartman explains. “I want to build a venue that would accommodate a pro soccer team.”

Hartman says he has had conversations with multiple teams about relocating to San Antonio.

“We’ve had serious discussions,” he says.

Hartman’s focus is the United Soccer Leagues (USL), which currently has teams in markets such as Austin, Portland and Tampa Bay.

Gomez says he believes San Antonio should start with a team in the USL.

But he says SS&E is interested in a plan that would include a stadium suitable for the MLS.

Scott Metzger, founder of Freetail Brewing Co., has been to MLS matches in Houston and to the MLS Cup in Seattle. His San Antonio brew pub has hosted several World Cup viewing parties that attracted overflow crowds.

“I do believe there is support for a pro team,” say Metzger about the prospect of San Antonio getting its own franchise. “But I believe it has to be done on the top professional level.”

SAISD’s Ed Garza says he isn’t sure how this will play out. But he says San Antonio has come a long way since he left City Hall.

“We can now sustain and support professional soccer in San Antonio,” he says. “We have grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years.”

Gomez says the excitement generated over the World Cup in San Antonio helped “put a face” with the research SS&E has performed with regard to the viability of bringing a soccer team to San Antonio.

“We absolutely believe that professional soccer is the next sport to bring to San Antonio,” Gomez insists. “But it has to be at the right level and at the right venue. We want to do it. But we want to do it the right way.”

SS&E officials say what they can offer a potential venue partner is the expertise from operating multiple professional sports franchises and a major league sports venue — AT&T Center.

“We are a willing, potential partner in the development of a stadium with a school district,” Gomez says. “Frisco has showed how this can work ... .”

Read more: Spurs’ parent eying pro soccer for San Antonio - San Antonio Business Journal

Well, looks like this part of the article came true.
Gordon Hartman/San Antonio got awarded a team by the NASL to play at the STAR Soccer Complex.

Monday, October 4, 2010, 4:56pm CDT

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...04/daily9.html
San Antonio nets pro soccer franchise
San Antonio Business Journal - by W. Scott Bailey

Quote:

The North American Soccer League (NASL) says it has granted an expansion franchise to San Antonio entrepreneur Gordon Hartman.

The new soccer team will begin play in 2012 at the STAR Soccer Complex on San Antonio’s Northeast Side.

“As we continue to expand the NASL and collectively grow professional soccer in the United States, San Antonio is a natural market with a vibrant business community and soccer fan base,” says NASL CEO Aaron Davidson.

Read more: San Antonio nets pro soccer franchise - San Antonio Business Journal

ydoc14

Oct 6, 2010 5:09 PM

is the NASL even as big a deal as the MLS? Or is SA getting the short end of the pro sports stick here

kornbread

Oct 6, 2010 6:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ydoc14 (Post 5006433)

is the NASL even as big a deal as the MLS? Or is SA getting the short end of the pro sports stick here

No, it it is not as big as the MLS. Remember, the city turned down the MLS in the past (Hardberger at least).

sakyle04

Oct 7, 2010 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ydoc14 (Post 5006433)

is the NASL even as big a deal as the MLS? Or is SA getting the short end of the pro sports stick here

Short end. Minor league team playing in the suburbs. Worse for me than even no team...

It will likely be poorly attended, giving any opponents of MLS fuel to say "See, soccer just doesn't draw well" or "If they can't even support minor-leagues..."

Most annoying argument ever. Like saying San Antonio hates football because we didn't support UFL or CFL or WLAF...

Lose/lose. Still waiting on MLS to go urban.

tgannaway89

Oct 8, 2010 2:48 PM

NASL is a break off of USL. This is going to be their 1st season. Teams will be located in Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Miami to name a few. There will also be teams in Canada and Puerto Rico.

I'm open to the idea. It has potential to bring in some money and much needed sports coverage to San Antonio. I think Hartman is a good guy we need to put some faith into his idea.

sakyle04

Oct 8, 2010 5:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgannaway89 (Post 5009053)

being optimistic is one thing. i am cynical but can allow for those who are hopeful that the NASL experiment will turn out well.

still, thinking san antonio will get any "much needed sports coverage" out of this is delusional. how much "sports coverage" does san antonio get on a national stage from the Rampage or Missions? zero.

minor league sports are placebos, satisfying the psychological need for acceptance in some imagined fraternity without delivering any actual substantial effect to the overall problem.

oldmanshirt

Oct 9, 2010 12:26 AM

I'd have to agree with Kyle. Even if SA had landed an MLS team, it would still be a stretch to think it would suddenly gain any discernable national attention.

When you're the number 37 market in the US, nothing short of hosting the Olympics is gonna result in any real national attention as far as sports are concerned. Just ask Salt Lake City (which is a bigger TV market, btw).

tgannaway89

Oct 9, 2010 1:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt (Post 5009715)

Uh hello you would at least get coverage in other NASL cities (like I mentioned Miami, St. Louis, Peurto Rico, Canada, etc.)

I'm from Midland and we were very supportive of our minor league baseball, soccer, football (Odessa), and hockey (Odessa) teams. These teams get those cities a lot of news coverage they never would have received. They also increase the quality of life and help draw new options to the region.

San Antonio will never be Houston or Dallas. :tup: So stop trying already.

miaht82

Dec 30, 2010 3:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakyle04 (Post 5008366)

Still waiting on MLS to go urban.

Not sure if anyone was caught off guard with this one.
Looks like we might be one step closer. SS&E seem pretty serious about soccer.

from mysa.com

Quote:

SAISD seeks partners on Alamo Stadium renovation
Spurs group is quick to display its interest.
By Lindsay Kastner
lkastner@express-news.net

Published: 12:00 a.m., Thursday, December 30, 2010

The San Antonio Independent School District trustees Wednesday opened the door to possible partners in the renovation of Alamo Stadium and the Convocation Center, and the Spurs wasted no time showing their interest in professional soccer there.

Leo Gomez, a vice president of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, cut short his hunting vacation to observe the specially called school board meeting and said later that the company “absolutely” wants to bring pro soccer to the stadium, which would continue to be used by the district for football.

The board took no specific action about the stadium other than to ask the staff to immediately “prepare partnership concepts.”
.............
The company's focus is soccer, he said, and whether it would bring in concerts or other money-making ventures “depends on what the stadium is equipped with."

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/edu...#ixzz19buAhxdj

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/SAISD-seeks-partners-on-Alamo-Stadium-renovation-926466.php#ixzz19bsk4xeL

UrbanTrance

Dec 30, 2010 4:11 PM

But is it really going to be MLS their after or any other league they can get their hands on?

miaht82

Dec 30, 2010 4:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice93 (Post 5109047)

But is it really going to be MLS their after or any other league they can get their hands on?

Considering that Gordon Hartman already got a team that way, it would seem that the Spurs (S&E) go after MLS. I doubt they go after a competing minor league club or spend millions for anything other than MLS. We might not see anything til 2015 or after; by that time the NASL will have been here for 3 years.

UrbanTrance

Dec 30, 2010 4:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miaht82 (Post 5109066)

Yeah it's that NASL that everyone got excited about, but that isn't pro soccer is it? MLS is the only big one, am I right?

Well I hope it works out.

sakyle04

Dec 31, 2010 1:03 AM

I've actually got sources here.

SS&E is SERIOUS about bringing soccer and serious about making MLS part of that plan.

The idea would be to start out in a "minor" league to build fanbase, optimize concepts, and then step into MLS at a pre-arranged time with the league.

Could be 2012 start date with a "step-up" in 2014 or 2015.

This is very much happening and the Spurs (again) are VERY serious.

sakyle04

Jan 7, 2011 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakyle04 (Post 5109528)

And here is SS&E to make us look smart. All in...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/edu...ers-942707.php

sakyle04

Jan 7, 2011 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakyle04 (Post 5117583)

And here is SS&E to make us look smart. All in...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/edu...ers-942707.php

And here is my article on why this makes sense for San Antonio and for the prospects of an urban future....

MLS on the San Antonio Horizon? SS&E Makes Intentions Clear
http://www.crocketteers.com/2011/01/...entions-clear/

sakyle04

Jan 13, 2011 1:11 PM

More "news"...

As part of the NASL v USL debate (read: suburban Hartman plan v urban Spurs plan), the city/county is studying the viability of both models (in addition to other ways to lure MLS/NFL/MLB.

Word is that the early returns strongly favor the more urban plan (the Spurs' Alamo Stadium plan).

If that holds, then the city/county would shift financial support to that plan and the other would (assumedly) go away.

Sculley (Cheryl's husband, leader of Sports/Convention office and study) has said that they are obviously ready to declare that two teams will not work. The rest of the study will be made known sooner than later.

So, for urbanity's sake, we're looking to be in a good position.

UrbanTrance

Jan 13, 2011 5:20 PM

Good, I hope it goes downtown.

METALMiKE

Jan 20, 2011 3:12 AM

Vice President of the USL,Tim Holt, was being interviewed during the first half of the Spurs game tonight. He said he was in town today touring Alamo Stadium and meeting with civic leaders and he sounds pretty confident that SA will have a team soon.

JACKinBeantown

Jan 20, 2011 4:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakyle04 (Post 5117585)

Nice article. In addition, since SA is so close to Mexico and has a large Latino population which is historically into soccer, that's another qualifier for the demographics being right to support a MLS team.

My only question is since MLS's season is in the summer, and San Antonio's average high temperature in the summer months has been at or over 100 degrees in the past several years, would they schedule all the home games at night? Seems like it would be a good idea.

METALMiKE

Jan 20, 2011 8:17 PM

Spurs bring soccer hopes, official to Alamo Stadium

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/...#ixzz1BbnVrIn3

sakyle04

Jan 21, 2011 4:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JACKinNYC (Post 5133035)

Season starts in late spring and ends in the fall, so night games would almost exclusively fill the mid-summer schedule with a few day matches during nicer weather months.

Only 15 home games in a season, so they can usually be very accommodating for local conditions...

UrbanTrance

Feb 5, 2011 10:36 PM

So I don't really know what's going on. If anyone wants to fill me or anyone else that doesn't know in if there's anything new go ahead. But to me it sounds like the same old debate of suburban stadium vs. urban stadium getting more elevated.

Public funds unlikely for soccer plans

Quote:

City and county officials, in a meeting Thursday with the Express-News Editorial Board, said that based on the early results of a joint feasibility study, they would not endorse using public money for minor-league soccer.
San Antonio developer Gordon Hartman has asked the city and county for $4 million each to build a 5,400-seat stadium at STAR Soccer Complex for a planned North American Soccer League franchise.

The soccer portion of an exploration of pro sports possibilities in San Antonio, worked up by California-based Premier Partnerships, offers bleak prospects for the profit potential of such operations, stressing that teams “will sustain continued losses throughout the development of the leagues.”

Further, the draft summary of the study, commissioned by the city and county last month, notes that typically cities “have not provided significant funding for new stadium development for tertiary soccer teams and stadiums.”

Spurs Sports & Entertainment also has announced plans to field a pro soccer franchise in 2012. While the organization hasn’t asked for city or county financial support yet, it has applied with the San Antonio Independent School District to be a tenant at Alamo Stadium, due for more than $30 million in bond-money upgrades.

“I think we’re opposed to putting public money into either one of these plans,” said Michael Sculley, director of the Bexar County community venues program office.

Hartman, spearheading a movement called, “Soccer for a Cause,” has secured an NASL franchise, set to begin play in 2012. The advertised objective, reiterated in a 150-page prospectus released last week, is to create a revenue stream for Morgan’s Wonderland park for special-needs individuals.

But finding financial support “wouldn’t be through a professional soccer team, and this is the verification of it,” Sculley said of the soccer study. “Professional soccer teams are not going to make enough to support themselves, let alone a special-needs park.”

DiGiovanni said Hartman has indicated to the city that he is still $5.5 million shy of the nearly $17 million needed in private donations to pay for the projects at Thousand Oaks Drive and Wurzbach Parkway.

That Hartman now is soliciting more money on top of that debt is a concern, DiGiovanni said.

“It’s kind of interesting that we’re the ones throwing up roadblocks to this, which is what’s being advertised,” he said. “Maybe you should have checked the route first before you hit the roadblocks.”

County Judge Nelson Wolff said he has notified Hartman that the county, which invested $5 million in venue-tax dollars for STAR Soccer Complex, will be unable to provide further support before a hoped-for bond election in 2012.

The judge added that he unsuccessfully recommended the developer consider fielding his pro team at some other existing facility next year to gauge whether it can be successful
“What jumps out at you in this study is the fact that whether it’s the NASL or the USL or the others, they don’t make any money,” Wolff said. “And that’s a concern.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/a...ans-996052.php

So it sounds like both plans will have a hard time getting forward. Sorry to Hartman, but I hope the urban stadium gets a boost.

sakyle04

Feb 6, 2011 4:00 PM

First, you guys all need to subscribe to Plaza De Armas. Awesome, in depth journalism on issues we care about (such as the Friedrich/SAISD deal today).

Here is their piece on Hartman/Soccer. It is lengthy but worth the time to understand why the city/county is trending towards SS&E:

http://plazadearmastx.com/index.php/...mue-diligience

Quote:

Due diligence, schmue diligence

Gordon Hartman’s minor-league soccer plan, the aim of which is to financially safeguard Morgan’s Wonderland, is looking dodgy. Considering the losses already piling up at the Northeast Side park for special-needs kids, it’s fair to say the developer and philanthropist needed a sturdier financial framework way before now – like maybe closer to 2006, when he dreamed up the destination.

And considering the City’s major stake in the project, it’s also fair to say the City flubbed it by failing to notice such a plan was MIA. It looks like a public-private partnership in which the public deferred too much to the private.

The City has already poured $7.25 million into the development of Morgan’s Wonderland and the adjacent STAR Soccer Complex, with most of the money coming from bond sales that voters OK’d in 2007. And the City will take ownership of the property no later than July 2012 under an agreement with the Hartman-backed nonprofit SOAR (Sports Outdoor and Recreation, which stretched just to get that acronym).

SOAR operates and manages the 25-acre park and 13 fields, and would continue to do so under a long-term lease with the City. But if the losses became too much for the nonprofit, the City could find itself in the position of having to run the facility, find a third party to do it, or sell the property. Yet with Morgan’s Wonderland catering to a sympathetic and under-served population, the last option looks downright draconian, while the other two would be merely difficult.

In a much more likely scenario, the City Council would agree to cut annual checks to the nonprofit to keep the doors open.

The park doesn’t charge admission for special-needs kids; those accompanying them pay $10. General admission is $15. The facility opened in April 2010 and seems to have fallen into the red almost immediately. Hartman says the park lost $750,000 last year, or about $850,000 if you include one-time start-up expenses.

“The only way a Morgan’s Wonderland makes sense is if there’s an external funding source,” says County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, whose precinct includes the Longhorn Quarry, home to the park and the STAR soccer fields. “It wasn’t looked at, from the City’s standpoint, as closely as it shoulda, coulda been. Unless they said at some point this will be a city park.”

But Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni says Hartman insisted that the park should be run by the nonprofit in order to avoid the ups and downs of municipal funding.

A little more than four years ago, San Antonio voters gave their blessing to the biggest bond package in the City’s history. Totaling $550 million, it set aside nearly $80 million for 69 parks, open space, and athletics-related projects. The second biggest on the list, at $6.2 million, was the STAR complex and Morgan’s Wonderland.

In 2009, the City Council chipped in another $1 million at the urging of Councilman John Clamp, whose district includes the Longhorn Quarry. The money came from a pot of about $30 million in bond savings.

Meanwhile, the County kicked in $5 million in venue-tax proceeds for development of the soccer fields — not Morgan's Wonderland — and the state contributed another $5 million.

Going with DiGiovanni’s figures, public dollars covered nearly 51 percent of the project’s $34-million cost, leaving $16.75 million to be covered by fundraising in the private sector. Hartman said he contributed as much as $2 million of his own money to the effort.

SOAR originally was supposed to hand over the title in July 2010, but Hartman asked for and received a two-year extension, according to DiGiovanni. Hartman set up a line of credit to build the park and soccer fields, but the fundraising effort had sputtered, coming up $6.5 million short. Hartman worried that City ownership would stymie his efforts to entice donors — and apparently also worried about being on the hook for that much money — so he asked for the extension.

Hartman says he's still got roughly $4.5 million to go. Would he seek another extension? "I don't know," he says. "I hope not."

City Manager Sheryl Sculley has assigned DiGiovanni to vet Hartman’s pro-soccer plan. Last week, DiGiovanni also asked Hartman for information on Morgan Wonderland’s financial condition.

DiGiovanni said the burden of developing a sustainability plan for Morgan’s Wonderland fell on Hartman, and he referenced a letter the developer sent to the City in 2008 saying that revenue from STAR naming rights, concessions, and admission could pay for maintenance and operations of the park and soccer fields. That, of course, would have been the year after the bond election.

“That was Gordon’s charge — to come up with a viable plan to operate the park,” DiGiovanni says.

Maybe it didn’t work out as originally planned because the park’s amenities grew grander and costlier as the development progressed. Its financial problems started with a post-2007 explosion in the park's scope, when its construction budget shot from $14 million to $34 million.

“Morgan's Wonderland became much bigger than it was [in the early stages] — and I'm glad about that. It's a great, awarding-winning park now,” Hartman says. "It was going to be a much more simplistic park." The plan's major overhaul, he adds, occurred after the City's 2007 bond election.

That begs a couple of questions. If the project was so unsettled, how did it make it through bond-committee vetting and onto the final list? And did the City really have no say over the matter after voters had their say?

Hartman's pro-soccer scheme to close the funding hole continues to run into obstacles. In addition to the question of whether Hartman could turn a profit as quickly as he projects (within two years), the Express-News reported last week that the business plan he turned over to the City and County calls for building the stadium atop two of the 13 fields paid for with taxpayer dollars. That is, a for-profit professional franchise would take away fields paid for with City bond proceeds and County venue-tax revenue for youth and amateur soccer — which seems likely to violate bond covenants and voters’ understanding of what their money would be spent on.

And Hartman’s asking the City and County for $8 million to build that stadium. Hmm.

The E-N also reported this creepy detail: The County has a non-compete pact with SSE that bars it from helping finance stadiums for pro-sports franchises that would compete with the Spurs owner. In an interview with Plaza de Armas, Hartman said, probably reasonably: “I think the Spurs are trying to control every aspect of professional sports in this city.”

Hartman obviously is not in this predicament now because he’s grubbing for a buck for himself. He’s desperate for public funding for a soccer stadium so he can field his team, the San Antonio Scorpions, next year and eventually start channeling its net income to Morgan’s Wonderland — inspired by his daughter Morgan, who’s autistic — to keep it going.

“I don’t think Gordon wanted to do this as his personal project,” DiGiovanni says. “He’s trying to do this as a community project.”

Indeed, Morgan’s Wonderland seems worthy of some kind of public support. San Antonio voters just should’ve had a much better idea of what that might mean before casting their ballots for the 2007 bond.

The Model

Feb 8, 2011 7:27 PM

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/47792620.jpg

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