MLS Expansion - Just outside Atlanta (okay, more then 'just')
First off, this is the weakest sort of MLS expansion news because it is just an idea article, but it is something to keep a watch on. Demming Bass, the vice president of marketing and public policy for the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce (outside Atlanta), likes the idea of making his suburban home into a copy of Frisco, Texas, home of FC Dallas.
Like it or not, MLS is a fan of the big suburban stadium and if there is a place in the Atlanta market that is open to such an idea (and that would provide as nice a deal as Frisco provided FCD), it does move it up on the possible new home market.
Update: Sorry, forgot the link to the article. Here it is.
Frisco, Texas, is home to both the Pizza Hut Soccer Park (home of FC Dallas) and the Dr Pepper Ballpark (home of the Texas Rangers' Class AA Frisco RoughRiders).Again, this is just someone putting the idea out there, so it is far from being anything close to a deal, but it is initial steps like this that could lead to something.
These parks have positioned Frisco as a destination for visitors, enhanced the city's family-friendly reputation, generated additional business and tax revenue, and differentiated Frisco from other cities in the Dallas metroplex.
Pizza Hut Park is a 140-acre facility with a nearly 22,000-seat stadium used more than 300 days a year for soccer, international tournaments, concerts, school football games and other community events. Adjacent to the park are 17 soccer fields available for school teams. According to Frisco's economic development director, the complex draws more annual visitors than the Dallas Cowboys.
Like it or not, MLS is a fan of the big suburban stadium and if there is a place in the Atlanta market that is open to such an idea (and that would provide as nice a deal as Frisco provided FCD), it does move it up on the possible new home market.
Update: Sorry, forgot the link to the article. Here it is.
Labels: Atlanta, FC Dallas, Frisco, MLS, MLS expansion
posted by Mike H at 10:10 AM
2 Comments:
I assume you're quoting from a newspaper article. Got a link?
With the success of the soccer clubs on the north side of town and the influx of hispanic and European immigrants, this could be a great money-maker and a tremendous family-oriented alternative to the hassle-filled drive downtown. I go back to the days of the NASL in Tampa and we regularly pulled 20-30,000 to watch the Rowdies. Partly because Tampa Stadium was in an easy-to-get-to area of town.
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