So you thought I was crazy when I said MLS should put team #20 in Las Vegas, well
by denz on Feb 17, 2011 8:28 PM MST
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PrintNow you can see the influence that a well place blog post can have, OK that is taking credit that I am not due but it was just a couple weeks ago that I posted this as part of my look at where MLS should put their next team:
In all of the United States is there a more perfect location for a true iconic stadium for the Beautiful game? It would quickly become the venue of choice for all international teams coming to the US, it would be perfect as the home for MLS Cup, All Star Game, World Cup Qualifiers, and just about every match you could ever imagine. Las Vegas is already a destination for visitors to the US, now it could become a world wide soccer destination. Remember the idea of playing an EPL match in the US, where better. I could probably find 5 kit sponsors in a week willing to pony up to be on that kit, perfect location for TV, and imagine the tie in events you could do. See Cher after the Vegas AC vs. LA Galaxy match, heck you might even get nationwide TV for something like that.
In fact just a day after my post a group made a proposal to the Regents at UNLV about building a new stadium (and yes their plans included an option for footy) and while that plan is cool and the people who are proposing it are the same ones who have natural grass at University of Phoenix field, I don't think that is what MLS needs. As I pointed out in my post, there is a project that already has funding in Vegas that was to build a NBA style stadium right on the strip, I think now that the NBA is pulling back, I said then and I say no that the project could easily be updated to be a 35-40,000 seat covered soccer stadium.
Things get interesting after the jump:
well now guess what, Mayor Goodman is now sounding like he might just be getting on board with MLS:
Goodman cited Las Vegas' large Hispanic population and the sport's growing popularity among youth as reasons soccer could succeed in Southern Nevada.
"(Soccer) is becoming a very important sport so I think that will be a natural here," he said. "I think you can make it into a great real estate play if you took the time to put the right groups together."
Well that isn't all also this week a group proposed a huge sports complex idea near downtown, included is a partially domed stadium that could easily be a soccer stadium. Then of course there is this:
a concept of a soccer stadium that could be build on the south end of the strip near the airport. All of this planning and ideas should tell you that perhaps what many thought was me being off the deep end by proposing that Las Vegas should be Team #20.
I still stick with a couple key points: first build it on the location that the Silver State Arena was planned (a strip location would help with mass transit and walking traffic), second build it big enough to become a destination for the USMNT, International Friendlies, MLS Cup, and whatever other soccer matches you could think of (that means 40,000 seats). You have a couple guys interesting in putting up money, or they were interested in it, now that you have the mayor on your side, firm up an ownership group and get your bid ready for MLS.
As more details come out, expect me to keep you up to date on all the news.
OFF MY SOAPBOX
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"It would quickly become the venue of choice for all international teams coming to the US"
I’m not sure I agree with this comment. MLS Las Vegas’ most ardent supporters often seem to underestimate the number of people who dislike Las Vegas. Casinos and gawdy Las Vegas style entertainment are genuinely detested by many.
That certainly applies to many foreign visitors, for whom the appeal of gambling is in any case likely to be marginal, given that gambling is easily available in most developed countries, and therefore no big deal.
Las Vegas gets loads of tourists, no doubt. But I would argue that, among those who do NOT go to Las Vegas (a higher number any way you slice it), a signifcant percentage would classify it as a very unappealing destination.
A million people a week
Over a million people a week chose to visit Las Vegas, among them are a huge number of international travelers both from Europe and Asia. When you talk about the popularity of the sport of soccer it is a much more popular sport outside of the US than it is inside and when teams come to the states for friendlies there are a good number of die hard fans who make the trip as well. If you were an international team that coming to the US to sell tickets, there are few locations that would be more desirable than Vegas. It is easy for travelers to get to, just check the number of flights in and out of the city, it has a huge variety of rooms available and is already a destination for people.
Yes there are plenty of people who may not like Vegas for whatever reason, but the reality is they maintain a huge draw in good times they fill all those rooms with a 95% occupancy rate, even in the worst times they still fill 80% of those room, which is tens of thousands each and every day of the year. I stick with the statement that a new state of the art stadium would quickly become the venue of choice for international teams, ask fans where would they rather go Detroit, Salt Lake, San Jose, DC, even LA and New York or Las Vegas and I am willing to bet a huge number would pick Las Vegas.
True, but...
I just think it’s worth mentioning that, much more so than most places, people who don’t like Las Vegas, tend to really really hate it.
and that is fine
Nobody is forced to go anywhere, but having spent time during the World Cup there it clearly was a destination that most soccer fans were OK with. I talked to guys running sports books at 4 different casinos and they could only compare the Super Bowl to the crowds they say, but all of them mentioned that the soccer fans were much more fun as far as enjoying themselves.
The city itself loves soccer, thanks to a large immigrant population and was one of the top 5 markets for watching the World Cup and usually is in the top 10 markets watching MLS on TV as well.
For Clarification
Las Vegas Metro Area is now over 2 million people, they have a high demographic of Hispanics living there (22%), they are already fans of the sport (check out the World Cup ratings- a top market) and #4 viewing market for MLS. No city has built more state of the are facilities in the last decade, and when a project is funded there is no place where construction takes place quicker.
If I were a person thinking about owning a MLS team, I would take a hard look at Vegas. I would meet with David Beckham (when he comes back to the states) since he could hold the keys for team #20 and try to get him on board (which would immediately add a huge amount of credibility to the bid). I would evaluate all 4 probable locations for a stadium (the UNLV project, the downtown sports complex, the south end of the strip by the airport, and the Silver State Arena site), each has some interesting options, I do prefer the SSA site. I would start to find local soccer fans to build a Supporter group and then travel to a couple matches in LA or Salt Lake to be heard and seen by MLS. Then I would line up the finances and get ready to submit a bid.
It can be done, the question is will it?
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