CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte is in the running for a Major League Soccer franchise, but that could come at a steep price for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
It may take millions of taxpayer dollars to build a state-of-the-art stadium needed to entice a team.
“Just putting band aids on the wound, and not really treating the disease,” says Mecklenburg County commissioner Matthew Ridenhour of Memorial Stadium in Elizabeth.
Mecklenburg County has been pouring money into historic Memorial Stadium for years. The facility creaking along, hosting just a handful of events.
“We have to find something that’s going to work for Memorial Stadium,” says Ridenhour. “Because right now we’re pouring millions of dollars into it every couple of years.”
Now an opportunity has come along. Charlotte has been picked as one of ten US cities competing for an MLS expansion franchise against places like Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee and Raleigh.
But it will take a new, multi-million dollar stadium to land a team.
The plan to bring an MLS team to Charlotte will require that Memorial Stadium be demolished, along with the Grady Cole Center next to it. The cost would be about $150 million. The question now is, do elected officials and taxpayers think it’s worth it?
A group headed by Bruton and Marcus Smith, who own Speedway Motorsports, is negotiating with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to build a new stadium where Memorial currently sits. Both city and county would need contribute $43.7 million each to the effort. And that’s a tough pill for some to swallow.
“I think that there is this kind of new movement where taxpayers are saying we appreciate you,” says Ridenhour. “We want you here. We want the sports. We’re going to be dedicated fans. But we don’t want to pay for the stadium.”
Other sites like the new Matthews Sportsplex and the Eastland site in Charlotte have been tossed around as potential locations for a new stadium. But the MLS is requiring the stadium be near Uptown.
Brad Feldman with the New England Revolution says that means reaching the league’s target fan base.
“The millennials, really, right now comprise a big portion of the fan base,” says Feldman, play-by-play voice for the team. “You see in markets all over North America, that’s who is driving the attendance.”
The Charlotte ownership group has to submit a proposal to MLS by January 31st.
Mecklenburg County will host a public forum to discuss the proposal next Tuesday. Commissioners will vote on it next Thursday.
