There's been a lot of talk in the past year about all kinds of issues some that the fans have felt very close to and others that may have seemed fairly serious at the time yet turned into non-issues as soon as they saw the light of day. One issue that keeps popping up all over the American soccer scene is that of stadiums. Who's building them? When will they be finished? What's it going to cost? All of these questions and more beg to be answered as so many organizations prepare to have their own parks go up as the next best soccer stadium the U.S. has ever seen. There have been rumors flying out of Milwaukee about a new stadium, Paetec Park in Rochester has been deemed a near certainty, and the renovations to PGE Park in Portland have all helped to fuel the fires in the A-League towards getting a soccer-specific, or at least more soccer-friendly, stadium. In MLS there have been ongoing talks about new stadiums going up for the L.A. Galaxy, Chicago Fire, and NY/NJ Metrostars. The Fire are now in the serious planning stages for their new facility as are the Galaxy. Mock-ups and models have been seen for proposed stadiums in NY and L.A. The WUSA's NY Power have been in talks with their MLS counterparts about sharing the new Metros stadium and possibly assisting in getting it built. With the strides being made by these clubs talks have heated up in the winter months over whether or not it is in the best interests of several clubs to begin work on their own stadium.
Naturally, any discussion over whether or not any of these clubs need or even should build their own stadium has to begin with whether or not it is actually feasible. In the long run all of the professional clubs here would probably be best served in having their own stadium but in the short term it could be nothing less than financial suicide. Clubs that might average 1,500 people a game or fewer shouldn't be looking to build a stadium that will hold 10,000 fans. If anything clubs in this kind of situation might want to look into buying a patch of land, some metal stands for the far ends and visiting side, and searching for a cheap way to get a construction company to build a smallish façade for what would essentially be deemed a soccer park. Either that or doing as most commonly do in the PDL: have an existing relationship with an area high school who will allow the club to use it cheaply while trying to make the environment seem as much theirs as it is the school's. But alas I take myself off on a tangent. In the end the buzzwords for any stadium project that may be undertaken are economic feasibility. If any stadium proposal comes down the line at any of the clubs in the USL the first thing they're going to look for is some sign of economic viability. In other words they want to make sure they get value for their money in not only the long run but also in their short term.
The matter of greatest importance to interests throughout American soccer in this issue is the way that having these stadiums built will prove the legitimacy of all levels of professional soccer. Having permanent buildings erected that will stand as a metaphorical belief in the entrepreneurial spirit of the men who run soccer organizations here will mean a large part to the legacy for the future of the sport here in America. It should and probably will inspire more belief from the fans that the owners of the organizations making up pro soccer believe in the long-term future of the sport. Without their own facilities the clubs will undoubtedly be seen as less of a commodity for anyone who might consider becoming a financial part of the league. With these stadiums many believe that more investors would be easily found to help support and possibly make up any short term losses incurred from the construction of the facility. Many people could point to Charleston's Blackbaud Stadium as one such facility that is gradually paying itself off. Granted, though, it does help to have one of the league's best one-two punches in the performances on and off the field for this club. With the emergence of more soccer-specific stadiums the viability of the sport at all levels will become even more obvious as the stability also increases for each organization.
Needless to say, though, soccer-specific stadiums are not the complete and final solution. Investors are far from guaranteed a profit if a stadium goes up even though it shows the commitment to soccer that many communities need. If nothing else it becomes the ultimate in PR devices giving the club a legitimate presence on their local sporting landscape. In towns like El Paso and Blaine, MN (outside of Minneapolis) a soccer-specific stadium that is run and owned by the local team would be an extreme help in establishing those clubs as the best sporting option in town. The absolute worst thing that can happen is having clubs who are treated like minor tenants in city or state run facilities. One of the biggest problems seen in soccer here now is the way in which several teams are held under the thumbs of bad lease deals from people who have little to no interest in seeing soccer succeed in their facilities as long as they get their 30 pieces of silver. For the business of stadium building to succeed the biggest thing clubs need is a core of people involved who care about the success of their organization. One could even take that as an endorsement for the open investment in a club by the fans in what would be reminiscent of the clubs in Europe who are run by a board of elected officials who are made up from the share-holding fanbase… but that's a topic for another day. The changes that appear poised to take place in cities ranging from New York to Los Angeles to Rochester all point to a positive future ahead for soccer, let's just hope that the groundbreaking begins sooner rather than later.
What Happened to Coach Kowalski ?
After reading some stories published in Pittsburgh papers, things seemed to point to rather harsh undertones surrounding Coach Kowalski's release/firing by the Riverhounds. After getting in touch with the Riverhounds and Coach Kowalski, it seemed much more proper to present an in-depth article featuring exclusive interviews with both Former Riverhounds Coach John Kowalski, and Mr. Clifford Gorski, vice president of media relations for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This special story will be written by a-league.com's Pittsburgh Riverhounds Match Reporter, Robert Wilson. We look forward to presenting both sides of this story later next week, so stay tuned !
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