Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Discussion about new sports facilities in Kansas City
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCMax »

Soccer field idea is revived

A youth soccer complex for Johnson County may not be out of the question after all.

Overland Park has developed a plan for a dozen youth soccer fields more than a month after voters killed a county plan that would have raised property taxes to build youth fields.

Unlike Johnson County’s plan, Overland Park’s proposal won’t dip into residents’ wallets, unless they stay in one of the city’s hotels. The city will need to increase its tax on hotel guests 50 percent.

City parks staff on Monday night laid out plans to build 12 tournament-caliber soccer fields next to a reconfigured St. Andrews Golf Course, one of the most heavily used municipal courses in the area....

Overland Park’s plan is not related to the Wizards or a soccer stadium, officials said Monday. They said they had not talked to Wizards representatives since the election.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by Cyclops »

Everything I read about having hosting large income producing soccer tounaments said they needed way more than 12 fields. Near St. Andrews is a good logical spot though. There's still plenty of room out by there. (last I cruised by that is).

So this is an OP parks plan vs a JOCO parks plan? There's something real smelly here...
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KC0KEK »

^^ If the primary goal is to host more tournaments, then, yes, a single site with more than 12 fields is necessary. But if the primary goal is to provide the metro's kids with more places to play soccer, then 12 fileds here and a few more there is fine. One of the concerns that voters had is that the focus on hosting regional tournaments meant that there would be few opportunities for local kids to use the fields.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCFutbol »

KC0KEK wrote: ^^ If the primary goal is to host more tournaments, then, yes, a single site with more than 12 fields is necessary. But if the primary goal is to provide the metro's kids with more places to play soccer, then 12 fileds here and a few more there is fine. One of the concerns that voters had is that the focus on hosting regional tournaments meant that there would be few opportunities for local kids to use the fields.
There aren't that many tournaments. What I heard was that people thought access to the fields would be restricted to "premier" teams.

However, that would still lessen the load on the existing fields which are terribly overused.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by Cyclops »

KC0KEK wrote: ^^ If the primary goal is to host more tournaments, then, yes, a single site with more than 12 fields is necessary. But if the primary goal is to provide the metro's kids with more places to play soccer, then 12 fileds here and a few more there is fine. One of the concerns that voters had is that the focus on hosting regional tournaments meant that there would be few opportunities for local kids to use the fields.
I was going off the article KCMax linked that said they "laid out plans to build 12 tournament-caliber fields". So I assumed they were building them with tournaments in mind. Why not go the extra effort and build a complex that WILL attract some big regional tournaments. If 12 fields wont be enough, then it seems like a wasted opportunity.  And I would think that whoever actually ends up building a great complex would want to keep it packed throughout the season with all sorts of different leagues and ages.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by jimb »

It's not the game stadium, but I read this buried at the bottom of an article in The Star about Zoo funding:
The Wizards propose to invest $1.5 million to rebuild two existing soccer fields, improve two others and build a 7,000-square-foot training facility off Lewis Road near 63rd Street in the park. The complex would serve as the professional soccer team’s practice facility under a lease that could extend 20 years.

Gregory Galvin, a planner for the team’s owner, OnGoal LLC, said the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Brookside Soccer Club would still have access to the fields.
Full article:  http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 278136.htm

Isn't 63rd and Lewis where the old Chiefs practice facility used to be?  Its nice to see the new owners plucking down some of their own money for facilities.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCFutbol »

jimb wrote: It's not the game stadium, but I read this buried at the bottom of an article in The Star about Zoo funding:

Full article:  http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 278136.htm

Isn't 63rd and Lewis where the old Chiefs practice facility used to be?  Its nice to see the new owners plucking down some of their own money for facilities.
The Wizards also used that location for a practice facility during their first few years of existance.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KC0KEK »

Beckham has signed a five-year deal with the LA Galaxy. There's something funny about the thought of him playing in some HS stadium here.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by kcmetro »

KC0KEK wrote: Beckham has signed a five-year deal with the LA Galaxy. There's something funny about the thought of him playing in some HS stadium here.
He's getting 250 million for 5 years!! That's crazy!!!
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCMax »

This isn't much different from how the NASL got going in the 70s. They were playing in dirt fields until Steve Ross got Pele to play in the States of a then unheard of $5 million. Pele was playing on this crappy high school field for a year before crowds started showing up and they were playing at the Meadowlands to sold out crowds.

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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by mykem »

you know people in Europe will be watching him. what are they going to say when the galaxy come to kc, and see our soccer facility. how embarrassing!
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCFutbol »

kcmetro wrote: He's getting 250 million for 5 years!! That's crazy!!!
Apparently "only" around $3.5 million/year is salary, the rest is the assumed value of his image rights.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCMax »

From Mike Hendrick's column today

Likewise, he and the Galaxy won’t be playing in the spanking new, 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium that the Wizards hope to announce sometime before the end of March.

Nope, it won’t even be anything like that at all.

Instead, Beckham and his friends in the British press will be shocked to learn that when he comes to Kansas City he will be playing in a retrofitted high school football stadium somewhere south of 75th Street.

The location hasn’t been announced. But in no case will the Wizards’ temporary home have more than 10,000 seats.

A lousy 10,000!
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by staubio »

True, that retrofitted stadium is going to be a bit embarassing but I'm optimistic that the new ownership will make it look decent.  It will also be quite the party, with tickets finally being at a premium and a full stadium cheering on the team.  I think it will finally foster an attractive atmosphere for fans and will build on the hype of the Beckham signing and the team's new ownership and direction.

It is going to be a fun few years.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KCMax »

Yea, I think for now, a 10,000 seat stadium could be very excited as it could very well be sold out every night. Should be fun!
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by GRID »

I would bet that the MLS will not even schedule a game against LA late in the season, so I'm sure it's not a factor, Beckham will not come to KC, unless they can make Arrowhead work once, just once this summer for soccer.  It would not be a bad idea since most soccer stadiums only seat 18-25k, we could probably sell 40k plus tickets to a game at arrowhead.  But Beckham won't be coming to KC unless they play at Arrowhead, that's my guess.

This is what JoCo said no to, too bad, it would have been a nice addition to metro kc.

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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by KC0KEK »

As crazy as it sounds to have Beckham playing in a HS stadium, maybe it's an acucrate reflection of America's interest in pro soccer. We're more interested in our "football," which is why we spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build 80K-seat palaces for it.
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by staubio »

GRID wrote: I would bet that the MLS will not even schedule a game against LA late in the season, so I'm sure it's not a factor, Beckham will not come to KC, unless they can make Arrowhead work once, just once this summer for soccer.  It would not be a bad idea since most soccer stadiums only seat 18-25k, we could probably sell 40k plus tickets to a game at arrowhead.  But Beckham won't be coming to KC unless they play at Arrowhead, that's my guess.

This is what JoCo said no to, too bad, it would have been a nice addition to metro kc.

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The Wizards are in the Eastern Conference and the Galaxy are in the West.  That means we have one home and one away game with them.  You play each conference opponent 4 times (2 home, 2 away) and each non-conference twice.  That meansl the Wizards are still going to have a home fixture against LA, so Beckham will be coming regardless.  We don't know whether or not they'll leverage that event with a larger facility but they won't cancel our home game with the Gals. 
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by mykem »

Wasnt this the planed soccerfield for overland park?
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Re: Olathe/OP grab the Wizards and build them a Stadium

Post by GRID »

^ Yes, I was just saying the stadium in LA is nice and it's used all the time for events, even events other than soccer.  JoCo missed the boat.
staubio wrote: The Wizards are in the Eastern Conference and the Galaxy are in the West.  That means we have one home and one away game with them.  You play each conference opponent 4 times (2 home, 2 away) and each non-conference twice.  That meansl the Wizards are still going to have a home fixture against LA, so Beckham will be coming regardless.  We don't know whether or not they'll leverage that event with a larger facility but they won't cancel our home game with the Gals. 
Yea, but he's not supposed to play till the second half of the season.  I don't see them scheduling KC during the second half if we have to use a high school stadium, it would be a waste.  But I don't know...
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