Anschutz Sports Holdings President Tim Leiweke detailed
plans yesterday for a $100M multisports complex on 80 acres
of property at CA State Univ. in Carson, according to
Grahame Jones of the L.A. TIMES. The plan calls for a
20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium and other facilities for
cycling, tennis and track and field, as well as a sports
fitness and rehabilitation center. If plans are approved,
construction will start in 2001 and be completed in 2002.
Leiweke: "This is going to be a true national training
academy for soccer, tennis, cycling and track and field."
The soccer facility would be home for the Philip Anschutz-
owned Galaxy, "as well as a future" WUSA franchise. There
would be eight additional soccer fields to go along with a
6,000-seat track and field stadium, a tennis and golf
complex and a velodrome. Regarding the tennis complex,
Leiweke said, "I'm not going to deny we have had active
conversations with Pete Sampras' folks and a goal of ours on
the tennis side is to have Pete Sampras and his team
involved." The $100M facility will be privately financed,
with "some help for the not-for-profit elements coming from"
the Anschutz Foundation and the USSF (L.A. TIMES, 7/27). In
CA, Louie Arias reports that the proposal will "be presented
to the university's board of trustees for its approval,
though there is no time frame set for the presentation."
Leiweke said the Galaxy would continue to play some home
games at the Rose Bowl even with the new facility (ORANGE
COUNTY REGISTER, 7/27). The 20,000-seat soccer facility
will be expandable to 29,000, and Leiweke said, "We wanted
intimacy, supply and demand, to fit into the community and
be self-contained with parking" (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE,
7/27). In CA, Steve Hunt reports that the project has grown
from an original estimate of $50-60M to the current cost of
$100M. Leiweke also hopes the facility will become the
training base for the U.S. national teams, as final bids are
due September 30, with an announcement coming possibly by
the end of the year (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 7/27).
