The NASL Indy Eleven yesterday released renderings of a proposed $82M soccer stadium "being considered by the Indiana legislature," according to Mark Alesia of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Team President & GM Peter Wilt said there are "three or four" potential downtown locations for the stadium. The 18,500-seat venue "has a large canopy roof over most of the seats that Wilt described as 'almost like the (Bird's) Nest at the Beijing Olympics.'" Wilt said he is "cautiously optimistic" that lawmakers can be persuaded to have taxpayers help build the stadium. The cost of the stadium is $5M "less than what had been proposed previously." Keystone Construction VP Paul Okeson said that the team would "soon release a new feasibility study for the stadium" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/29). Team officials said that they would "like the new stadium to be open" in time for the '17 season. But in Indianapolis, Anthony Schoettle writes if the "funding measure in this year’s General Assembly fails, the Eleven can forget that" (IBJ.com, 1/28).
DRAWING A RED CARD: In Indianapolis, Erika Smith writes, "Forgive me if I find this all a bit hard to swallow." The stadium "is huge," and it is "designed as an exotic castle for a sports team with the proven record of the Colts or Pacers -- not a team that is just getting off the ground." The Indy Eleven "brought in an impressive average of 10,450 fans per match for the first season," as all 14 contests played at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium "were sold out." Also, the renderings of the proposed stadium "are gorgeous." Smith: "But do we really need a new stadium in Indianapolis for the Indy Eleven? Can the team really not get by for another four or five years at Carroll Stadium? And if that happened, would that really kill the momentum of soccer adulation in Indianapolis?" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/29).
