MLS, David Beckham's group and the Univ. of Miami are "seriously exploring having a joint stadium," as the league and the school "are in 'active discussions,'" according to a source cited by Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD. The league said that it is "still about 60 days from knowing whether a joint UM/MLS stadium is feasible." Even if MLS determines it is doable, UM "would need to somehow escape the final 18 years of its Sun Life Stadium lease for it to happen." UM has told MLS that it "must have no fewer than 40,000 seats for UM to be interested in playing there," but if the stadium "is only for soccer, it likely would have a capacity of 20,000 to 25,000" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 3/24).
VENUE SHOPPING: Real estate firm HR&A Advisors Chair John Alschuler yesterday "reiterated Beckham's pledge that taxpayers would not be asked to pay" for the team's proposed stadium at PortMiami. He said that the group "has financing in place" to cover more than $200M in "start-up costs for the team, player salaries and the stadium, including infrastructure." He added that the cost of the stadium is "still being determined." Alschuler: "Our objective is to create the most exciting soccer venue in America, the most exciting soccer venue in the world. It's a chance to do something special. This is not a proposal just for a stadium, it's a proposal to create a new urban destination." In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis notes there are "significant hurdles that may be more challenging than Beckham faced in his playing career." Alschuler said that Beckham's group "will release traffic and parking studies in about 30 days showing the area can comfortably handle the crowds for games." He added that the Beckham group "wouldn't target the port site if it couldn't be an asset to the area." The facility "would be a walk of 7 or 8 minutes from AmericanAirlines Arena," and MLS games would not be scheduled when the Heat are playing (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 3/25).
