USL Tampa Bay Rowdies Owner Bill Edwards is "officially launching a campaign" to bring MLS to the region, unveiling last night an $80M "renovation and expansion to Al Lang Stadium ... that he says will be entirely funded by the private sector," according to Ashley Kritzer of the TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL. Edwards said that he "started reaching out" to MLS "early on in his ownership of the Rowdies," which he bought in '13. He said that he has "had preliminary discussions" with MLS and Commissioner Don Garber on "bringing a team to St. Pete, and he expects to continue those conversations in a meeting with Garber in early January." He said he has a "good investment group" but declined to identify any investors or discuss any potential ownership structures of a MLS team. Beyond expanding the stadium (see rendering below) from its current capacity of 7,227 to about 18,000, Edwards said that his next steps will be "demonstrating to the league that there's enough fan interest and potential corporate sponsorships to support a MLS team." He said that he is in "early discussions with corporate sponsors for naming rights and jersey sponsorships" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/6). In Tampa, Darek Sharp notes Edwards' campaign is "similar to other cities" like Cincinnati, St. Louis and Nashville that hope to join MLS. The league has 20 teams, "with four more to join" in '18, and a "possible four more beyond that where the Rowdies hope to fall in." Edwards said of the need for community support for the project, "If I get enough people to buy seats, I'll add them. It has to be enough to make me spend my money. If not, why waste it?" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 12/7). The Tampa Bay Mutiny played in '96-'01 before folding prior to the '02 season (THE DAILY).
: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes NASL Carolina RailHawks Owner & Chair Stephen Malik yesterday "left no doubt" that his goal is to turn the club into an "MLS franchise, and quickly, in the next 12-18 months." The club yesterday announced a new name, North Carolina FC, and "plans for a new stadium and the expected addition of a women’s team in the NWSL." The announcements were "designed to attract as much attention as possible." Malik said that he and his investors are "prepared to fund the entire stadium project privately, but the addition of public funding would make it more competitive from an MLS perspective." The NCFC branding is an "attempt to draw from a regional well, conveniently stepping on the toes of Charlotte’s embryonic MLS hopes in the process." While there is a "long list of cities farther along than Raleigh" in its attempt to join MLS, this "statement of intent, this declaration of pursuit, this willingness to invest in an appropriate stadium ... is a necessary and obligatory first step" for the city (
Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/7).
