Real Salt Lake starting in '12 persuaded Salt Lake County officials to "cut its property tax on Rio Tinto Stadium by nearly half" by asserting that the club was "losing money," according to Lee Davidson of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. The tax break has "saved the team" more than an estimated $5M in taxes since then -- equivalent to about 70% of the team’s guaranteed player payroll this year of $7.4M. The tax cut "happened so quietly that it never drew public attention until now." Even Salt Lake County Council members who approved it said that they "don’t remember the vote nor discussing it." The tax break "came even though RSL once promised" Sandy, Utah -- where Rio Tinto Stadium is located -- "not to seek such a reduction because the city uses its share of those taxes toward paying off bonds it issued to help build the stadium." Davidson noted a cut could "threaten the city’s ability to make" those annual payments. Still, Sandy and Salt Lake County said that the tax cut "was fair -- and resulted from rules that allow lowering the stadium’s taxable value because the team asserted that it was losing money, even though it has had among the top attendance" in MLS. Records show that RSL "initially was given a property tax bill" in '11 of nearly $1.5M. This year, even after tax-rate increases by several local governments through the years, its property tax bill was "under $686,000, or $770,000 less" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 11/27).
: RSL recently announced that it will
own and operate a Utah-based NWSL franchise that will begin play in April, and RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen said that he expects the team’s attendance to "average at least 12,000 per game." In Salt Lake City, Maddie Lee wrote that is an "ambitious number, given that the league average this past season was 5,061." To help "boost interest in the team, the plan is to keep ticket prices low." A team spokesperson said that the club "hopes to have individual game tickets start around $15 and season tickets cost an average of $10 per game." Lee noted women’s college soccer in the state has "proved to have a reliable fan base." While the team does not have an official name yet, season-ticket orders are "already being taken with an eye toward developing the same kind of loyalty to the NWSL team as the state’s major pro and college teams" (
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 11/26).
