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Beckham group reveals new Miami stadium plan

MLS in Miami received a big boost on Wednesday night, as Tim Leiweke unveiled a new stadium plan at a town hall in the Overtown neighborhood.

The plan has been slightly retooled, but it will not include parking facilities as the group wants to encourage the use of the metro system, water taxis and ride-sharing. The stadium will still seat 25,000 people.

However, the Beckham group still needs to reach an agreement to purchase land in the neighborhood. A previous attempt was thwarted due to no investor backing.

Now that Beckham has recruited Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, they can buy the land for around $9 million. Ownership also promised to offer 50 permanent jobs at the stadium as part of the deal.

Even more crucial is Audrey Edmonson, the Overtown county commissioner who supports the stadium plan. She stated that the job creation in one of Miami’s poorer neighborhoods is a major positive for opening the venue.

The vote for the stadium approval will be held on June 6.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has repeatedly pointed out that building a stadium was key to Miami’s MLS hopes. The next two expansion teams will enter the league in 2020, but it’s uncertain when, if at all, the Miami franchise would begin play.

Comments

  1. whatever happened to the floating island? i liked that idea. jk totally agree with Joe dirt.

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  2. SBI Mafia original here…the above are quite incorrect see my @oneworldonegoal twitter for site pics. It is accurate and that area has changed drastically. They have renovated downtown, Wynwood, Design District, Little Haiti, Over town River District, Little Havanna with great success. It is easy to Uber, WaterTaxi, Metrorail, PeopleMover or Taxi with one block to River, three blocks to nearest Metro, Five or seven blocks to two other southern or eastern stops … It will be spectacular. I walk safely in neighborhoods never went to 17 years ago for business and fun events!

    Over 40 SoccerMad Cultures in TriCounty Area of over Eight Million people plus 81% Hispanic in Dade County from Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Italia, Brazil, England, Russia, France, Jordan, the Carribean, European, Central America Middle East, South America etc we have a diversity like no other! Soccer is number one sport in SoFla unlike anywhere else in USA. We have been Miami based over 17 years Playing professional Division One Soccer all over world and Miami fans are the best! When the Fusion actually played in Miami the last year they averaged higher than the league average for the games played at Orange Bowl! Will be jewel in MLS Crown at the hand of Beckham will be world class and well attended! #BestFansInMLS #FusionFaithful

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    • Fan “diveristy” is irrelevant to an MLS team’s success. Ask Chivas USA, the Mutiny and the Fusion. Plus NYRB, Dallas and Chicago are jokes. World class diverse cities with pathetic support.

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    • “They have renovated downtown, Wynwood, Design District, Little Haiti, Over town River District, Little Havanna with great success.”

      Wynwood, Little Havana, yes. But what part of Overtown have they renovated? I just drove through it 2 days ago on the way to Versailles. That place is still a sh*t show. It maybe just 3 blocks from the metro but who wants to walk 3 blocks through one of the roughest neighborhoods in Miami, especially for night games? Best bet is the river taxi but it’s not going to be an option for everyone. Maybe the stadium will bring revitalization to the area but it’s not going to be overnight. I love Miami and Wynwood is just a few blocks from Overtown but you’re going to be hard pressed to get me to walk through Overtown no matter the circumstances.

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  3. Some one needs to talk some sense into Becks, MLS, Leiweike, anyone who will listen and put the kibosh on this immediately. Look at Marlins Park in a sketchy neighborhood but with parking garages around it and no one goes to Marlins games. The only hope for this project to succeed was a downtown location or near Miami World Center. Now they are just settling for a site in a tough neighborhood and guess what No Parking! Please Becks put your support behind one of the more viable candidate cities!

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    • i know right. Miami is a world class city that will draw talent and can easily support soccer but it has to build a stadium where people want to go. This idea is just the same as the Marlins’ stadium except instead of getting the city to pay for it they are going to waste their own money. Sad the city can’t see fit to find a piece of land in a desirable area where people want to visit this could have been huge and now its going to Fusion 2.0.

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      • Miami is a world class city that will draw talent and can easily support soccer

        Is this assessment based on the ethnic background of the population or some historical reference to any sport in this area? If it’s the former, see the failure that is Chicago with similiar metrics. If it’s the latter…what?

        Miami’s allure for the league is the television/regional market, correct? That’s the primary reason for it’s obsession – to my understanding. This entire charade is embarrassing from a fans perspective, and the mentality of getting the club going at all costs is MLS 1.0.

        Miami has no business being awarded one of the next/final slots in the league, and I’m amazed Becks/Garber haven’t simply agreed to play at the Hard Rock Stadium under the guise/lie that a stadium will eventually be built. Everything about this Miami deal is a regressive move for MLS.

  4. Miami politicians are killing this franchise before its even awarded. Remember a couple years back at Beckhams original idea with the stadium on the port authority land on that peninsula. That was beautiful. With restaurants, bars and nightclubs around for before and after the match that would have been the spot. Now you get a stadium inland, no water, in a crime ridden area, and no parking so you have walk around in the crime ridden area. Anybody interested in free tickets to a Marlins game?

    Way to go Miami politicians you killed any chance this franchise ever had. If this gets done and moved along and Miami starts to play in a couple years within ten years after that this franchise moves and is bankrupt and people will be saying the same old trope about Miami not being a sports town.. Miami Fusion ghosts?

    Beckham should run from Miami if this is all they are going to work with him on, damn if he didn’t try to do it right but this is just a waste of money.

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  5. They should also forgo food in the stadium to encourage people to diet. This thing is like the stain in waaaam’s underwear. It turns more embarrassing every day.

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  6. I’m sure things are different in Miami, but in Philly the train stops in the poorest neighborhoods are some of the worst spots in town. Not sure I would want to go to a game if that was my only option.

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