Good morning folks. D.C. United's owners and Maryland politicians are set to hold a press conference to discuss the details of a plan to have a soccer stadium built in Prince George's County, Maryland by 2012.
Here is a live video feed of the press conference (which was scheduled to begin at 11:30am). Enjoy and please feel free to share your thoughts on the press conference in the comments section below:
For full coverage of the team's stadium news, check out Behind the Badge.
Greg,
What are you talking about? This stadium will have a decent Metro access, so your reservations are ridiculous and RFK is a terrible dump, good riddance to it…
Look forward to making the trip down in 2013 to see the MLS Champs from Red Bull Arena trounce DC
Hope it gets built and built well
I think it’s great for DCU and MLS’s finances for DC to control their streams of revenue. Too bad that DC city government decided it wanted to lose tax revenue, but, hey, that’s their perogative, I guess. DCU has a lot of fanatical fans, so I doubt two more stops on the Metro are going to make much of a difference.
Sorry I didn’t realize how many feelings I’d be hurting in MD tonigh. Honestly, I hope I’m wrong and it all works out. I really doubt it. Beware of relative terms though folks. I’m betting on close to a metro will mean a few miles away. Near metro real estate doesn’t come cheap. And I’m sure whoever owns the parking contract will be okay with that, more parking. I’m just afraid this will fail. Pulling in 8,000 people a game isn’t going to cover these bonds. I’d be surprised if they even secure a serious underwriter. As for the commute, I mistyped and meant 295 not 395. Regardless it sucks. Almost sucks as much as pulling the Redskins out to FedEx. Sure weekend traffic isn’t as bad as during the week, but we all know that some of the best games are scheduled during the week. But hey, I’m proud of all of you winners who have enough time to drive for hours on end to see your team play every week or more during tournaments. Really congrats guys, you’re awesome. However, counting on you is not a good business model. A mega million dollar franchise needs to have a wider appeal than that.
Other than going to the games, does anybody hang out where RFK stadium area is? So what is the difference where the team plays, if you weren’t planning to hang in the stadium’s general area anyway…As long as it is on the metro anywhere will be fine, might even be better. As long as the new stadium is up to the standards of the flagship of the MLS.
As a Metro fan I am glad that DC will finally have a home that I can hate with all my soul. LOL. Congrats to DC.
“(VM) 12 acres, because it will be an urban stadium, not surrounded by parking lots. It will be part of a Live-Work-Play environment.”
Stretch to call it urban– more like “new urban” transit-oriented development, and currently there’s bupkis around it– but I applaud the decision not to pave 1000 acres around the stadium. While it remains to be seen if the development will actually occur to integrate the stadium into its surrounding neighborhood, it’s the right approach.
That said, this really underscores what a kick-ass location Harrison is. The urban fabric already exists, and the further development of the Ironbound side of Harrison will help even more.
You’re all retarded. The owners obviously realize where all of the fans are traveling from. The stadium will be just outside of DC and right near a metro stop. So, at most, the travel time will be an extra 10-20 minutes on Metro.
And the stadium will be an urban stadium:
Q. Liz Farmer (MD Daily Record) – Criteria for site selection?
A. (VM) 12 acres, because it will be an urban stadium, not surrounded by parking lots. It will be part of a Live-Work-Play environment.
I’m just excited that my favorite team will have a real soccer stadium. It will be the premier stadium in the league, our owners don’t half ass very often.
For all of the those complaining, I can understand your plight somewhat, but you gotta realize it’s this, or nothing. NOVA just outside DC is all ready too congested, and DC doesn’t want us. So just be happy there will be a new stadium in a couple years.
It’s a good thing–really. All MLS fans (regardless of who they root for) need to support SSS owned by the club in question. Having been to matches in KC and the Meadowlands, regardless of the team or the competition, 10k in a stadium that seats 50k+ is not going to provide the atmosphere that draws in new fans. To say nothing of the profits. As a DCU fan, I’ll be happy and applaud when the Red Bulls get their new stadium.
Now, my only lament is that it isn’t an urban stadium. While stuff like Pizza Hut Park isn’t bad, I think there’s a unique dynamic (especially to a more intimate soccer stadium) that is urban, that people can walk to, that is part of a community.
As for the complaints about PG, we’ll see where it’s located. But I live in NoVa and I’ll drive to the new stadium. Heck–I can drive from my house to Solomons (which is WAY past PG country ) in a little more than an hour. Unless it’s rush hour, PG will be fine.
You are still NJRB to me!
All those DC jackasses who thought they had a real zinger by mocking “Red Bull New Jersey” must feel really stupid right now.
So much anger, so much consternation! Poor DC. I think PG will be just fine for you guys as long as it’s near a Metro stop, but this is slightly amusing.
I live in Indy and drive 2.5-3.5 hours one way just to see the Crew or Fire play several times a year. All you dumbazz DC United fans should shut your damn mouths and be happy you have a team anywhere near you. And the last time I checked almost every stadium built for MLS lies in a suburb or outlining area, stop your damn whining and drive the 30 minutes to route on your team, unless you can foot the multimillion dollar bill to fund your own stadium at Poplar Pointe.
At the press conference DC United acknowledged that the biggest fan base if from NOVA and that they recognize that the fan base may have to change a bit as a result of the move – more supporters from Howard and Baltimore counties – they hope. As for the metro, there are still 2 out of the 7 sites that are being considered that are not near Metro so only time and location will tell whether the NOVA fans stay home or not.
As long as its near a metro stop I don’t care where it is.
Good for DC. Hope it happens, happens fast, and they do it with style.
This is no different than Toyota Park being built outside of Chicago. People will gripe and complain, but at the end of the day the true fans will still show up. It’s a bit more difficult to get there from the city, but it’s not that hard. Ownership needed to do something and this was the best option available. Every MLS team would love to have a downtown stadium, but that’s just not realistic.
@LR. Really think before you speak. Your points make as much sense as David Beckham coming back to MLS.
The stadium will be built close to a Metro station. A true United fan would be happy that soon we will have a HOME.
Let’s not forget the DC government is more concerned about bringing the Redskins back than building United a stadium.
And why is everyone making a big deal of PG County? Like the District is any safer.
Where exactly in PG? Cuz I don’t understand how anyone can really complain if this thing is 1/2 mile outside of the city proper….now if it’s Upper Marlboro, that’s a whole different tale
@ LR
“no DCU fans are going to go to PG on a regular basis….” Not one? None at all? Really? This NO VA resident and his wife, season ticket holders since 1996, will be if that is where DC United plays.
“you have to go around the city…” Wrong again. We’ve never gone around the beltway when driving to FedEx field for soccer matches from NO VA. Yes, driving on a week night would be difficult but on a weekend? 25-35 minutes, from out the door to Largo.
RFK isn’t and never has been a long term option. It doesn’t “limit team profits”; it prevents them. The city owns it and takes the parking money, concession revenues and rent from DC United. DC United needs control of stadium revenue to be viable long-term. Without that revenue, the team likely will not be here in a few years when the owners give up on subsidizing it when no development or stadium revenues are coming.
LR, I disagree with your opinion. Yes lots DCU has tons of fans that are from DC and NOVA. BUt they also have a ton of fans that are not in those locations. I live in Richmond, VA and drive up for games on the weekends. I don’t care where they play I go. I used to live in Montgomery County and there would still be tons of fans after every game all the way back to Shady Grove.
Also, now having a stadium in PG county will allow fans from Baltimore, Annapolis, and other area’s to come who maybe like to avoid DC all together.
The city screwed around enough with this team. They are the most successful team the city has pretty much ever had considering what they have done in there 13 years and they get treated like crap.
LR:
MacFarlane says the team loses $10 million a year. Most of that has to do with being in RFK (rent and revenue streams that go to the city). If RFK is “good enough for now”, I hope you’ll be putting up the rent and somehow covering the PR hit the team takes when the power goes out again.
You’re also blatantly ignoring the fact that the team has said it intends to build close to a Metro stop. The bulk of your complaints are about travel times, when the 2 Metro stops specifically mentioned thus far are 12 and 15 minutes further along the blue line. Attendance, if it drops, will not drop by much. We might lose a couple hundred whiners from NoVA who will find any excuse to not travel to Maryland, but I would imagine you’d get that made up from people in Howard and Anne Arundel counties.
A disaster would be staying in RFK until the city and Dan Snyder agree to demolish it for a new football stadium. Your reaction is hysterical (and not in the funny way) even by internet standards.
This is a real shame. As it was DCU that introduced me to the MLS (lived there for a year). The subway and pre-game parties were instrumental for me catching the fútbol fever. Before then I couldn’t even tell you the complete rules of the game. It was the environment that sucked me in. I didn’t have a car nor the money to rent one. There are tons of people in the district with no cars, especially the 20 somethings and hispanics that the league needs. I fear that the DC games will be just a bit more populated by white suburban families. A real shame.
This is a disaster. RFK is good enough for now. Sure it’s too big, sure it limits the teams profits. But no DCU fans are going to go to PG on a regular basis like they would go to DC. Most DCU fans are hispanics and white yuppies from DC with limited transportation access and and white yuppies from NOVA who will not go to PG for logistical reasons. PG is not that far from NOVA as the crow flies but because you have to go around the city either by 495 or 395, it takes at least an hour from the closest point during what would be game time. I stress at least an hour. Right now you can metro in to RFK, it takes a while but it’s not all the way frickin PG. Further, this is financed by revenue bonds, right? I missed that part. Who the hell is going to buy them? They’d be nuts. If nobody goes to the games they don’t get revenue. There’s no way they’ll meet their principal let alone interest.
Brilliant!
ZZZZZZ, this reminds me why I don’t go to meetings with politicians.
bummer it’s not in dc proper, but hey, finally a stadium.
Red Bull Arena >>>>>>>>>>>>> PG United Park