By CAITLIN MURRAY
A week after yanking their first proposal for a USL-specific stadium, Real Salt Lake’s owner Dell Loy Hansen has found a new solution.
Hansen and the Real Monarchs, RSL’s reserve team that will play in USL, have signed a letter of intent to build a new 8,000-seat stadium in West Valley City, a suburb just outside Salt Lake City.
The new venue would cost upwards of $20 million and an exact stadium site has not been selected yet. Hansen is seeking to lease land from West Valley City on a 40-year term with potential extensions, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
When the Monarchs were announced in September, RSL immediately unveiled a plan for an $18-million venue at the Utah state fair grounds. But last week Hansen rescinded the proposal, saying “the timing and process involved with this project no longer make the venue a viable option.”
Talks with West Valley City have apparently moved much more swiftly, with Hansen telling reporters in Utah that he first met with city officials last week and quickly reached an agreement.
If the proposal moves forward, construction on the new stadium could begin in late spring or early summer. It would take at least a year to be complete, which means the Monarchs would debut in their new stadium in July or August of 2016, according to Monarchs president Rob Zarkos.
The Monarchs will play their first USL season at Rip Tinto Stadium, the home of parent club RSL.
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What do you think of this report? Do you think this is a good location for the Monarchs? Do you like your first glimpse at what the stadium will look like?
Share your thoughts below.
hey, way off topic, but does anyone know if SBI is gonna have an MLS fantasy league this year and if so what the code is?
Don’t sweat it. Ives usually posts something at the beginning of the season about his fantasy league.
Iggy…..because we’ve learned that a half empty stadium is all-around crap. I love his approach.
Why dont they just save the $20m and have them play at Rio Tinto. yes the scheduling would be harder. Wonder if he’ll rent it out to colleges/High schools to
Hansen is trying to pull in a different demographic for the Monarchs. Both stadium sites have been proposed in the lower-income, west-side of the SL valley. It seems like an intelligent approach to me, he’s targetting the fans who probably aren’t going to shell out $15-$50 for an RSL game, but will pay $8 to see the Monarchs.
Would those same fans not she’ll out $8.00 dollars to see a match at Rio Tinto?
I tend to agree with this comment from Iggy. But my take would be why spend 20 mil on another venue instead of putting that money into the player salaries of both clubs?
Gotta love the guys’ ambition.