Inter Miami look to have their destination decided for their first two seasons as a franchise.
According to the Miami Herald, Inter Miami plans to play in Fort Lauderdale at the now-abandoned Lockhart Stadium, building a new stadium in its place. Inter Miami are planned to spend $60 million to make it happen as well as play their first two MLS seasons in 2020 and 2021 there.
“We’re going to build a new stadium,” fellow Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said. “It’s not a refurbishment of Lockhart. It will be a new stadium for a (second-tier) USL team and a soccer centric academy. We’ll be able to host tournaments and other games there.”
The plan will need backing from Fort Lauderdale City Council early next week. There is also a rival bid from FXE Futbol also in the running as they want to build a sports and entertainment complex.
Beckham and his ownership group have searched for several years in Miami for a stadium site but have yet to be approved. Miami Freedom Park is the ownership group’s preferred choice for location but they still need a key city council vote to make it a reality.
Lockhart Stadium was home to the only prior MLS franchise in the area, the Miami Fusion, which was contracted in 2001. Florida Atlantic University’s football stadium as well as Hard Rock Stadium have been considered as options but seem too large as venues at this point.