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View Full Version : Rumour - EPL team to set up MLS franchise in Atlanta



DangerRed
07-16-2010, 09:05 AM
Take it for what you will, but it'd be pretty cool. Barca thought of doing the same but withdrew when the economy tanked.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-may-be-considered-571259.html

tfcleeds
07-16-2010, 09:11 AM
Atlanta - the city where professional sports franchises go to die. Why MLS would ever want to expand here is beyond me. Even Miami would be a better location.

Redcoe15
07-16-2010, 10:42 AM
Atlanta - the city where professional sports franchises go to die. Why MLS would ever want to expand here is beyond me. Even Miami would be a better location.
Problably because it's the largest market in the U.S. without an MLS team, located in the southeast of the country where the league has no presence. Other than that...

Dirk Diggler
07-16-2010, 10:43 AM
Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metros in the US so it is indeed a city that MLS should explore. Not sure how much interest for soccer exists but from a business standpoint, it makes sense.

spark
07-16-2010, 10:47 AM
See -> HOCKEY.

IMO the regardless of the markets, some sports just won't cut it down there.

maninb
07-16-2010, 10:48 AM
See -> HOCKEY.

IMO the regardless of the markets, some sports just won't cut it down there.

exactly....for some moronic reason Americans think LARGE POPULATION = SPORTS SUCCESS....it's about DEMOGRAPHICS!!!!

tfcleeds
07-16-2010, 10:49 AM
All that aside, Atlanta is a horrible sports city. Falcons are the only team that draw half decently besides Georgia Tech football. Braves - perhaps when they are doing well. Hawks and Thrashers could leave tomorrow and no one would care.

I think it would be a mistake for MLS to put a team there.

NASCAR and football? You got it. Anything else? Atlantans likely won't care.

jaxul
07-16-2010, 11:14 AM
All that aside, Atlanta is a horrible sports city. Falcons are the only team that draw half decently besides Georgia Tech football. Braves - perhaps when they are doing well. Hawks and Thrashers could leave tomorrow and no one would care.

I think it would be a mistake for MLS to put a team there.

NASCAR and football? You got it. Anything else? Atlantans likely won't care.

+1

Miami would be a much better choice. At least you have a better chance with all the hispanic population.

Stouffville_RPB
07-16-2010, 11:20 AM
^ deja vu

Fort York Redcoat
07-16-2010, 11:22 AM
All that aside, Atlanta is a horrible sports city. Falcons are the only team that draw half decently besides Georgia Tech football. Braves - perhaps when they are doing well. Hawks and Thrashers could leave tomorrow and no one would care.

I think it would be a mistake for MLS to put a team there.

NASCAR and football? You got it. Anything else? Atlantans likely won't care.


The point I was going to make. It's not like they have a void there for sports interest it's just different than the big four/five that are commonly successful. Atl is big and has plenty of sports they like. Just bad sports.:D

ManUtd4ever
07-16-2010, 11:27 AM
An Atlanta based MLS franchise would have to be an immediate, perennial, championship contender just to have a chance at filling half of their stadium on a consistent basis...

jaxul
07-16-2010, 11:34 AM
^ deja vu

wouldn't it work with a better stadium that would be right in Miami? i wasn't following MLS back then but I know attendance was very low.

tfcleeds
07-16-2010, 11:46 AM
Miami is a poor sports city as well - but given the demographics of the metro area, its probably a wiser choice than Atlanta. Lots of S. American diaspora in Miami.

Dub Narcotic
07-16-2010, 02:22 PM
Miami already had a MLS team, they didn't want it.

Azerban
07-16-2010, 02:25 PM
but...national coverage

*is the reason why hamilton, winnipeg and quebec city don't have nhl teams but atlanta, phoenix, and nashville do*

TFC_Central
07-16-2010, 04:28 PM
at least its not Cleveland

ysmLA5TqbIY

Dub Narcotic
07-16-2010, 05:28 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

Dub Narcotic
07-16-2010, 05:51 PM
Not to totally derail this thread, but there are a million hilarious Cleveland-sucks videos on youtube. I reccomend the 'great moments in Cleveland sports history' and the Rock's song about Cleveland.

Keystone FC
07-17-2010, 03:40 AM
'A team from England's Premier League is considering starting a Major League Soccer expansion franchise and Atlanta is one of the cities it would scout as a possible home'

Now this begs the question who in the EPL has the cash (right now) to start up a franchise in the States and which other cities are being looked at besides Atlanta.

This could work out well for MLS if Atlanta is indeed the home of a new MLS franchise with support from an EPL side.

It puts a club in a market that MLS wants without much effort from the league and is backed by a EPL club so even if the EPL club pulls the plug on it after a few years MLS can either salvage the club and keep the market or say the EPL side didn't do a good job of marketing the club.
It will be interesting to see where else this EPL club looks for a hame. I can only think of a few other places: Miami (again), Cleveland (again), San Antonio (again), Cincinnati, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (again), and NYC (again).
Other than that I can't see a whle lot of other locations.....I wonder if they may consider putting a club in.....TORONTO!

Keystone FC
07-17-2010, 03:54 AM
Not to totally derail this thread, but there are a million hilarious Cleveland-sucks videos on youtube. I reccomend the 'great moments in Cleveland sports history' and the Rock's song about Cleveland.
Have they updated the video that claimed that their economy was based off of LeBron James.:D

TorontoBlades
07-26-2010, 10:27 AM
How about an MLS team in.....Scarborough

...say what you want, but it's obviously a Canadian hotbed for soccer amongst youth, and a good chunk of our Canadian talent comes directly from there. I would expand up Birchmount Stadium or something the like and throw in another MLS franchise in the GTA largest market.

FreeAgent
07-26-2010, 03:07 PM
How about an MLS team in.....Scarborough

...say what you want, but it's obviously a Canadian hotbed for soccer amongst youth, and a good chunk of our Canadian talent comes directly from there. I would expand up Birchmount Stadium or something the like and throw in another MLS franchise in the GTA largest market.

Would love to have a CSL team in Scarborough.

TFCRegina
07-26-2010, 05:49 PM
'A team from England's Premier League is considering starting a Major League Soccer expansion franchise and Atlanta is one of the cities it would scout as a possible home'

Now this begs the question who in the EPL has the cash (right now) to start up a franchise in the States and which other cities are being looked at besides Atlanta.

This could work out well for MLS if Atlanta is indeed the home of a new MLS franchise with support from an EPL side.

It puts a club in a market that MLS wants without much effort from the league and is backed by a EPL club so even if the EPL club pulls the plug on it after a few years MLS can either salvage the club and keep the market or say the EPL side didn't do a good job of marketing the club.
It will be interesting to see where else this EPL club looks for a hame. I can only think of a few other places: Miami (again), Cleveland (again), San Antonio (again), Cincinnati, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (again), and NYC (again).
Other than that I can't see a whle lot of other locations.....I wonder if they may consider putting a club in.....TORONTO!

Contrary to the popular beliefs of most Man U fans, the Man U has the funds...debt to value is less than 2/3s of the franchise. Man U's cash flow alone is more than enough to keep it viable. Unfortunately, Man U fans don't understand proportions and just see a big price tag on debt, so they think it's actually a problem. But for the value of the club, it's peanuts. They're in better shape than 90% of the OECD right now...

By comparison the 'fiscally responsible' Arsenal is at about 113% debt to value.

Chelsea might have the cash too...

Macksam
07-26-2010, 07:14 PM
Hardly any prem team makes money so I don't know which team is willing to take on this venture. The prem is like the NBA, a badly run, financially disastrous league.

Keystone FC
07-27-2010, 01:44 AM
Contrary to the popular beliefs of most Man U fans, the Man U has the funds...debt to value is less than 2/3s of the franchise. Man U's cash flow alone is more than enough to keep it viable. Unfortunately, Man U fans don't understand proportions and just see a big price tag on debt, so they think it's actually a problem. But for the value of the club, it's peanuts. They're in better shape than 90% of the OECD right now...

By comparison the 'fiscally responsible' Arsenal is at about 113% debt to value.

Chelsea might have the cash too...
Okay, so going off on that little tid bit which one would be interested in starting a MLS club in....Atlanta?
I don't think either one would be and, again, the article said Atlanta is ONE of the CITIES being considered.
With that said let me put this into the pot.
When Beckham was given the opprotunity to purchase or won a franchise in MLS. WHAT IF...Beckham and Man U got together and purchased the 2nd NY club...NY Red Devils. Hmmmm.

Keystone FC
07-27-2010, 03:16 AM
How about an MLS team in.....Scarborough

...say what you want, but it's obviously a Canadian hotbed for soccer amongst youth, and a good chunk of our Canadian talent comes directly from there. I would expand up Birchmount Stadium or something the like and throw in another MLS franchise in the GTA largest market.
How about a USL Indoor club in Mississauga?
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100721/SPORTS/100721025/1007

CretanBull
07-27-2010, 03:42 AM
Hardly any prem team makes money so I don't know which team is willing to take on this venture. The prem is like the NBA, a badly run, financially disastrous league.

The teams that are set up to make money do make money. The teams that are "financially disastrous" are set up to be the play-things for billionaires - they're looking for glory, not profit.

Macksam
07-27-2010, 10:37 AM
The teams that are set up to make money do make money. The teams that are "financially disastrous" are set up to be the play-things for billionaires - they're looking for glory, not profit.
Those two teams are great.

J .
07-27-2010, 01:10 PM
I would think St. Louis, Edmonton, Ottawa, Miami, Oklahoma, and Mars Base 10482 would be better than Atlanta.

bgnewf
07-27-2010, 02:06 PM
Contrary to the popular beliefs of most Man U fans, the Man U has the funds...debt to value is less than 2/3s of the franchise. Man U's cash flow alone is more than enough to keep it viable. Unfortunately, Man U fans don't understand proportions and just see a big price tag on debt, so they think it's actually a problem. But for the value of the club, it's peanuts. They're in better shape than 90% of the OECD right now...

By comparison the 'fiscally responsible' Arsenal is at about 113% debt to value.

Chelsea might have the cash too...

With due respect having some debt on hand to finance a stadium like The Emirates is a lot different then owing monies to hedge funds and having to issue bonds to settle some of those more pressing debts. Man u fans are well pissed off at the Glazers for good reason.

Roogsy
07-27-2010, 02:09 PM
With due respect having some debt on hand to finance a stadium like The Emirates is a lot different then owing monies to hedge funds and having to issue bonds to settle some of those more pressing debts. Man u fans are well pissed off at the Glazers for good reason.


This.


Arsenal's debt ratio is almost exclusively caused by their stadium, which can be considered an investment as opposed to outright debt.

greatwhitenorf
07-27-2010, 03:54 PM
Bet it's Man City looking to do more missionary work to raise their profile to the level Gary Cook's ego demands.

TFCRegina
07-27-2010, 04:54 PM
With due respect having some debt on hand to finance a stadium like The Emirates is a lot different then owing monies to hedge funds and having to issue bonds to settle some of those more pressing debts. Man u fans are well pissed off at the Glazers for good reason.

With all due respect, when you have a low ratio of debt, it doesn't matter all that much. Issuing bonds is common among businesses, it's a way to lower your interest rate, which is exactly why they issued those bonds. Anyone with half a brain would realize that a lower interest rate is good.

And who you owe your money to doesn't matter at all if you own the asset and are able to pay your debts (which they are) and have the cash flow to pay the debts (which they do).

ManU's financial 'problems' are imaginary and are more a manifestation of hate for americans than any real financial crisis within the club.