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Redcoe15
01-03-2009, 02:31 PM
There was an article recently in the Delaware County Daily Times (http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2008/12/31/news/doc495af7ca3940b249122395.txt) where there appears to be an impass over funding for the new soccer stadium in Chester, Penn., which would be the new home for Philadelphia's new MLS team.

This quote raises some eyebrows:


“I wish we could give you hard commitments today, but we’re not even sure the stadium is going to be built,” said Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of Keystone Sports and Entertainment LLC. “If the markets tank next month, then we won’t build this thing. We’ll be out $15 million and everyone goes home."


Ives also talks about this in a recent article in his blog. (http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/01/trouble-in-philadelphia.html) He seems kinda I dunno about this recent development.

A rumour from a couple of months ago suggested that Montreal would take over Philadelphia's spot in 2010 because of Philly's sudden shaky finances due to the economic meltown. But with MLS snuffing out Montreal's bid a few weeks later, it appeared that idea died out. Now with this recent development, will suggestions start to reak like a bad sewer line that Philadelphia might be on the outs and replaced for 2010 with :puke:Miami?

rocker
01-03-2009, 02:54 PM
for once I'd like to see an MLS team have no problems funding and building a good stadium on their own. Even the privately funded HDC has conditions with the university about attendance and other bullshit.
It's always such a hassle with these teams. It makes me wish I was rich and could just afford a team and say "OK, he's my 150 mil for a stadium, let's start building tomorrow!"

Toronto Ruffrider
01-03-2009, 03:00 PM
for once I'd like to see an MLS team have no problems funding and building a good stadium on their own. Even the privately funded HDC has conditions with the university about attendance and other bullshit.
It's always such a hassle with these teams. It makes me wish I was rich and could just afford a team and say "OK, he's my 150 mil for a stadium, let's start building tomorrow!"

If only that approach could work for Greg Kerfoot. Only in Vancouver would a fully privately-funded stadium be met with so many hurdles.

rocker
01-03-2009, 03:10 PM
If only that approach could work for Greg Kerfoot. Only in Vancouver would a fully privately-funded stadium be met with so many hurdles.

ya that one pissed me off the most!
The guy has a great plan, great location, he even owns land he wants to put it on, he wants to spend his own money... and still nothing happens!

argggh!

gmacpheetfc
01-03-2009, 03:33 PM
re enter L'IMPACT????

Beach_Red
01-03-2009, 03:52 PM
ya that one pissed me off the most!
The guy has a great plan, great location, he even owns land he wants to put it on, he wants to spend his own money... and still nothing happens!

argggh!

Doesn't all that make you the least bit suspicious that you're not getting the whole story?

Dub Narcotic
01-03-2009, 03:57 PM
Welcome to real estate development in North America. Philly may be in trouble, but right now they are playing chicken with the Chester School Board. The developers want to redevelop a huge area and receive tax breaks for all of it.

Only the stadium, and not the surrounding area, is in the tax-free 'Opportunity Zone'. The School Board is saying they want some money from the Philly ownership group (maybe a tax on tickets) before they will allow the zone expansion, so the Philly ownership group is threatening to cancel the whole project in return. I think the more serious issue is the rumour of the Philly ownership group running out of money. I bet that, at the least, the stadium will be scaled down.

Cashcleaner
01-03-2009, 04:39 PM
re enter L'IMPACT????

Haha! I got a question - how much was Philly's expansion fee? Wasn't it $30 million? That was more along the lines of what Saputo and Gillette were considering...

I wonder what if the Philly expansion collapses Montreal comes in and takes their place?

rocker
01-03-2009, 04:44 PM
I don't think Philly will collapse. I think they'll do whatever it takes to get that done, even if it means finding more investors. It would be pretty embarrassing for Garber otherwise. And Philly is such a great market, considering it has the fans and it's one of the biggest cities in NA.

It's a funny thing tho--- that stadium is positioned in one of the shittiest areas in greater Philly .. you'd think they'd be begging for it to come.. But I guess when you hit rock bottom you don't give a shit anymore about big shots coming in from the city.

I don't think Montreal is coming in anytime soon. If Philly needs an extra year, I could see Miami coming in for 2010 in their place. There's no need to call up Montreal and beg them to come back since Miami has a better stadium ready to roll. If all the bids are shit, who knows... but I think Montreal is out for a long time.

Beach_Red
01-03-2009, 05:14 PM
^ Now there's probably a lot of places MlS will look at before Montreal. Too bad.

The things about the shitty area taking anything it can get is that if it isn't done right it can actually make things worse. And you're right, no one, not even people in the shittiest of neighbourhoods, want to be taken advantage of by bigshots coming in from the city.

It's kind of sad it's a school board reduced to begging for handouts.

rocker
01-03-2009, 05:26 PM
i wonder what Garber thinks of the public comments of Saputo. I didn't think he exactly made the relationship better with MLS by speaking out as he did.

i think Garber would go to Ottawa now before he'd go to Montreal. Why lower your demands when you have other cities interested? just to get a team in to replace Philly in 2010? I bet he'd postpone Philly and have no new teams for 2010 than go to Montreal, unless Montreal turns around and says "ok sorry, we'll pay 40 mil and another 40 mil to upgrade the stadium."
Garber is in a position of power. He doesn't have to replace Philly in 2010 if Philly fails. He can just bring in the next two new ones in 2011 and then come up with another timetable for Philly.

Beach_Red
01-03-2009, 05:30 PM
Garber is in a position of power. He doesn't have to replace Philly in 2010 if Philly fails. He can just bring in the next two new ones in 2011 and then come up with another timetable for Philly.

You're right, and he really doesn't want to lower the fee. It's unlikely there'd be any official statement on Philly until the expansion teams are announced and their cheques are cashed ;).

CoachGT
01-03-2009, 06:26 PM
Bear in mind that the issue with funding is something that just about every business is facing right now. Much of the public funding arrangements for stadium development come in the form of financial guarantees on loans made to the development companies, then the loans get paid back over several years, backstopped by the government.

Nobody is getting money from banks in the US (see the recent developments with the Phoenix Coyotes having to get money from various sources to meet their payroll). I'd be surprised if this was the only bid that was in any difficulty, even if the money was committed before the current meltdown.

Life will go on, but it'll be damn tight.

ensco
01-04-2009, 11:23 AM
^Like he said. Governments are broke. We all need to start thinking differently about life. A lot of things that were going to happen, aren't going to happen (not saying this applies to the Philly MLS bid per se, more a general comment).

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5014F120090102?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Bloor West FC
01-05-2009, 10:10 AM
Wow that would suck. No stadium no team. hmmm Miami wont be that bad isn't it cheap to fly to? But than again I hate those Philly fans in baby Blue!!!! We must play them and kick there ass. Build there stadium dammit!!

rocker
01-05-2009, 11:41 AM
not that this relates specifically to Philly.. but Ives just put in his vote for St. Louis as the best bid..

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/01/monday-morning-centerback-time-for-mls-to-add-st-louis.html

Redcoe15
01-05-2009, 01:59 PM
Today's article in the Delco Times (http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/01/04/news/doc49603785255cb722670893.txt) has Nick Sakiewicz toning down his rhetoric and now saying the stadium will progress as scheduled. Wonder if someone had a "little chat" with him? ;)

As for Ives column, I hope it's St. Louis and Vancouver getting into MLS. Yet somehow, I fear Miami will find a way to weasel its way into getting a team it doesn't deserve. :mad:

CoachGT
01-05-2009, 02:34 PM
Today's article in the Delco Times (http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/01/04/news/doc49603785255cb722670893.txt) has Nick Sakiewicz toning down his rhetoric and now saying the stadium will progress as scheduled. Wonder if someone had a "little chat" with him? ;)

As for Ives column, I hope it's St. Louis and Vancouver getting into MLS. Yet somehow, I fear Miami will find a way to weasel its way into getting a team it doesn't deserve. :mad:

Right now, deserve = show me the money!

Redcoe15
01-05-2009, 03:07 PM
Right now, deserve = show me the money!
Isn't that how Bettman's NHL operated? :canada:

CoachGT
01-05-2009, 03:14 PM
Isn't that how Bettman's NHL operated? :canada:

If that was the case, then wouldn't Balsillie have a team now? I think in Nashville it was "show me something that equates to money" and look how that turned out!

ilikemusic
01-05-2009, 03:50 PM
:lol:

Cant say I dont take some enjoyment out of seeing Garber's house of cards tumble and his fake franchise values plummet.

troy1982
01-05-2009, 03:54 PM
:lol:

Cant say I dont take some enjoyment out of seeing Garber's house of cards tumble and his fake franchise values plummet.

How is it plummeting? The fact is that you have 6 bids willing to pay the fee but only 2 will get in. if anything the fee should be increase so you are left with only 2 bids.