MLS to CLT
Major League Soccer, the largest professional soccer league in the United States, has been searching to find expansion cities. Charlotte has been named one of the ten finalist cities.
The soccer community has grown rapidly in Charlotte over the past decade, making Charlotte one of the largest soccer communities, consisting of youth leagues and clubs, in the Southeast. The city is craving for an MLS team to bring the soccer community and Charlotte culture together.
The Charger recently interviewed Eric Hedinger and Michael Magno, Upper and Middle School heads, former professional soccer players and coaches, for their thoughts on the subject. “Soccer has grown exponentially.” Hedinger says, “In the 80's there were not any particular soccer clubs to join compared to today where CSA, CUFC and more have options for joining. Now, players may continue after college or in lieu of college to play for the Charlotte Eagles or the Charlotte Independence.”
While smaller leagues, such as the USL, have expanded to Charlotte, it has not been as impactful as a MLS franchise would be. Mr. Magno, who played soccer professionally tells The Charger, “The stadiums in the MLS are booming with fans and and fan clubs. The MLS stadiums have developed an atmosphere that the rest of the world has known for a long time. The smoke, fireworks, drums, singing, and the traditions are now part of the MLS culture.”
The person at the forefront of the local bid effort is Marcus Smith, CEO of locally-based Speedway Motorsports. Smith has convinced the county to spend $43.75 million of taxpayer money and help finance a new, $175 million stadium in Uptown Charlotte. The stadium would replace the Memorial Stadium and Grady Cole Center, located in Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood and currently houses the Charlotte Hounds lacrosse team. Smith is still waiting for the city to put in $43.75 million as well, and the plan is for the stadium to be owned by both the city and Marcus Smith.
The social benefits of MLS may actually be more impactful than the economical. According to Hedinger, “MLS soccer may be the group to bring together Charlotte’s culture and community as well as soccer clubs than any other sport. As a world sport, the various cultures and community of Charlotte could come together as fans of a common team.”
There are going to be many roadblocks that might prevent a franchise from coming to Charlotte. The Queen City is also competing with Tampa/St.Petersburg, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, and Sacramento, which are all major cities and deserving candidates.
For Charlotte to receive a professional soccer team, Smith and city officials must convince the MLS Expansion Committee that they are the best fit for a team. There are many factors that are in Charlotte’s favor and give it an advantage over other cities. For example, Charlotte is a major economical and transport hub, is home to large corporations such as Bank of America, Metlife, and Duke Energy, and has the country’s eighth busiest airport. The Queen City also has a history of supporting its pro sports, which include the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Knights, and NASCAR.
There are also many obstacles to consider if an MLS team came to Charlotte. The most controversial of these is North Carolina’s House Bill 2 Law, or more commonly referenced as HB2. This law prohibits transgender people from entering the bathroom gender that they associate themselves with, and instead forces them to use the bathroom in which gender is on their birth certificate. While the MLS has said that HB2 will not factor into whether Charlotte receives a franchise, many sporting and entertainment events have left the city since the bill was passed. Even though Mr. Magno is optimistic about MLS expanding to Charlotte, “I am worried that our recent state struggles with HB2 will persuade MLS to avoid our city.”
“I am worried that are recent state struggles with HB2 will persuade MLS to avoid our city.”
Major League Soccer would also have an impact on the Providence Day soccer community. Hedinger, who has coached soccer at PDS, describes MLS’s impact on PDS as “positive and exposing Providence Day to higher quality soccer.” The soccer community, particularly youth soccer, would now have easy access to world-class soccer and role models.
The uphill battle to receive a MLS franchise has already begun for Charlotte and its soccer fans. The franchise would be a great addition to a city that loves its sports and has a growing soccer community.
Many MLS franchises have developed strong fanbases and a different soccer cultures. Photo courtesy of James Willamor.
The crowd at Bank of America Stadium for an international exhibition. Photo courtesy of Anon Freids.
The stadium rendering shows the propsed stadium, which will be located where the current Memorial Stadium and Grady Cole Center stand . The rendering, provided by Jenkins-Peer Architects, will seat around 20,000 people.
By Sanjeev Hassani
The Charger, March 2017
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