MLS to expand to... South Jersey?!

[WJMorris3]

GLASSBORO, N.J. -- Rowan University President Donald Farish announced Monday the school's intention to add a soccer-specific stadium to its ambitious campus development plans. Major League Soccer will support Rowan's search for an investor for the project because the stadium, upon its completion in 2009, would serve as home to an MLS expansion team.

The league has agreed to exclusively work with the university over the next four months on the development of the stadium, MLS President Mark Abbott said.

Unless funding or another unseen obstacle comes into play, the university expects construction to begin in order to field a club for the 2009 season. A deadline for Rowan has been set up for the project to agree with a developer to head construction.

Rowan University President Donald Farish said the funding is set to be mostly private, with little or no state aid from New Jersey to be included in a wide-ranging project that will affect the university on all levels.

"It's a great day in the history of Rowan University," said Farish in an announcement in front of his students. "Major League Soccer is very important ... this school wants to go to the next level."

Farish said that he and other Rowan University officials visited The Home Depot Center and spoke with faculty and administrators at Cal-State Dominguez Hills about their public-private partnership with Anschutz Entertainment Group. Farish said their positive responses helped lead Rowan to begin seeking a similar arrangement.

The partnership announcement for a joint stadium project was just part of the university's announcement that would include athletic department infrastructure, hotels, student housing and other assorted complexes. Rowan currently plays at a Division III level in the NCAA pyramid, with a 10,000-strong student base. Farish specifically mentioned the university is not set to change its affiliation to Division I due to the expansion of its infrastructure.

The surrounding area, like most of New Jersey, is rich with both tradition and participation in its soccer community.

"Major League Soccer is pleased to have entered into an exclusive negotiating period with Rowan University as the potential site of a soccer-specific stadium and an MLS team," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement. "We are excited both by the possibility of helping Rowan extend its educational opportunities, and by the prospect of having a new stadium ready for an MLS team as early as 2009. While we recognize that much work needs to be done, this is an encouraging first stop in the process toward bringing first-class professional soccer to the area."

Ownership and franchise issues are secondary in this unique case of a Philadelphia-area team, with the stadium project being a large stone in the foundation. If at the end of the four-month negotiation period both sides are happy with the plan and choose to go ahead, the next -- and probably most crucial -- step would be finding a local investor to join the MLS ownership group.

The university owns a 280-acre parcel of property in the vicinity of its campus at the intersection of Route 55 and Route 322 on its west campus. The state school is planning expansion of several fields for its athletic department surrounding the stadium hub, the future home of the MLS team. Rowan University would be the owner of the facility with the MLS club as a tenant. Some $200 million of the project has been put towards the building of athletic facilities.

Philadelphia has long been a desired landing spot for Major League Soccer. The area's geographical location would easily foster rivalries against the New York Red Bulls to the north and D.C. United to the south. If the club opens play, it would be the first major professional sports team in southern New Jersey.

I'm completely in shock at this one, as a resident of South Jersey who just so happens to work in Glassboro. If this comes to fruition though... you can count on my supporting the team.

[OMMF]

GLASSBORO, N.J. -- Rowan University President Donald Farish announced Monday the school's intention to add a soccer-specific stadium to its ambitious campus development plans. Major League Soccer will support Rowan's search for an investor for the project because the stadium, upon its completion in 2009, would serve as home to an MLS expansion team.

The league has agreed to exclusively work with the university over the next four months on the development of the stadium, MLS President Mark Abbott said.

Unless funding or another unseen obstacle comes into play, the university expects construction to begin in order to field a club for the 2009 season. A deadline for Rowan has been set up for the project to agree with a developer to head construction.

Rowan University President Donald Farish said the funding is set to be mostly private, with little or no state aid from New Jersey to be included in a wide-ranging project that will affect the university on all levels.

"It's a great day in the history of Rowan University," said Farish in an announcement in front of his students. "Major League Soccer is very important ... this school wants to go to the next level."

Farish said that he and other Rowan University officials visited The Home Depot Center and spoke with faculty and administrators at Cal-State Dominguez Hills about their public-private partnership with Anschutz Entertainment Group. Farish said their positive responses helped lead Rowan to begin seeking a similar arrangement.

The partnership announcement for a joint stadium project was just part of the university's announcement that would include athletic department infrastructure, hotels, student housing and other assorted complexes. Rowan currently plays at a Division III level in the NCAA pyramid, with a 10,000-strong student base. Farish specifically mentioned the university is not set to change its affiliation to Division I due to the expansion of its infrastructure.

The surrounding area, like most of New Jersey, is rich with both tradition and participation in its soccer community.

"Major League Soccer is pleased to have entered into an exclusive negotiating period with Rowan University as the potential site of a soccer-specific stadium and an MLS team," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement. "We are excited both by the possibility of helping Rowan extend its educational opportunities, and by the prospect of having a new stadium ready for an MLS team as early as 2009. While we recognize that much work needs to be done, this is an encouraging first stop in the process toward bringing first-class professional soccer to the area."

Ownership and franchise issues are secondary in this unique case of a Philadelphia-area team, with the stadium project being a large stone in the foundation. If at the end of the four-month negotiation period both sides are happy with the plan and choose to go ahead, the next -- and probably most crucial -- step would be finding a local investor to join the MLS ownership group.

The university owns a 280-acre parcel of property in the vicinity of its campus at the intersection of Route 55 and Route 322 on its west campus. The state school is planning expansion of several fields for its athletic department surrounding the stadium hub, the future home of the MLS team. Rowan University would be the owner of the facility with the MLS club as a tenant. Some $200 million of the project has been put towards the building of athletic facilities.

Philadelphia has long been a desired landing spot for Major League Soccer. The area's geographical location would easily foster rivalries against the New York Red Bulls to the north and D.C. United to the south. If the club opens play, it would be the first major professional sports team in southern New Jersey.

I'm completely in shock at this one, as a resident of South Jersey who just so happens to work in Glassboro. If this comes to fruition though... you can count on my supporting the team.

That's an MLS press release, right? And they called them the "New York Red Bulls?" Sad.

[Brian in Boston]

Right now, this strikes me as nothing more than optimistically "pie-in-the-sky" speculation.

[Brian in Boston]

Rowan University President Donald Farish announced Monday the school's intention to add a soccer-specific stadium to its ambitious campus development plans. Major League Soccer will support Rowan's search for an investor for the project because the stadium, upon its completion in 2009, would serve as home to an MLS expansion team.

Unless funding or another unseen obstacle comes into play, the university expects construction to begin in order to field a club for the 2009 season. A deadline for Rowan has been set up for the project to agree with a developer to head construction.

"It's a great day in the history of Rowan University," said Farish in an announcement in front of his students. "Major League Soccer is very important ... this school wants to go to the next level."

"Major League Soccer is pleased to have entered into an exclusive negotiating period with Rowan University as the potential site of a soccer-specific stadium and an MLS team," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber in a statement. "We are excited both by the possibility of helping Rowan extend its educational opportunities, and by the prospect of having a new stadium ready for an MLS team as early as 2009. While we recognize that much work needs to be done, this is an encouraging first stop in the process toward bringing first-class professional soccer to the area."

Ownership and franchise issues are secondary in this unique case of a Philadelphia-area team, with the stadium project being a large stone in the foundation. If at the end of the four-month negotiation period both sides are happy with the plan and choose to go ahead, the next -- and probably most crucial -- step would be finding a local investor to join the MLS ownership group.

If the club opens play, it would be the first major professional sports team in southern New Jersey.

If, if, if. If my aunt had testicles she'd be my uncle. If a frog had wings it wouldn't bump its ass hopping over toadstools.

Today's press conference was one of the most ridiculous in the history of Major League Soccer... and that's saying something. How about calling a press conference when you actually have something concrete to announce, as opposed to simply trumpeting what it is that you want to have happen? Hell... I want to win several million dollars in a lottery, star in my own sit-com and make sweet, hot love to Monica Belluci. However, you don't see me standing behind a lectern in a conference room at the local Marriott conducting a press conference about it, do you?

This was a "Shakespearean" press conference: full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing. I thought that it would be impossible for Major League Soccer to top its penchant for making pronouncements about developments that would take place in "60 to 90 days". Yet, they managed to do just that. Apparently, this is the first of the league's "60 to 120 day" announcements.

I particularly love how "finding a local investor to join the MLS ownership group" is "probably most crucial" in bringing a franchise to the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Gee... you think so? I don't know about that. Maybe the league could just allow Professor Crowell's "Intro to Entrepreneurship" class to run the franchise, huh?

File this under, "Call me when you break ground on the construction site and have an investor lined up."

[yh]

Don't be such a jackass Brian. Professor Crowell retired three years ago. "Intro to Entrepreneurship," a/k/a BUS167 has been taught by Professor Yuan for the last two years after an interim stint by Vice-Chancellor Beuregard.

Get your facts straight before you post.

[STL FANATIC]

That's an MLS press release, right? And they called them the "New York Red Bulls?" Sad.

From the Red Bull article at sportslogos.net...

Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz said, "18 million Americans actively play soccer in the USA. Up to 60 million are soccer fans. We were so fascinated by these figures that we made the decision to join and support this development by taking over the responsibility for the MetroStars. Our goal is to further strengthen the team and position the New York Red Bulls as the soccer metropolis of the East Coast, as well as to join the investment for a new tailor made soccer stadium - the "Red Bull Arena"- which will serve as the new home for the New York Red Bulls."

I would assume the offical team name is Red Bull New York, but it sounds like they're perfectly happy to call them the New York Red Bulls, and why not? It's a team name that actually reads right. (Note: that was an exagerated claim at the end. I don't have a problem with all of the European names, but I think it's time to start with some names the American sports fan can better relate to. Plus, I really do think when it's a solid nickname like Red Bulls, it makes for a better team name.)

[OMMF]

That's an MLS press release, right? And they called them the "New York Red Bulls?" Sad.

From the Red Bull article at sportslogos.net...

Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz said, "18 million Americans actively play soccer in the USA. Up to 60 million are soccer fans. We were so fascinated by these figures that we made the decision to join and support this development by taking over the responsibility for the MetroStars. Our goal is to further strengthen the team and position the New York Red Bulls as the soccer metropolis of the East Coast, as well as to join the investment for a new tailor made soccer stadium - the "Red Bull Arena"- which will serve as the new home for the New York Red Bulls."

I would assume the offical team name is Red Bull New York, but it sounds like they're perfectly happy to call them the New York Red Bulls, and why not? It's a team name that actually reads right. (Note: that was an exagerated claim at the end. I don't have a problem with all of the European names, but I think it's time to start with some names the American sports fan can better relate to. Plus, I really do think when it's a solid nickname like Red Bulls, it makes for a better team name.)

Indeed, even the official site can't agree. I would like to think they could just pick one and go with it.

The Red Bulls Reserves defeated the D.C. United Reserves 3-0 on Sunday behind a Thiago Martins hat trick at Bishop England High School in Daniel Island, S.C.

Saying "the Red Bull reserves" would sound just fine and would be consistent. You certainly wouldn't say the D.C. Uniteds Reserves.

[leopard88]

From the Red Bull article at sportslogos.net...

Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz said, "18 million Americans actively play soccer in the USA. Up to 60 million are soccer fans. We were so fascinated by these figures that we made the decision to join and support this development by taking over the responsibility for the MetroStars. Our goal is to further strengthen the team and position the New York Red Bulls as the soccer metropolis of the East Coast, as well as to join the investment for a new tailor made soccer stadium - the "Red Bull Arena"- which will serve as the new home for the New York Red Bulls."

When it comes time to name the stadium, someone will need to remind Herr Mateschitz that the term "arena" is used for indoor sports facilities on this side of the Atlantic. Amsterdam Arena works, but most Americans driving to "Red Bull Arena" would be surprised to find an open-air stadium.

[Sodboy13]

I want to win several million dollars in a lottery, star in my own sit-com and make sweet, hot love to Monica Belluci. However, you don't see me standing behind a lectern in a conference room at the local Marriott conducting a press conference about it, do you?

I'd like to see that press conference. I say grab yourself a soapbox and a Mr. Microphone, head on down to the Red Roof Inn, and have at it.