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mls should've just rushed a team in... sa's first offer was ing steal.
MLS, pay rent for use, city says
Web Posted: 05/17/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Tom Orsborn
San Antonio Express-News
Negotiations between Major League Soccer and the city for a lease agreement at the Alamodome have hit a snag.
After being blasted for weeks by critics who say the city is "giving away" the dome to the MLS, city officials now want the league to pay rent for some "special events" it would bring to the building.
City officials said the league doesn't want to pay any rent — period.
"We will be going back and forth on this," Assistant City Manager Roland Lozano said.
League officials declined comment on the latest development in a Mayor Ed Garza-led effort to give the dome an anchor tenant, an MLS spokesman said.
The city on April 13 unveiled a plan to bring an MLS franchise to the dome for the 2006 season.
The plan called for the MLS to receive rent-free use of the dome for 20 games and other perks, including a $3.7 million practice facility.
Since then, Garza has responded to residents' complaints and has pulled the practice facility off the bargaining table. A plan to build a $10.6 million youth soccer complex adjacent to the practice site at Brooks City-Base also has been shelved.
Now, Lozano said the city has informed MLS that it wants the team to pay rent for some special events at the dome.
MLS officials since have expressed concern about the request, Lozano said.
According to the memorandum of understanding that serves as a framework for a lease agreement, the city would receive a 50 percent cut of profits from special events such as international soccer matches or concerts booked jointly by the team and the city.
The memorandum also states that either party may choose not to participate in such events, in which case the remaining party either would receive all the revenue gained or shoulder all the loss.
The city since has decided that it wants the team to pay rent for events MLS promotes on its own.
"Their position is, 'We don't want to pay any rent,'" Lozano said. "Our position is, no, the no-rent deal is only for (the MLS) games. Everything else is a partnership. And if it isn't a partnership, then you are like anyone else coming into the building."
Garza said the league is concerned that the city will ask for rent more often than not.
"The league's perspective is, 'How do we know the city won't opt out of every event?'" Garza said.
Said Lozano: "I can understand their perspective. They want to make as much money as possible. But under this agreement, we are either going to do a partnership or we aren't."
To have a shot at an MLS franchise in 2006, the city must sell 5,000 season tickets and have local ownership in place by Aug. 17. A lease is being prepared in case those goals are reached.
The parties have agreed that the team would have the dome rent-free for 20 league games and would keep all revenue from tickets, parking and concessions. The city would get a cut of the money made from the team selling naming rights to the dome and advertising signage.
City officials project that a 50 percent cut of profits from special events booked in the Alamodome jointly by the city and the team could bring in as much as $1 million toward closing the building's annual operating deficit, estimated at about $2 million annually.
Lozano said the amount of rent the team would pay would vary by event.
"We could charge them a flat fee, or we could charge them a percentage of their ticket sales," Lozano said. "It could be a dollar for every ticket sold."
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mls should've just rushed a team in... sa's first offer was ing steal.
5000 season ticket holders.
That's about what attendance will average.
And in thier third year they will fold.
Please don't bring soccer to this city, this is Garza's fools gold, it's not worth it.
i doubt they will come now... sa may have been the only profitable mls team and that wouldn't have been because of soccer. it would have been all the other the city was giving them.
If I ever see Ed Garza on the street, I'm going to buy an orange, cut it into wedges and throw two pieces at him.
One for ever being mayor and the other for trying to pass this ty deal on us. And them I'm going to eat the rest because it's orange wedges.
"Excuse me sir where are you going?"
"I'm going to punch George Bush in the face!"
"Okay is he expecting you?"
That will work out good because its his turn to bring the orange wedges for halftime.If I ever see Ed Garza on the street, I'm going to buy an orange, cut it into wedges and throw two pieces at him.
One for ever being mayor and the other for trying to pass this ty deal on us. And them I'm going to eat the rest because it's orange wedges.
I just know that if it goes through that only 300 season tickets will be sold. Then mysteriously the remaining will be sold at the last minute. On the American Express of SATX.
Wooohoooo,
Homer Simpson
I loved that episode
HAHHAHA!
I would prefer you cut him into wedges.
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