David Beckham is One Step Closer to Bringing Soccer to South Florida
David Beckham is one of the most popular soccer stars in the world. A fan favorite in the United Kingdom, he played 21 years in professional soccer, including six in the United States, as a member of the LA Galaxy from 2007 to 2013. Now, he wants to bring Major League Soccer to Miami, and he’s now one step closer to doing just that.
Back in February 2014, Beckham’s “David Beckham Group” purchased a new Major League Soccer expansion team for $25 million, acting on a contract stipulation he had added when he signed on to the LA Galaxy. Finally, on July 17, that expansion team came closer to becoming a reality, when the Beckham Group and Miami city officials reached an agreement to build a stadium in Little Havana, adjacent to Marlins Park, where the MLB’s Miami Marlins play. The stadium would be financed privately and built on land already owned by the City of Miami, at a cost of $200 million.
However, there are still snags in the master plan. Marlins Park signed contracts with the city and with the county that allows them first refusal on a number of key issues, such as first choice of dates and times for games (the expansion soccer team cannot conflict with the Marlins), and the display of exterior advertisements (none can conflict with sponsors that the Marlins already have).
The former Orange Bowl site will be where the Beckham Group and the City of Miami will build the proposed stadium. “We have the commitment, the real commitment that we never had before from the Beckham group that they do want to play at the Orange Bowl, that they do want to build this stadium, that they do want to partner with the city of Miami,” Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said proudly when the Beckham Group and the city reached an agreement.
When the stadium is built, it will be ready for a team to move in as soon as 2016 or 2017. The team has not been named yet, but “Miami Vice” and “Miami Current” have been pitched as possibilities. We’ll give you updates every so often on what’s going on with this proposed team and when you can expect to see their very first game.
What do you think? Would you watch Major League Soccer if a team does come to Miami? Let us know on our Facebook page: facebook.com/hotspotsmag.
