Miami Might Become A Hub for Soccer SuperStars
David Beckham confirmed last month that Miami was his preferred destination to bring a Major League Soccer franchise. Beckham spent five and a half years with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and his contract gave him the option of buying an MLS franchise at a discounted price after retirement. Beckham says, "nothing has been confirmed yet, but it's something I am very excited about." He adds then "Miami is something that really excites me because there is a great energy down there. They are ready for a football team in that part of the world." A source close to Beckham management reveals, "David realizes he needs to create a club in the region that is going to become an international destination for the city that is going to attract the best players. It's going to be a bridge between Latin America and North America and Europe."
MLS would want the city/county/ownership to build a new soccer-only stadium if a franchise is awarded to Beckham and Miami. Finding the right location for a stadium and financing is not easy in Miami. Taxpayers have soured on publicly financed stadium deals after a $500 million baseball stadium with a retractable roof for the Miami Marlins that has not drawn fans as expected. The State declined the Miami Dolphins' request for public funding of a $350 million renovation of its privately owned American football stadium.
The former English soccer captain Beckham is well aware of the local resistance to public financing and he will not be asking for taxpayer money. Instead, he is gathering a group to invest $150-200 million in private financing for a new soccer stadium in Miami's urban core by 2018-19, according to the source. Among those investors might be Lebron James and Marcelo Claure.
NBA superstar LeBron James says he has spoken to Beckham about potentially investing in his bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Miami. James, who has led the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA Championships, is a minority owner in Liverpool and said he had developed an interest in the game. Lebron is beginning to earn a reputation as a man who can find a bargain investment as skillfully as he can score against the opposite team.
It is public knowledge that Beckham has toured stadium sites with billionaire Marcelo Claure, founder of Miami-based Brightstar Corp, the world's largest wireless distributor and the provider of global services to Apple. On October 30 Claure wrote on his Twitter feed: "We don't have a deal with Beckham now, and we are still discussing and progressing." He declined to comment for this story.
Beckham is focused on downtown Miami, with a potential sharing agreement at the new Miami Marlins baseball park while his stadium is being built, according to the source cited earlier. If Beckham’s plan materializes as he has envisioned it, Miami will greatly benefit with the presence of International soccer superstars, the injection of millions of dollars into the local economy, more international traffic, creation of jobs and of course hopefully with some world class soccer. Everyone is excited about Beckham's team - which players he's going to pick and where the stadium will be.
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