San Antonio Wants an MLS Franchise

From the Kansas City Star:

The arrangement should look good to anyone interested in owning a team in San Antonio. Here is what the city has offered a prospective owner, according to the Express-News:

• Rent-free use of the Alamodome for 20 home games each year for at least the next five years. Renting the Alamodome has cost between $35,000 and $200,000, with the average tenant paying $119,000.

• The MLS franchise will keep all revenue from its ticket sales, suite rentals, temporary field signage, concessions and the sale of merchandise and novelties. It also will keep 95 percent of advertising sales and 70 percent to 80 percent of what it collects from the sale of naming rights for the Alamodome.

• The team will get half the rents collected for any other event in the Alamodome, except for conventions, events that are already booked, and NCAA and Olympic events.

• San Antonio will provide $75,000 of a $100,000 campaign to sell 5,000 season tickets. MLS has mandated that a new team in San Antonio sell 5,000 season tickets before a franchise is awarded.

• The city will pay $1.115 million for artificial turf and replace it when necessary, $1.050 million to finish out 14 luxury boxes, $426,000 to refurbish the team’s offices (which are rent-free) and $150,000 for new drapery. Yes, drapery.

In the words of Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino) from Scent of a Woman: “HOO-AAAAAH!” What does San Antonio expcet to attract that isn’t already there?

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Author: Phil Miller

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