[MontroseNeighborhoodCafe]

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[Lowbrow]

A commentator on NPR yesterday was saying that now is the perfect time for something like soccer to move up into the main stream with the NHL in gridlock.

Thats fine with me. I just hope the NHL recovers or another hockey league rises up.

[houstonsemipro]

Why they just build a brand new stadium like dallas is doing now?

[volvo99]

Very interesting topic.

One must understand that such an experiment in Houston could work, and that besides building a team that will have cross cultural support, there must be a forward thinking stadium plan.

Ideally, a solution along the lines of Home Depot Center in L.A., which consists of a fan-friendly 25 000 seat stadium and a practice field complex. Considering how short Houston is on park space anyway, any addition where fans can not only enjoy a game in an intimate setting, along with fields where youth leagues can flourish would be a welcome addition.

As far as where to build it, does the huge Reliant parking lot have enough space for this? It is on the light rail line and is rather convenient from pretty much all of the city.

[houstonsemipro]

I got a great idea, and volvo you gave it to me. Since Reliant and Astrodome is convenient for people cause of the light rail. Renovate the Astrodome into a soccer stadium, with other amenties that will boost up the Dome on having a franchise MLS team. This will be great.

[volvo99]

Semipro...

I agree, however I believe the current Astrodome is too large. Another issue is to determine if the future soccer stadium would be an enclosable facility like Reliant. I think not, as perhaps it would be too small to be economically feasible.

So ideally; demolish the Astrodome, build a purpose built soccer stadium with training fields (or borrow the Texans facility), and reserve Reliant for future World Cup/ US National/ International prestige matches.

[houstonsemipro]

It is just right. They don't need all those seats in the Dome tare them out. All they need is about 20,000-30,000 seats in there, and have resturants, retail and other amenties. They also can use it not only for soccer, but for high school football and playoffs, even the State Championship. That will bring more money back into the Dome. They also could dig an underground practice field like they did the Toyota Center. It's ways around it. Even they could have a hotel inside for the visiting team, and for people.

And I agree with you Volvo on they could borrow the Texans facility.

[houstonsemipro]

I don't agree with you on not considering an enclosed facility. With this weather we have here in Houston who wouldn't pass up an enclosed facility like the Dome, or Reliant? I wouldn't. Matter in fact, I think every sport stadium in the nation should have an enclosed facility. This will be a great benefit to the MLS league.

[volvo99]

Why the Astrodome won't work...

Soccer regulations demand natural grass. No exceptions. Then, roping off the upper levels of the stadium creates a cavernous, empty feel. It would dwarf any other stadium in the league and destroy any attempt at atmosphere. Any additional work on the Dome would really be unecessary and an expense that the new team could not finance. A hotel? So what happens when there are no teams staying? Hotel occupancy is hovering over 57%, so new rooms in a new hotel sitting in a parking lot with nothing else to do would be a waste. Understand that the leading MLS franchise has an annual player payroll of 3 Million! Roger Clemons alone will make that come mid-June! So not a lot of cash for them to burn before the first match.

[MidtownCoog]

Robertson Stadium would be ideal, but night classes and night games would be tricky. The sight lines are perfect for soccer.

But they have done it before.

They at 35K+ SRO for one of the Mexican soccer matches.

[houstonsemipro]

I agree 27

[houstonsemipro]

Besides, what team wanna play outside in the weather. Rain, thunderstorms you have to cancel the game. In an enclosed facility is perfect. What is the Dome used for today, nothing, just for high school football and that's it. We taxpayers is paying for a useless facility. I say turn it into a soccer facility. These outdoor facilies is played out. The grass all muddy from the rain, and other people using the field messing it up worster. Harris County Houston Sports Authority need to look into the Dome future, instead letting it sit up wasting tax payers money.

[Lowbrow]

euro leagues would laugh at us for canceling a soccer game due to rain.

[skwatra]

it would be sweet if they could use the dome for this, and modify it to work. but i'm assuming attendance levels would be really low. when you got to aeros games mid-season and they're not doing to well, sitting in Toyota with most of the seats empty really takes away from the game. and the operating costs of the dome, they would be losing money going into it...

and i don't think the weather here would be a problem for playing outdoor. the season is from april to october, sure it would be hot, but most days wouldn't be any hotter than dallas, and it usually only rains in the afternoons and clears out in the evenings. no different from east coast florida.

hooligans are key, we may have to import some until we get it right.

[111486]

Well by some of my replies around this forum, you all know I am a sucker for things being dowtown, especially when it fills up the surface lots. If money was not an issue, I would definitely put something near the other sporting venues in dt to make the area complete as a sports district, since they name the other parts of downtown by distict anyway.

[skwatra]

if its feasible, soccer in the dome would be great. anything other than a parking lot would be great, and if its sports even better.
bothers me that the dome wasn't even mentioned as an option in that article, when much of it focused on a lack of location to play.
if reliant's too costly to operate for soccer, wouldn't the dome be in the same boat?

[Montrose1100]

a MLS team would be great, and do wonders for our sports image. What other city can get a NFL and a MLS team in the period of so many years?

[goldenstick]

Houston needs an MLS franchise and a soccer specific stadium. I'd prefer them demolish the Astrodome since it's no longer viable for anything. They could make some type of monument to commemorate it or incorporate the Astrodome into new 22,000 to 25,000 seat soccer stadium. Build the SSS right where the dome sits now! The dome is just a waste of money at this point and time and would cost too much money to renovate. I know the dome has a lot of history behind it but it's just an old building now that Reliant has been built.

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/index.jsp

[brijonmang]

I agree, MLS would be great for the city. However, I think the stadium would be better located around downtown...somewhere that has potential but is under-utilized. You know, something like what we did with enron and the toyota center.

[ssullivan]

Yeah let's build another stadium and raise our hotel and rental car taxes even more. Our 17% hotel tax rate is higher than places like New York (13.63% + $2), Boston (12.45%), San Francisco (14.05%), Washington DC (14.5%), and Chicago (14.9%). Our rental car taxes are also among the highest in the nation. Granted the average hotel price in many of these cities is more than it is in Houston, but our tax rate helps close that gap. And I'm sure it's negatively affecting our already suffering convention and hotel business.

I'm all for soccer in Houston, but let's find a way to do it in existing facilities if possible. I'm not sure we can afford a fourth brand new stadium right now with the existing funding mechanisms.