ST. LOUIS SOCCER UNITED PLANS TO BRING PRO SOCCER TO ST. LOUIS AREA

By Jim Baer

In 1977, the greatest soccer star in history, Brazil’s Pele, played against the St. Louis Stars of the old North American Soccer League at Busch Stadium. Cars were parked as far away as Tucker Boulevard as throngs of soccer fans jammed the home of the Cardinals to see Pele and the New York Cosmos perform. The scene was befitting of St. Louis, the undisputed soccer capital of the United States.

Thirty years later, the NASL is gone. In its place is the stronger, more promising Major League Soccer. Pele long has retired, but David Beckham—arguably the equivalent of Pele to today’s generation—plays in MLS. And the Stars are gone, but Jeff Cooper, a highly-successful attorney from East Alton, Ill., is determined to return professional soccer to St. Louis. He is proposing to build a stadium and development in Collinsville, Ill., designed to attract an expansion MLS franchise.

The proposal almost stunned the staid city council of historic Collinsville. “When I saw it,” says Collinsville Mayor Stan Schaeffer famously said, “I was expecting a stadium… and I got a suburb.”

St. Louis Soccer United—a group headed by Cooper—has put a $400-plus million stadium, infrastructure and the entire 400-acre lifestyle development into the hands of Collinsville’s elected officials for a decision, which is expected Sept. 10. The presentation of the proposal was met with applause Aug. 13 in Collinsville, where RCGA President and CEO Dick Fleming endorsed the plan to the City Council in front of dozens of citizens and soccer fans that are ready to support St. Louis Soccer United and our own franchise in the growing MLS.

The centerpiece of the proposal is an 18,900-seat cantilevered stadium, essential if a return of professional soccer to this region is to become reality. St. Louis had a taste of pro soccer until the time the Stars of the NASL bolted for Anaheim in 1978. What came next was indoor soccer, with a run of teams including the St. Louis Steamers, the Storm and the Ambush—and Steamers again—playing at the old Arena on Oakland Avenue, the Family Arena in St. Charles and the then Savvis Center downtown. They’ve come and gone, but that was indoor soccer. MLS soccer is the genuine article, true to St. Louis’ soccer roots.

The development proposal, targeted for the apex of Interstates 255 and 55-70 with Horseshoe Lake Road to the north (a farmers’ field today), will represent a master planned mixed-use property development program by a team of nationally-acclaimed planners and urban designers, that will change the city’s landscape stunningly. Eventually, plans call for over 1,000 homes on the 400-acre tract, miles of walking trails and plenty of green space.

In addition to the partially covered state-of-the-art stadium, the proposal includes eight fully lit FIFA (Federation of International Football Association)-approved synthetic turf fields and a professional grass training pitch. Also, a new urbanism-styled “village” development will include retail, two hotels, restaurants, office and residential uses of approximately 400 acres with a mixed-use main street and town square, too.

“There is no city in the United States that is more deserving of Major League Soccer—and more ready for it—than St. Louis, says Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United. www.stlouissoccerunited.com. “Equally important, we’d be the ideal expansion site for Major League Soccer (MLS) with our central location, population base (2.7 million regionally and 25,000 in Collinsville) media market size and passion for soccer at all levels. It’s a perfect marriage and waiting to happen.”

The proposed location is just 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis, the epicenter of more than 300,000 soccer players in youth programs on both sides of the river. Additionally, more than 125 high schools have boys and girls soccer teams, and soccer is the dominant sport at Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (returning to NCAA Division I status) and other regional universities and colleges. St. Louis’ soccer history is unparalleled.

Self-employed graphic artist and pro and college soccer announcer Bill McDermott has followed the sport for nearly 35 years as a player and ESPN commentator.

“Of all the people to do this project, and make the effort, this is clearly the group, headed by Jeff Cooper, to get it done.” McDermott says. “With the growing popularity of soccer in the United States, St. Louis has to be involved.”

And they need to be involved quickly. Major League Soccer intends to expand from 13 to 16 teams by 2009 and already San Jose has been admitted as the next franchise in, beginning play next season. That leaves St. Louis as a candidate to fill one of the two remaining expansion openings.

It bears repeating, however, that the league will not grant a franchise to St. Louis—or likely any expansion candidate market—until stadium planning and funding is complete.

“Don’t get this wrong, but U.S. soccer is not European soccer or South American soccer where teams dominate all sports competition,” McDermott says. “U.S. soccer will not replace Major League Baseball or the National Football League,” but St. Louis can draw 18,900 a game and keep the stadium full.

“If this (plan) does not work, it will never work at all. I applaud Jeff (Cooper) and his group for their efforts.”

Design plans reveal a structure fascinatingly similar to England’s venerable Wembley Stadium, on a much cozier level.

“We didn’t have that in mind when we drew it up, but it kind of looks that way and has that feel,” says Cooper.

The soccer-specific stadium is made to capture the intimacy and excitement of the European game. The roof structure will fully cover the seating areas and is designed to mitigate inclement weather conditions, while holding in the crowd noise.

The stadium will easily accommodate musical concerts, a la’ other new MLS recently constructed stadiums in Denver, Chicago and Dallas, with Salt Lake City—owned by Blues Chairman and owner Dave Checketts—in the pipeline to join the new line of MLS stadiums in 2008.

Cooper anticipates strong rivalries with other Midwestern cities, such as Dallas, Chicago and Kansas City. The team will be known as a St. Louis club, but with Collinsville as its home. And Collinsville, as a location, makes a lot of sense.

Located in the nerve center of Madison County with views of the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis skyline easily visible from the stadium site, Collinsville and its 25,000 residents claim the charm and feel of an old town (celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2010) with all the modern amenities. Collinsville High School always has had a solid soccer program, winning four state titles, and boasts Joe Reiniger, who played professionally for several indoor teams after a brilliant career at SIUE.

Mayor Schaeffer adds, “We are looking at a development of additional housing which encompasses the ‘new urbanism’ concept. Our city is on the cusp of a new rise in economic development. Coincidental with that rise, we have been encouraging quality stock. We look forward to the challenge.”

RCGA Chief Economist Bryan Bezold estimates that the construction of the stadium, retail, and youth soccer complex components will support 2,764 jobs, with an indirect impact of 4,843 jobs, for a total employment impact of 7,607 jobs in Madison and St. Clair Counties.

Once complete and operating, the total annual employment impact (direct and indirect) of the youth soccer complex will be 601 jobs; the employment impact for the stadium (and team) will be 350 jobs; and the total employment impact of the retail operations will be 1,554 jobs. This is a total (direct and indirect for all three components) annual employment impact of 2,505 jobs in Madison and St. Clair Counties, Bezold notes.

“The total annual impacts in dollars are $26.5 million for the stadium, $47.9 million for the youth soccer complex, and $147.2 million for the retail. This is a total annual impact of $221.6 million on Madison and St. Clair counties,” Bezold concludes.

Cooper sees this as a win-win proposition. “If you look at the history of Major League Soccer, teams who own their own stadiums break even on the proposition,” he notes. “We see the development of the commercial and residential portion as our safety net. The mixed-use approach is what is working today.”

Cooper is co-owner of Simmons-Cooper, the law firm is moving its East Alton offices to the new development. Cooper prepped at Granite City and played soccer at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. His partner John Simmons is a very active athlete. The chief architect from the design firm 360 Architecture of Kansas City, Mo., is a former soccer player.

Like McDermott says, the time to bring professional soccer back to St. Louis is now. Officials on the Collinsville City Council are poised to make it all happen.

And by the way, the name of the newly-proposed team? “Too early for that,” says Cooper. St. Louis United has a nice ring though.

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