Sep 24, 2008 10:31 am US/Eastern
Soccer Stadium Could Bring Jobs, Tax Revenue
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) ―
As many as 840,000 fans a year would attend games at a professional soccer stadium, which could also bring 1,300 jobs and up to $6 million in taxes, according to a feasibility study.
The study was commissioned by the Maryland Stadium Authority and was released Tuesday. Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson wanted an analysis of the potential economic effect of relocating D.C. United to the county.
The soccer team has wanted to move from its home at RFK Stadium for more than a year. Johnson's aides said he hoped the study would support such a move.
"We'd love to have them," David Byrd, the county's deputy chief administrative officer for economic development, said. The study was delivered to the County Council on Tuesday.
But Thomas E. Dernoga and Eric Olson, the only two council members to remark on the report, doubted the stadium would be as beneficial as the study implies.
"I guess I'm a little skeptical about that," Olson said.
He pointed out that fewer events have taken place at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center than were predicted before its opening in 2002. "We haven't seen the concerts and other events," he said.
Gary A. McGuigan is the stadium authority's project manager. He said D.C. United hosts tournaments besides regular games and added that lacrosse games and NCAA and international soccer games could be played at the stadium, according to the study. He said 10 women's soccer teams that play in Montgomery County have said they are interested in moving their games to a new stadium.
The study did not mention where such a stadium might be located, nor did it offer any information about who would pay for its construction.
Byrd said the county executive wants the team to build near the Metro station in Greenbelt or New Carrollton, where it could be part of mixed-use development.
D.C. United has been in talks with Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's administration on a proposed stadium at Poplar Point in Southeast Washington. Negotiations stalled last year over financial terms.
Julie Chase is a spokeswoman for D.C. United. She praised the study, which the Maryland Stadium Authority commissioned from private consultants.
In a statement, she said the report "substantiates what D.C. United has always believed: our new stadium will be a strong economic catalyst providing significant benefits, which will \promote and enliven additional mixed-use development around the county."
As many as 840,000 fans a year would attend games at a professional soccer stadium, which could also bring 1,300 jobs and up to $6 million in taxes, according to a feasibility study.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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