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Probably not. But it has been interesting to follow the recent progression of articles in the Dispatch in which the possibility of a new stadium for the Crew has been raised on more than one occasion.
I initially noticed this in one of Bob Hunter’s “Rumblings” columns several weeks back when he was describing the fact that several suburban communities had submitted proposals to the Crew for a new training facility that the Crew intends to open on 2009. In that article, he mentioned the possibility that one or more of these proposals may actually include a new stadium.
Then, in his article in Sunday’s Dispatch, Hunter and Crew general manager Mark McCullers seemed to be lamenting the fact that Crew Stadium currently sits in the middle of a parking lot:
The Dispatch wrote The Crew is in its 12th season and the newness has worn off. The NHL Blue Jackets are newer, and they play in the middle of Arena District, where restaurants, bars and shops provide pre- and postgame options. The Clippers, the baseball team the town forgot when the Crew arrived, are moving to the Arena District in 2009, so they also will benefit from the active surroundings.
Crew Stadium, on the other hand, is located in the middle of a, well, a …
“Parking lot,” McCullers said. He laughed.
Finally, in today’s Dispatch, Shawn Mitchell’s interview with Mark McCullers actually mentions the fact that the idea of a new Downtown stadium along the riverfront has been discussed:
The Dispatch wrote Q: Some parties close to the club have hinted that a new Downtown stadium is a possibility, possibly in the riverfront area. Feasible?
A: It’s a very intriguing thought. But given the history of stadium opportunities Downtown and, from my perspective, given the struggle to get Huntington Park (the Clippers’ future home) done, it’s kind of hard to imagine how that would happen.
Quite a long shot, but interesting none-the-less!!!
Interesting indeed.
Is there any plot of land downtown large enough for a soccer stadium? The Arena District is pretty filled up now with the baseball stadium going in.
Maybe this can go on the City Center site. LOL.
I’ve heard the rumors of a “downtown-area” practice facility, but I agree that a downtown stadium is a long shot. I think they might be the only MLS team that has it’s own stadium already.
And I hate the idea of a riverfront stadium. I like that Nationwide and Huntington Park sit a few blocks back off the premium real estate. If we had built the arena a few blocks south, we’d probably never have seen Burnham Square, North Bank Condos, or the to-be-named development adjecent to the eye center.
[quote="Brewmaster"] I think they might be the only MLS team that has it’s own stadium already.
quote]
Dallas, LA, NYC and others have their own stadiums, with others coming on-line in the near future.
The Crew had the first MLS soccer-specific stadium, but there are quite a few MLS teams with them now: LA, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, Colorado.
I think that’s part of the issue with the Crew. The newer soccer stadiums being built have more bells and whistles, so theirs feels stripped down by comparison.
The parking lot is a problem, though. It’s like a big mud pit if it’s rained. It’s also true that there is very little to do in the area immediately around Crew Stadium, although they let people tailgate in the parking lot, which kind of makes up for not being able to hit a bar before the game.
whittier peninsula, surrounded by new neighborhood and light rail station…oh god that’s hilarious….i mean the light rail station is hilarious, i was serious about the rest. could help bring back a tad bit of glory to the brewery district.
Whittier might not be a bad place for it.
Another place that might actually have the space to snuggle it in (it would be close, but it would also be close to all the other athletics venues) is the Schiller Commerce Park area west of the railroad tracks in the Arena District. I’m not 100% keen on that because I read something a while back saying that a new owner had bought that area with the intent to develop as many as 1000 condos there, which would be great. However, for the moment, it doesn’t look like much is happening down that way, and the fact that it’s right up against a highway and a railroad track (both significant sources of noise) wouldn’t matter much for an athletic venue.
Yet another place that would involve consolidating a few more parcels (and thus possibly the use of eminent domain, though only of old industrial/commercial property, not anyone’s home) but might also be a good fit is near COSI in the easternmost reaches of Franklinton.
also remember that Crew stadium only got built because Lamar Hunt stepped forward w/ $28.5million in personal cash after voters twice rejected public funding.
Lamar Hunt passed away in December. So, who has $28.5m, or probably $35m today, to build the downtown stadium? i wouldn’t mind seeing it happen, but i don’t think it’s realistic at this point.
god I wish that the crew stadium would be downtown
I would love to be able to go to a crew game and head down to the bar down the street afterword and revel in our victory….
seriosuly though, you guys are forgetting the HUGE area of old warehouses and parking lots just off of Nationwide between 4th and Columbus State. That entire area is dead, a stadium there would be relatively inexpensive compared to some of the other areas mention (except wittier) and isn’t that far from Nationwide Arena. In fact it would be kind of cool to have three stadiums in a row. I wish the people that planned the happenings of downtown would consult me a lot more then they do…. and give me a couple mill… but I don’t see that happending
beh! sfortunato
What’s so hilarious about a light rail station? Well that fact that it hasn’t been built yet and the people of Central Ohio fail to get off their asses and do something about it, I guess that’s hilarious, but I’d call that sad.
As for the stadium, why not rennovate Cooper Stadium? Easy access via highway (that seems to be what the GM of the Crew really wants anyway) and is on some transit routes (to make it easy for me) and would be a great reuse for the site. I don’t know about the after or pre-game bars though, Franklinton area needs all the help it could get.