Downtown Soccer Stadium (11th & Millwork Ave)

[omaha79]

The article confirms Cordero is trying to get Union Omaha into USL Championships league. This led me down a shallow rabbit hole regarding Des Moines's team. As of 2022, Des Moines was accepted into the league. They already have a tier IV team, the Menace. They are building a new stadium as part of the deal, an the 43 acre Dico Site. It's part of a $500+ million development. Stadium will be built to seat 6k+. I am surprised part of Cordero's argument isn't, "look, Des Moines/Iowa is doing it!"

I actually feel like the argument of "Des Moines has this, and we don't" probably moves the needle for the average citizen of Omaha as much as anything. Part of our short mans syndrome as a city is the fact that we do not want to be seen as "lesser than" compared to our regional peers. Harp on the fact that Des Moines is ahead of us in a given area, and it might help seal the deal.

This is solid information though. It does make one wonder though if they are asking for the $100 million and a 10k facility as a bit of a starting point. Many of the other facilities being built are not in that 10k range. Given the fact that Omaha draws in the 3,500 range now, I feel like an 8k to 8,500 seat soccer specific venue would be more than enough for USL Championship. Maybe make it expandable to 10k to 12k, but I just don't see where Omaha will be selling out anything in the 10k range at all. Might all come down to the rendering of what the facility would look like though.

[Omaha Cowboy]

The article confirms Cordero is trying to get Union Omaha into USL Championships league. This led me down a shallow rabbit hole regarding Des Moines's team. As of 2022, Des Moines was accepted into the league. They already have a tier IV team, the Menace. They are building a new stadium as part of the deal, an the 43 acre Dico Site. It's part of a $500+ million development. Stadium will be built to seat 6k+. I am surprised part of Cordero's argument isn't, "look, Des Moines/Iowa is doing it!"

I actually feel like the argument of "Des Moines has this, and we don't" probably moves the needle for the average citizen of Omaha as much as anything. Part of our short mans syndrome as a city is the fact that we do not want to be seen as "lesser than" compared to our regional peers. Harp on the fact that Des Moines is ahead of us in a given area, and it might help seal the deal.

If you were to buy in to this notion, one could say the same of Des Moines Iowa. Omaha is about to start construction on a new 677 foot skyscraper, now all of the sudden their Walnut Tower has a new proposal and rendering. Lol. I don’t buy it on either count, especially as it relates to the average citizen of Omaha. If Marty wants to use that angle to help get this soccer stadium built, then by all means..

In any case, this has a very steep hill to climb. I’m hopeful. But like most, have my doubts..As always, we’ll see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Big E]

Build it big enough and fire up UNO 1-AA football.

[ita]

I was just thinking about the State's position on this project. If they gave up $50 million to this stadium, the state is getting a full 100% match to get it built. On top of that, the project could spur additional investment. Let's say on top of the $100 million stadium, it prompts an additional $50 million in ancillary projects. That' $150 million total, getting an additional 2x the amount of the state's initial investment.

Now let's look at another project the State is considering: the Big Lake. It's estimated to cost the state $500 million to $1 billion to dig the hole and fill it. They've already allocated $20 million just to study the thing, which might not even pan out. The project's projected max economic impact is pegged at $1.8 billion. Real estate development on the east shore is projected to be valued at $550 million. So, at best, a $500 million lake would have a close to 4x ROI while at worst (still using the most optimistic potential economic impact of $1.8 billion), a $1 billion lake would have a less than 2x ROI.

Maybe I am being too optimistic that the soccer stadium could garner another $50 million in additional surrounding investment, but the state could be worse than funding this stadium if they consider what they could get back for their money.

Another note to the State: the $350 million streetcar is projected to produce over $1.5 billion in added assessment value to the 1-3 blocks radius of the streetcar route.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I get the sentiment. But that Omaha of yesteryear that didn't come out to support minor league sports is different from the today's Omaha. If truly we are able to get new blood in the city, by the tens of thousands in the next couple decades, can't they change the equation? Even youths growing up in an Omaha with a well established tier 2 soccer team, they may see things differently. The tens of thousands of immigrants where soccer is their primary sport and not football, baseball, etc., they affect the equation. Anyway, I know the state bill is a stretch, but I think Cordero is building them a stadium, with or without money from the state coffers, even if doesn't get to that $100 million price tag.

[Garrett]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Weren’t the Nighthawks fairly successful even though the UFL or whatever it was tanked hard?

[Linkin5]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Weren’t the Nighthawks fairly successful even though the UFL or whatever it was tanked hard?

The attendance was great the first year at Rosenblatt but they existed for such a short time I’m not sure you can draw any long term conclusions. It definitely drew people due to the novelty of the league and that it was football.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Weren’t the Nighthawks fairly successful even though the UFL or whatever it was tanked hard?

That was the one aberration. Attendance for the most part was great (I attended at least 80% of their home games both at Rosenblatt and then the ballpark downtown). The atmosphere in Omaha was great, fans were enthusiastic..But the league folded. Not the case for Baseball, Basketball or Hockey historically as it relates to Minor League professional sports in Omaha, unfortunately…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[omaha79]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I have been saying this for some time. We are a sports event town, not a sports town in and of itself. If it's not something that's perceived as "big time" like Power 5 football/basketball, CWS, or swim trials, we simply don't care, and have generally abhor anything that's seen as "minor league". We consider ourselves to be a temporarily inconvenienced major league city that just doesn't happen to have a major league team...for reasons the masses can't seem to quite figure out, but have never really considered in a realistic way either. Many like to talk about us getting an NBA, NHL, or MLS team like it's some sort of manifest destiny for Omaha, but have no real idea of the commitment that entails and would recoil in horror when presented with the economic/fiscal realities of such a move, let alone the demographic realities.

Same time, I could see minor league soccer being an exception to the rule of us not supporting minor league teams. Soccer is a different animal with a relatively committed fanbase that has pent up, unmet demand for live options. The same people who will watch EPL at bars across the city on weekend mornings and attend Union Omaha matches, would likely attend minor league soccer downtown in larger numbers than currently what you see for USL League One in Papillion, but could care less or be actively against things like Husker Football and the CWS. It's just a different animal. Those same people might follow a USL Championship squad, but have little interest in Creighton or UNO soccer and those are largely non-overlapping seasons anyway.

The ONLY somewhat reasonable example that I can come up with was the allure of the Omaha Lancers from roughly 1988-1997. That was an absolutely untapped demand. It didn't matter that it was junior hockey played by amateurs. It was a solid 6,200 in attendance almost every night. Tickets were hard to obtain even on the secondary market. Hockey is always going to be a niche, just like soccer, but even look at today. The Lancers attendance dwindled from the days of 6,200 to the roughly 2k they draw now, partly because UNO took away from them being the only game in town and met the demand. Between UNO and the Lancers though, one can say there is roughly 8k in the city that are willing to buy into and attend hockey in the city. The Lancers also saw their attendance dwindle because they started roving from one home to the next while greatly increasing ticket prices combined with unstable ownership.

I'll admit the market has changed. People don't buy into live sports attendance in 2023 the way they did in 1993 or even 2003; however, I do think that hockey and soccer are a niche that cannot be met by things like Husker Football, CU basketball, or CWS. They are a niche of their own and those that follow are loyal.

[omaha79]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I get the sentiment. But that Omaha of yesteryear that didn't come out to support minor league sports is different from the today's Omaha. If truly we are able to get new blood in the city, by the tens of thousands in the next couple decades, can't they change the equation? Even youths growing up in an Omaha with a well established tier 2 soccer team, they may see things differently. The tens of thousands of immigrants where soccer is their primary sport and not football, baseball, etc., they affect the equation. Anyway, I know the state bill is a stretch, but I think Cordero is building them a stadium, with or without money from the state coffers, even if doesn't get to that $100 million price tag.

I touched on this on my post above, but I'd argue that with so many home entertainment options, Netflix, video games, etc. the youth of today are even less likely to buy into attending live sports....but, soccer could be an aberration to that. Still, overall, youth today are more isolated and less social than preceding generations when live sports were seen as something worth attending.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I get the sentiment. But that Omaha of yesteryear that didn't come out to support minor league sports is different from the today's Omaha.

I appreciate your optimism. But I not completely certain the Omaha of yesteryear isn’t the same Omaha we have today or will have in the future as it relates to enthusiasm for minor league professional sports..

Perhaps, like I intimated in an earlier post (and like you also state), soccer is different. I hope it is. But I still have my doubts.. Of course, we’ll see. This project has a very steep incline to navigate…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I get the sentiment. But that Omaha of yesteryear that didn't come out to support minor league sports is different from the today's Omaha. If truly we are able to get new blood in the city, by the tens of thousands in the next couple decades, can't they change the equation? Even youths growing up in an Omaha with a well established tier 2 soccer team, they may see things differently. The tens of thousands of immigrants where soccer is their primary sport and not football, baseball, etc., they affect the equation. Anyway, I know the state bill is a stretch, but I think Cordero is building them a stadium, with or without money from the state coffers, even if doesn't get to that $100 million price tag.

I touched on this on my post above, but I'd argue that with so many home entertainment options, Netflix, video games, etc. the youth of today are even less likely to buy into attending live sports....but, soccer could be an aberration to that. Still, overall, youth today are more isolated and less social than preceding generations when live sports were seen as something worth attending.

This is a very good point..

I think we all land on the hope that soccer is different…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I have been saying this for some time. We are a sports event town, not a sports town in and of itself. If it's not something that's perceived as "big time" like Power 5 football/basketball, CWS, or swim trials, we simply don't care, and have generally abhor anything that's seen as "minor league". We consider ourselves to be a temporarily inconvenienced major league city that just doesn't happen to have a major league team...for reasons the masses can't seem to quite figure out, but have never really considered in a realistic way either. Many like to talk about us getting an NBA, NHL, or MLS team like it's some sort of manifest destiny for Omaha, but have no real idea of the commitment that entails and would recoil in horror when presented with the economic/fiscal realities of such a move, let alone the demographic realities.

Same time, I could see minor league soccer being an exception to the rule of us not supporting minor league teams. Soccer is a different animal with a relatively committed fanbase that has pent up, unmet demand for live options. The same people who will watch EPL at bars across the city on weekend mornings and attend Union Omaha matches, would likely attend minor league soccer downtown in larger numbers than currently what you see for USL League One in Papillion, but could care less or be actively against things like Husker Football and the CWS. It's just a different animal. Those same people might follow a USL Championship squad, but have little interest in Creighton or UNO soccer and those are largely non-overlapping seasons anyway.

The ONLY somewhat reasonable example that I can come up with was the allure of the Omaha Lancers from roughly 1988-1997. That was an absolutely untapped demand. It didn't matter that it was junior hockey played by amateurs. It was a solid 6,200 in attendance almost every night. Tickets were hard to obtain even on the secondary market. Hockey is always going to be a niche, just like soccer, but even look at today. The Lancers attendance dwindled from the days of 6,200 to the roughly 2k they draw now, partly because UNO took away from them being the only game in town and met the demand. Between UNO and the Lancers though, one can say there is roughly 8k in the city that are willing to buy into and attend hockey in the city. The Lancers also saw their attendance dwindle because they started roving from one home to the next while greatly increasing ticket prices combined with unstable ownership.

I'll admit the market has changed. People don't buy into live sports attendance in 2023 the way they did in 1993 or even 2003; however, I do think that hockey and soccer are a niche that cannot be met by things like Husker Football, CU basketball, or CWS. They are a niche of their own and those that follow are loyal.

I can’t see much flaw with any of your thoughts here 79, and you know how much I enjoy playing “Devil’s Advocate” lol..

I think you’re pretty much spot on here..and I appreciate ita’s optimism as well…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I get the sentiment. But that Omaha of yesteryear that didn't come out to support minor league sports is different from the today's Omaha. If truly we are able to get new blood in the city, by the tens of thousands in the next couple decades, can't they change the equation? Even youths growing up in an Omaha with a well established tier 2 soccer team, they may see things differently. The tens of thousands of immigrants where soccer is their primary sport and not football, baseball, etc., they affect the equation. Anyway, I know the state bill is a stretch, but I think Cordero is building them a stadium, with or without money from the state coffers, even if doesn't get to that $100 million price tag.

I touched on this on my post above, but I'd argue that with so many home entertainment options, Netflix, video games, etc. the youth of today are even less likely to buy into attending live sports....but, soccer could be an aberration to that. Still, overall, youth today are more isolated and less social than preceding generations when live sports were seen as something worth attending.

All very true. Youth to today are also playing soccer like never before, so they are more involved in the sport, at least in America, moreso than they have in past decades. Also, if we compare Omaha's metro even in the last 20 years, so 2020, it's added 200k people nearing 1 million. If we can't support a semi pro soccer team by getting 6-8k people a game, or .006-.008 of the total population in the metro, than it's not meant to be. If the stadium gets built and in 2030 Union Omaha is failing to put butts in seats in a newish stadium, I will be the first to admit my optimism was misplaced.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Yeah I’m not hearing arguments that Omaha doesn’t need this. Many areas our size have stadiums like this while still having other professional teams. SLC has a NBA, NHL, and an MLS team. If SLC can have all those Omaha can support 1 major league team in a 10k stadium. Meanwhile if they were wasting hundreds of millions on a 100k NFL stadium there would be no second guessing of any residents here.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I have been saying this for some time. We are a sports event town, not a sports town in and of itself. If it's not something that's perceived as "big time" like Power 5 football/basketball, CWS, or swim trials, we simply don't care, and have generally abhor anything that's seen as "minor league". We consider ourselves to be a temporarily inconvenienced major league city that just doesn't happen to have a major league team...

omaha79 is touching a nerve point here which I 2000% agree with..

Garrett mentioned the Omaha Nighthawks earlier and yes indeed, they were an aberration as it related to attendance. Linkin5 correctly states it was football too. One thing I will always remember about the buzz surrounding the Nighthawks and the UFL, was the marketing of providing former NFL players opportunity to play again after (for whatever the reason) they were washed out of the league. Perfect example- The Nighthawks starting QB for their final season was Jeff Garcia. Guess what? For several seasons, Jeff Garcia was the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers throwing TD passes to Terrell Owens in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The Nighthawks starting RB that year was former Ohio St standout and NFL player drafted by the Denver Broncos- Maurice Clarett. These were BIG TIME Pro and college football names that gave credibility to the Nighthawks as “Big Time” and to omaha79’s point- perceived as “big time” to the casual Omaha sports fan- I have NO DOUBT this helped the Nighthawks achieve the attendance marks they received. It was just a damn shame the league folded..

One selling point to building this stadium, and moving up to the Championship League, are the Nationally Prominent cities these franchises are contained in- cities such as Indianapolis, Louisville KY, Las Vegas, Detroit, Hartford CT, Miami, Memphis etc all have franchises playing in their cities. To the average Omaha sports fan, this factoid would also lend credibility as “big time” enough perhaps- for the casual, non traditional soccer fan to attend games..

It’s part of the process. While I’m skeptical, most know I’m a BIG proponent of Omaha becoming he best version of itself it possibly can. If this stadium and move up into the championship league can be pulled off- It’s a HUGE HUGE win for Omaha..and another step to that direction for sure…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[skinzfan23]

How many games do these teams typically play? I think that is a major factor in minor league sports. Look at husker football or Creighton basketball. They play no more than about 17 or 18 home games which people can come out and support if it gets too much more than that I’m not sure we have the population base to sustain it on a regular basis.

As far as ever getting an NFL or NBA team, it’s never going to happen, the biggest reason is money, both donations, and the media rights. Green Bay Wisconsin is probably the only city smaller than Omaha that can support it and that’s because the Packers have been around forever and they get the support of the whole state.

I think the statement above about wanting Omaha to be the best version of itself is exactly where I am at as well. If this is something that truly can be feasible I’m all for it, but at this time, I just do not see it.

[omaha79]

It’s smart to look at this proposed plan and bill with a healthy dose of doubt..

Believe me, I’d love to see this happen and also see how it could put Omaha on the map as a regional soccer point of destination..

But here’s the reality- Omaha is a Sports EVENT town, a COLLEGE sports town- Teams like Creighton Bluejays basketball and events like the College World Series enjoy top ten/record breaking attendance every year..

Take a gander at how Omaha has historically supported their MINOR LEAGUE professional sports teams- Tepid at best. They’re taken for granted or completely forgotten about. The attitude is “oh yeah, I forgot the Storm Chasers play out at the stadium in the suburbs. I need to get out there”..then, of course, most never do. Omaha has a LONG history of not really supporting minor league professional sports teams..I could give example after example, but that would be retreading old banter we’ve covered multiple times on this topic over the years. Admittedly, 15 years ago I had a more optimistic outlook..

I hope beyond hope that minor league professional soccer is different. But color me highly skeptical on this one..Still pulling for it though…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I have been saying this for some time. We are a sports event town, not a sports town in and of itself. If it's not something that's perceived as "big time" like Power 5 football/basketball, CWS, or swim trials, we simply don't care, and have generally abhor anything that's seen as "minor league". We consider ourselves to be a temporarily inconvenienced major league city that just doesn't happen to have a major league team...

omaha79 is touching a nerve point here which I 2000% agree with..

Garrett mentioned the Omaha Nighthawks earlier and yes indeed, they were an aberration as it related to attendance. Linkin5 correctly states it was football too. One thing I will always remember about the buzz surrounding the Nighthawks and the UFL, was the marketing of providing former NFL players opportunity to play again after (for whatever the reason) they were washed out of the league. Perfect example- The Nighthawks starting QB for their final season was Jeff Garcia. Guess what? For several seasons, Jeff Garcia was the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers throwing TD passes to Terrell Owens in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The Nighthawks starting RB that year was former Ohio St standout and NFL player drafted by the Denver Broncos- Maurice Clarett. These were BIG TIME Pro and college football names that gave credibility to the Nighthawks as “Big Time” and to omaha79’s point- perceived as “big time” to the casual Omaha sports fan- I have NO DOUBT this helped the Nighthawks achieve the attendance marks they received. It was just a damn shame the league folded..

One selling point to building this stadium, and moving up to the Championship League, are the Nationally Prominent cities these franchises are contained in- cities such as Indianapolis, Louisville KY, Las Vegas, Detroit, Hartford CT, Miami, Memphis etc all have franchises playing in their cities. To the average Omaha sports fan, this factoid would also lend credibility as “big time” enough perhaps- for the casual, non traditional soccer fan to attend games..

It’s part of the process. While I’m skeptical, most know I’m a BIG proponent of Omaha becoming he best version of itself it possibly can. If this stadium and move up into the championship league can be pulled off- It’s a HUGE HUGE win for Omaha..and another step to that direction for sure…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

The Nighthawks were an amazing example of something passing the eye test on the surface but being rotten at the core. Those that dont understand the reality of minor league sports saw that team as a runaway success. Sold out games. Big players, merchandise flying off the shelves.

That ownership group and league sold the sizzle. The average fan started thinking maybe we could support a major league team in some sport.

But it was 100% smoke and mirrors. The franchise was spending like drunken sailors and running up bills across the city that never got paid.

Fans bought tickets...at $10 to $20 a pop. Big difference between selling tickets at dollar store prices and sustaining a functional fiscally viable sports franchise.

[omaha79]

By the way, I really do enjoy the discussion here with Cowboy and others.

[ita]

How many games do these teams typically play? I think that is a major factor in minor league sports. Look at husker football or Creighton basketball. They play no more than about 17 or 18 home games which people can come out and support if it gets too much more than that I’m not sure we have the population base to sustain it on a regular basis.

USL League One has 32 game, so 16 home matches. USL Championships is currently at 34. So, it's right in the range you're thinking where we could maintain needed attendance numbers.

The other thing I like to look at is how our attendance compares to other cities. In 2022, we had the third highest average attendance, behind Greenville (1.4 million CSA) and Richmond (1.2 million metro), averaging around 3400. USL Championship attendance is interesting. Top teams are located in smaller metros, Albuquerque and Louisville, both averaging over 10k in the 2022 season. New Mexico FC plays in a Triple A stadium, albeit much larger than Warner Park and much closer to downtown and Louisville plays in a soccer specific stadium. Other similar sized metros include Colorado Springs (averages about 7k in 8k capacity soccer specific stadium) and El Paso (6.5k in a 8k baseball facility).

[omaha79]

How many games do these teams typically play? I think that is a major factor in minor league sports. Look at husker football or Creighton basketball. They play no more than about 17 or 18 home games which people can come out and support if it gets too much more than that I’m not sure we have the population base to sustain it on a regular basis.

USL League One has 32 game, so 16 home matches. USL Championships is currently at 34. So, it's right in the range you're thinking where we could maintain needed attendance numbers.

The other thing I like to look at is how our attendance compares to other cities. In 2022, we had the third highest average attendance, behind Greenville (1.4 million CSA) and Richmond (1.2 million metro), averaging around 3400. USL Championship attendance is interesting. Top teams are located in smaller metros, Albuquerque and Louisville, both averaging over 10k in the 2022 season. New Mexico FC plays in a Triple A stadium, albeit much larger than Warner Park and much closer to downtown and Louisville plays in a soccer specific stadium. Other similar sized metros include Colorado Springs (averages about 7k in 8k capacity soccer specific stadium) and El Paso (6.5k in a 8k baseball facility).

You'd end up a bit higher with preseason, postseason, and possibly US Open Cup matches as well.

[ricko]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

[PotatoeEatsFish]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

I went to Creighton soccer games since they moved to Morrison probably 10+ years ago at this point. It's about 50/50 young people and parents with kids. Not only does Omaha have a growing soccer community due to increased immigration, but it has also become a part of life here. I'd say the majority of the people attending these games are native-born Nebraskans usually in their early 20s-early 30s who have grown up with it. A lot of the posts on here seem confused because they are not a part of this younger generation and do not see how massive soccer has become. I wouldn't worry about filling 10k seats, heck in 10 years you'd need more MLS is only continuing to grow. A lot of people have forgotten the US is hosting the next world cup so we will also see another wave in the popularity of soccer.

[Garrett]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

I went to Creighton soccer games since they moved to Morrison probably 10+ years ago at this point. It's about 50/50 young people and parents with kids. Not only does Omaha have a growing soccer community due to increased immigration, but it has also become a part of life here. I'd say the majority of the people attending these games are native-born Nebraskans usually in their early 20s-early 30s who have grown up with it. A lot of the posts on here seem confused because they are not a part of this younger generation and do not see how massive soccer has become. I wouldn't worry about filling 10k seats, heck in 10 years you'd need more MLS is only continuing to grow. A lot of people have forgotten the US is hosting the next world cup so we will also see another wave in the popularity of soccer.

Morrison opened on 2003 so you may have been in diapers going to those games.

But Morrison, from my understanding, isn’t really an option due to Union wanting their own stadium space without having to rely on dates only given to them by Creighton. With their ambitions for a women’s team and youth programming that’s a lot of time they’d have to try to share.

[omaha79]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

All of the "why doesn't Union just use Morrison" ideas are all running the assumption that Creighton wants to be a landlord and share their facility with multiple professional teams. Creighton will have to make room on the calendar for a men's and womens team which takes practice and game time away from their own programs. Creighton doesn't really have room down there for a second practice field to accomodate that.

Also, I've read that if Creighton starts leasing the field to "for profit" commercial entities, it could jeopardize their tax exempt status on that facility. They do not want that.

And, Union isn't going to upgrade the stadium "on their dime" without some extremely favorable terms in term of revenue sharing, concessions....terms Creighton simply would have no motivation to agree to. You'd be talking additional seating, multiple permanent locker room facilities, training and rehab areas, and office space. Might be as cost effective at that point to just build a new stadium anyway. What Creighton accomplishes through use of their athletic facilities, a professional team is going to demand on site. Morrison looks nice, but it's really not at the level for professional competition on a permanent basis.

It's a nice thought, but an extremely outdated thought and doesn't really put into perspective the competing interests that are at play here.

[Omaha Cowboy]

By the way, I really do enjoy the discussion here with Cowboy and others.

Likewise …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Greg S]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

All of the "why doesn't Union just use Morrison" ideas are all running the assumption that Creighton wants to be a landlord and share their facility with multiple professional teams. Creighton will have to make room on the calendar for a men's and womens team which takes practice and game time away from their own programs. Creighton doesn't really have room down there for a second practice field to accomodate that.

Also, I've read that if Creighton starts leasing the field to "for profit" commercial entities, it could jeopardize their tax exempt status on that facility. They do not want that.

And, Union isn't going to upgrade the stadium "on their dime" without some extremely favorable terms in term of revenue sharing, concessions....terms Creighton simply would have no motivation to agree to. You'd be talking additional seating, multiple permanent locker room facilities, training and rehab areas, and office space. Might be as cost effective at that point to just build a new stadium anyway. What Creighton accomplishes through use of their athletic facilities, a professional team is going to demand on site. Morrison looks nice, but it's really not at the level for professional competition on a permanent basis.

It's a nice thought, but an extremely outdated thought and doesn't really put into perspective the competing interests that are at play here.

Are you sure on that leasing out the facility to for profit entities jeopardizes it’s tax exempt status?


Greg

[omaha79]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

All of the "why doesn't Union just use Morrison" ideas are all running the assumption that Creighton wants to be a landlord and share their facility with multiple professional teams. Creighton will have to make room on the calendar for a men's and womens team which takes practice and game time away from their own programs. Creighton doesn't really have room down there for a second practice field to accomodate that.

Also, I've read that if Creighton starts leasing the field to "for profit" commercial entities, it could jeopardize their tax exempt status on that facility. They do not want that.

And, Union isn't going to upgrade the stadium "on their dime" without some extremely favorable terms in term of revenue sharing, concessions....terms Creighton simply would have no motivation to agree to. You'd be talking additional seating, multiple permanent locker room facilities, training and rehab areas, and office space. Might be as cost effective at that point to just build a new stadium anyway. What Creighton accomplishes through use of their athletic facilities, a professional team is going to demand on site. Morrison looks nice, but it's really not at the level for professional competition on a permanent basis.

It's a nice thought, but an extremely outdated thought and doesn't really put into perspective the competing interests that are at play here.

Are you sure on that leasing out the facility to for profit entities jeopardizes it’s tax exempt status?


Greg

I can't find it at the moment and don't have time to really look, but a Union supporter (I think involved in one of the podcasts) made a pretty compelling argument that it could.

But, same time, what evidence does anyone have that Creighton wants to share their facility and change it to accommodate multiple professional teams?

[omaha79]

I think Omaha has to prove that it can fill a 10k stadium for soccer before they spend that kind of money on a third-level team. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone floated the idea of co-sharing Morrison Field with Creighton with the promise that it would expand the seating on Union's dime? I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students? There's a market out there to be tapped---metro Omaha is home to over 70k people from Latin America alone. Is there an effort to reach out to the soccer-crazy immigrant community?

All of the "why doesn't Union just use Morrison" ideas are all running the assumption that Creighton wants to be a landlord and share their facility with multiple professional teams. Creighton will have to make room on the calendar for a men's and womens team which takes practice and game time away from their own programs. Creighton doesn't really have room down there for a second practice field to accomodate that.

Also, I've read that if Creighton starts leasing the field to "for profit" commercial entities, it could jeopardize their tax exempt status on that facility. They do not want that.

And, Union isn't going to upgrade the stadium "on their dime" without some extremely favorable terms in term of revenue sharing, concessions....terms Creighton simply would have no motivation to agree to. You'd be talking additional seating, multiple permanent locker room facilities, training and rehab areas, and office space. Might be as cost effective at that point to just build a new stadium anyway. What Creighton accomplishes through use of their athletic facilities, a professional team is going to demand on site. Morrison looks nice, but it's really not at the level for professional competition on a permanent basis.

It's a nice thought, but an extremely outdated thought and doesn't really put into perspective the competing interests that are at play here.

Are you sure on that leasing out the facility to for profit entities jeopardizes it’s tax exempt status?


Greg

Definitely not sure that it would jeopardize tax exempt status, but if the podcast puts this out there, they've probably been fed this line by someone within the organization...

https://wgahmedia.com/2023/02/02/an-ope ... a-stadium/

What does a new stadium provide that doesn’t already exist in Omaha? To begin with, this is a tough question when you consider Creighton University, a private Catholic university in downtown Omaha, has a ~6000 seat SSS stadium in the downtown area. What is likely less known is that sharing that stadium with a professional team or two (as the Examiner’s article says) will play at the proposed new SSS. This would likely void the non-profit status that property holds, opening it to the high property taxes of downtown Omaha. This, if you are a Creighton administrator, negates a full season share with any professional team. Less so, the land reverts to the tax base in Omaha, something that a proposed SSS occupied by Union Omaha would provide. Secondly, a SSS and accompanying development around it in the North Downtown area of Omaha provides something the Omaha metro is lacking: a professional sports team in the heart of a vibrant revival of the riverfront area. A professional sports team that Omaha can call its own, providing that sense of community that younger people often may feel is lacking as Omaha knocks on the door of a million-person metro.

[PWL73316]

Would like to see this happen but to be honest there is no way our redder-than-ever legislature is going to give money for a minor league soccer stadium in North Omaha. I have trouble coming up with something more liberal-coded than minor league soccer in a historically minority area. They are more likely to pass a law that forbids any state money going North of Cuming.

Of course they will manage to find the billions to build Big Lake and give it all away to property developers who are their nephews, cousins, son-in-laws, etc. But money for a soccer stadium? Don't hold your breath.

Now, next question is, once the unicameral says no, then what? Ball will be back in Union's court.

[omaha79]

Would like to see this happen but to be honest there is no way our redder-than-ever legislature is going to give money for a minor league soccer stadium in North Omaha. I have trouble coming up with something more liberal-coded than minor league soccer in a historically minority area. They are more likely to pass a law that forbids any state money going North of Cuming.

Of course they will manage to find the billions to build Big Lake and give it all away to property developers who are their nephews, cousins, son-in-laws, etc. But money for a soccer stadium? Don't hold your breath.

Now, next question is, once the unicameral says no, then what? Ball will be back in Union's court.

you are probably right. The next step would be for the city to be engaged on the funding....but, that's a total non-starter, I'd imagine, for Cordero and this ownership group. That would entail MECA likely being engaged in some way or another to manage the facility. That relationship was soured all the way back in 2009 with the ballpark. I just don't see it ever happening. It then probably comes down to private enterprise funding it in conjunction with Unions ownership. Still unlikely, but never say never. Might scale back plans to something more modest and we end up with a middle ground of a stadium that's servicable, but not really great...i.e. Werner Park compared to everything else built in AAA over the last 20 years.

[ita]

Would like to see this happen but to be honest there is no way our redder-than-ever legislature is going to give money for a minor league soccer stadium in North Omaha. I have trouble coming up with something more liberal-coded than minor league soccer in a historically minority area. They are more likely to pass a law that forbids any state money going North of Cuming.

Of course they will manage to find the billions to build Big Lake and give it all away to property developers who are their nephews, cousins, son-in-laws, etc. But money for a soccer stadium? Don't hold your breath.

Now, next question is, once the unicameral says no, then what? Ball will be back in Union's court.

you are probably right. The next step would be for the city to be engaged on the funding....but, that's a total non-starter, I'd imagine, for Cordero and this ownership group. That would entail MECA likely being engaged in some way or another to manage the facility. That relationship was soured all the way back in 2009 with the ballpark. I just don't see it ever happening. It then probably comes down to private enterprise funding it in conjunction with Unions ownership. Still unlikely, but never say never. Might scale back plans to something more modest and we end up with a middle ground of a stadium that's servicable, but not really great...i.e. Werner Park compared to everything else built in AAA over the last 20 years.

All these reasons help me understand why Cordero went to the state first. If they could get some of those extra tax revenues the state has been boasting about, they can build totally independent of local control. Stothert did talk about the stadium in her last Grow Omaha appearance, stating something like $60 million won't even build a soccer stadium. Cordero and the City are definitely discussing this project, but how this ends up being financed and built remains to be seen.

Is Werner Park much worse than other AAA stadiums? I was reading one article about it when it first opened comparing it to spring training camp stadiums in Arizona.

[TransitOriented]

I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students?

I'd say the majority of the people attending these games are native-born Nebraskans usually in their early 20s-early 30s who have grown up with it.

We all just going to let these comments slide?

ricko and Potatoe, there is no way to identify who native born Americans are. You would have to ask every single person for their birth certificate.

[omaha79]

Would like to see this happen but to be honest there is no way our redder-than-ever legislature is going to give money for a minor league soccer stadium in North Omaha. I have trouble coming up with something more liberal-coded than minor league soccer in a historically minority area. They are more likely to pass a law that forbids any state money going North of Cuming.

Of course they will manage to find the billions to build Big Lake and give it all away to property developers who are their nephews, cousins, son-in-laws, etc. But money for a soccer stadium? Don't hold your breath.

Now, next question is, once the unicameral says no, then what? Ball will be back in Union's court.

you are probably right. The next step would be for the city to be engaged on the funding....but, that's a total non-starter, I'd imagine, for Cordero and this ownership group. That would entail MECA likely being engaged in some way or another to manage the facility. That relationship was soured all the way back in 2009 with the ballpark. I just don't see it ever happening. It then probably comes down to private enterprise funding it in conjunction with Unions ownership. Still unlikely, but never say never. Might scale back plans to something more modest and we end up with a middle ground of a stadium that's servicable, but not really great...i.e. Werner Park compared to everything else built in AAA over the last 20 years.

All these reasons help me understand why Cordero went to the state first. If they could get some of those extra tax revenues the state has been boasting about, they can build totally independent of local control. Stothert did talk about the stadium in her last Grow Omaha appearance, stating something like $60 million won't even build a soccer stadium. Cordero and the City are definitely discussing this project, but how this ends up being financed and built remains to be seen.

Is Werner Park much worse than other AAA stadiums? I was reading one article about it when it first opened comparing it to spring training camp stadiums in Arizona.

Werner Park was built differently from most AAA or AA stadiums to save money and hit a budget. At the time, the term I heard used was "modular". If you look at the construction of the stadium, it's made up of something like 7-10 completely free standing structures. Outside of the suites/press box, nothing at all is connected and nothing goes vertical beyond a single story. This certainly helps save on construction costs. The dugouts are totally unconnected to the lockers/training facilities as those are housed in another modular building beyond left field. This helps as they did not have to do as extensive site work by digging below grade for lockers/batting cages, etc. The only thing included with the dugouts, to my knowledge, is possibly a toilet stall. They left off any form of an upper deck for fan seating outside of the suites and made it a single level with a ton of berm seating.

By contrast, compare Werner to other AAA fields that are considered higher end like Victory Field in Indianapolis, Louisville Slugger Field, and Bricktown Ballpark. Compare it to the AAA fields built around roughly the same time like El Paso, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Sugarland (a destination Omaha's franchise almost ended up in). It can't really be said that Omaha's ballpark spared no expense, or really compares favorably to those other facilities from an architectural perspective.

With all that said, Werner Park is comfortable and fully functional. The franchise and Sarpy are having to invest more money to get it up to the new AAA guidelines set forth by MLB. I don't know that if they were building it today that the locker rooms and training areas being in LF would actually be accepted, but they were in 2011 and work. But, it's probably closer to what you see as a Spring Training or high A facility. Look at AA facilities in places like Springfield, MO and it's probably above Werner from a cost and architectural perspective.

[omaha79]

I'd like to ask those of you who attend about the composition of the crowd. I know it skews young, but who attends? is it mostly native born Americans, the immigrant community, college and high school students?

I'd say the majority of the people attending these games are native-born Nebraskans usually in their early 20s-early 30s who have grown up with it.

We all just going to let these comments slide?

ricko and Potatoe, there is no way to identify who native born Americans are. You would have to ask every single person for their birth certificate.

I would say the crowd skews younger. There are some who grew up with soccer, those who love European soccer have adopted the team. There is an immigrant contingent both from Europe and Latin countries who attend, based on people I've met in the parking lots (I'm a season ticket holder, full disclosure).

Inherently, I don't see anything wrong with these comments if used to try to identify the core audience. I would also say our general lack of entertainment options in these areas could be a deterrent to younger people considering relocating to Omaha from other areas. If you're used to cities with flourishing pro sports options that are supported, it's an eye opener to move to Omaha and your only choices are college sports at schools you didn't attend, and a somewhat poorly supported AAA baseball team and moderately supported 3rd division soccer team in the suburbs.

[Linkin5]

Was listening to Sharp and Handley radio show this morning, Gary Sharp described this project as “on life support”, “in trouble”, and stated that the desired location was not going to work.

[Garrett]

Yeah I don't think the bill in the legislature went anywhere

[Athomsfere]

That'd be a shame. Hopefully something gets figured out.

[OracleOfOmaha]

Would like to see this happen but to be honest there is no way our redder-than-ever legislature is going to give money for a minor league soccer stadium in North Omaha. I have trouble coming up with something more liberal-coded than minor league soccer in a historically minority area. They are more likely to pass a law that forbids any state money going North of Cuming.

Of course they will manage to find the billions to build Big Lake and give it all away to property developers who are their nephews, cousins, son-in-laws, etc. But money for a soccer stadium? Don't hold your breath.

Now, next question is, once the unicameral says no, then what? Ball will be back in Union's court.

You don't seem like the type that likes to give out public money to rich private developers, but are happy to do so for this soccer project....interesting