A solid pitch to play on.

One main factor for the MLS to be located in San Antonio is the fact that we have a stadium in place to host a franchise of our very own. A claim not many cities can make and can be a deal breaker in some cases.

The Alamodome is a perfect selling point and offers a very live and vibrant atmosphere to hold meaningful competitions. We’ve seen the versatility of the venue in the past when it was home to the San Antonio Spurs and even hosted an NBA All Star game. The American football fan is familiar with it due to the college bowl game the Alamobowl, that is an annual event and due also to the Dallas Cowboys holding training camp there as well.

With concerts and trade shows also utilizing it, the stadium has been used for everything you can think of outside of providing a home to a NFL team, it’s original intended use.

Naturally one is inclined to assume that the Alamodome will be the future home to a MLS franchise as it would seemingly be a perfect fit. And it would be, don’t get me wrong; I think it would be a critical piece in reaffirming our interest in attracting a team.

That issue aside, I would still like to discuss what it would mean to build a soccer specific stadium (SSS), as I feel it would have greater implications.

I understand that building a stadium is a difficult thing to finance, it was when we built the Alamodome and I’m almost sure it would be for a SSS. But let’s just say that we have financing in place and the city and county are on board with building one, what does that mean for the city?

Economics:

There are many soccer specific events that SA would be able to cater to, more so than other cities. With the development of the WPS, and the USL, SA could be a host city to their cup games or a host city to the men’s and women’s national college championships.

SA may also look at hosting youth tournaments or professional tournaments. Additionally we may be able to host more international competitions of a smaller nature, or even a world cup qualifier or international friendlies. All of these possibilities mean generating dollars and flowing revenue into the city through yet another sports related venue.

Due to the unique niche market “soccer” demands, we would be one of the few choices for these types of events and it would add another piece to San Antonio. This brings me to my next point.

Aesthetics:

By adding this other ‘piece’ as I put it, I feel that it must be downtown so that it could add to the skyline, somewhat, and make SA more attractive as a whole. It would also make San Antonio more appealing to the sports industry as the Alamobowl has. Just look at the coverage ESPN gives the Alamobowl, every year college football fans from certain regions in the country descend on the river city to cheer on their team.

From the Final Four, to the NBA Finals, reporters and sports enthusiasts love visiting, and consider coming here a small vacation even if it is while they are working. Adding a SSS would enhance the atmosphere to the city, especially during match day. I can see fellow supporters walking the streets of downtown holding over their heads the Alamo FC scarf, yelling semi-profanities at the other team . . . . . beautiful!

I can imagine the design of the stadium to be one resembling a European style architecture, where the fans are right on top of the pitch. Just imagine what the Baseline Bums would look like as ‘soccer’ fans. It would definitely raise the temperature for the opposing side, speaking of which.

The Weather:

We live in South Texas; do we really need a roof? I mean it is cold like two days a year, and rain hardly ever gets in the way, while it is annoying. Football was meant to be played on natural grass not synthetic turf, although some of the new stuff is pretty good. It just doesn’t make sense to me in an environment as green as ours that we would force ourselves inside.

I personally feel that keeping the world’s most beautiful game indoors is a crime, and it would be a crime if we kept it in the Alamodome. I would understand if we need to use the dome to escape the heat or big time events like hosting Real Madrid or AC Milan, but we will not have 60,000 fans showing up for a match between our team and Toronto FC, unfortunately.

Why not take advantage of our natural climate?

Building a soccer specific stadium is important and there has been some discussion on making the venue a combination stadium with a stage at one end for concerts and located in the suburbs as some other stadiums are modeled in much the same way.

I think this is a bad idea for two reasons: first, the stadiums look awkward and the stage doesn’t really add to the spirit of the game, it is tantamount to having yard markers across the pitch; second, why worry about a concert venue when we have the Alamodome, we can hold concerts there, and if we need something smaller, than we will use the AT&T Center. I just don’t think adding a stage is justifiable when we already have enough venues for that.

Also, if we don’t build the stadium near downtown we risk repeating what Dallas has done; in very bad taste I might add. FC Dallas, or the Dallas Burn as they used to be referred to, decided to build a stadium in Frisco, TX, some 45 minutes away from downtown Dallas. This effectively made the distance too far to travel from some of the most important supporters who came to the games at the Cotton Bowl.

As a result, their attandence has suffered, greatly, and the players lack passion for the sport when they are playing in front of a few people and their dog. The franchise has taken a downward spiral and is largely considered perennial bottom feeders. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a sports team from Dallas that is not the Cowboys or the Dallas Texans.

Even if the stadium was soccer specific, we would still get multiple uses from it. I just want something unique; something the city can get behind and that creates a special atmosphere, in much the same tradition as La Bombonera or Anfield or the San Siro. If we don’t have high expectations, we may never realize our true potential . . . . I think San Antonio has great potential.

What do you think?

Tags: Anfield, La Bombonera, San Antonio, San Antonio Soccer, San Siro, soccer specific stadium