New Downtown Baseball Stadium, AAA Club, and Associated RE Development

[ShockerFever]

The problem is the city already screwed the pooch if they wanted Stryker to host professional soccer long term. It is not large enough to host division 2 soccer, which I assume would be the ultimate ambition(assuming pro/rel comes to USL/USL D3, which seems like the goal). And it does meet division 3 standards, 2.5k isn't large enough really if its going to be successful.

Also you SEVERELY underestimate the interest professional soccer has now and would have in the future in this city.

How well are FC Wichita games attended, or is that not professional enough?

This stadium should be baseball first and foremost. It should not be a generic stadium with Oakland Athletics type sightlines.

Omaha played football at TD Ameritrade. If they can configure soccer into a baseball stadium, sure go for it. But building a multi sport stadium would be a mistake.

[ShockCrazy]

How well are FC Wichita games attended, or is that not professional enough?

This stadium should be baseball first and foremost. It should not be a generic stadium with Oakland Athletics type sightlines.

Omaha played football at TD Ameritrade. If they can configure soccer into a baseball stadium, sure go for it. But building a multi sport stadium would be a mistake.

FC Wichita is not fully professional soccer. It's semi-pro(I'm not sure how many players are actually under contract). But the league they operate within is mostly comprised of amateur teams in a very condensed season.

[SHOCKvalue]

Everyone, recite the man's prayer . . .

I'm a man,
I can get used to a soccer team playing in a stadium built for a real sport,
If I have to,
I guess.

It is not a masculinity thing. It is a "lets not make design/aesthetic concessions to one of the biggest downtown developments this century, and a potential economic catalyst, so that a boutique sport drawing hundreds doesn't have to play in the suburban facility that we're already spending $22M on" thing.

A little wordy, I know.

[SHOCKvalue]

Where are you coming up with the 11 million number? The league gets 90 million per year. Also the league last year signed a massive deal with adidas bringing in nearly 117 million per year. For reference it's a 6 year 700 million dollar deal, compared to the NBA which just last year got an 8 year 1 billion dollar deal. So that's a pretty large apparel contract in the scheme of things.

Sorry, I read the article wrong. Read it as $90M/8 years, not $90M per year for 8 years. My bad.

[ShockerFever]

So any timeline mentioned in this press conference yet? Are they starting construction this year? Any stadium designs?

It sounds like a comedy club at times.

[SHOCKvalue]

How well are FC Wichita games attended, or is that not professional enough?

This stadium should be baseball first and foremost. It should not be a generic stadium with Oakland Athletics type sightlines.

Omaha played football at TD Ameritrade. If they can configure soccer into a baseball stadium, sure go for it. But building a multi sport stadium would be a mistake.

Yes. If there are no concessions - to include design, sightlines, main tenant's scheduling, etc - then I have zero problems with soccer at the new facility.

[ShockCrazy]

Also let me be clear here. I want professional soccer in Wichita(USL or USLD3, not NISA, or NPSL Pro, long story there). But I don't want it in a baseball stadium either, I have been to a NYCFC game in Yankee stadium, it sucks. But the fact is this stadium is being built with that in mind and people will likely have to accept that, and Stryker clearly wasn't given the full upgrade it would need to truly support a long term professional franchise without needing upgrades in another couple years ie 5K-8K seats.

[ArtVandalay]

To be fair, I've watched a baseball game in Yankee stadium and wasn't impressed. For an expensive new stadium, they sure missed the mark with that stadium.

[ShockCrazy]

Fair point. I went to a baseball game as well, and while lifeless it was still a better viewing experience than soccer.

[SHOCKvalue]

Seven thousand fixed seats, Longwell says.

[SHOCKvalue]

$60-$73M actual facility budget
footbridge
baseball "village"
museum
NBC WS display/area?

[ShockerDropOut]

I like the sounds of it. Listened to the news conference on KFH. No mention of a multi-sport facility. Not that they wont change their minds at some point, but the timeline is tight already.

[SHOCKvalue]

[Shock Top]

Looks like they are going for the AT&T Park vibe, which was the right call.

[C0|dB|00ded]

The problem with LDS is that it has become alienated from downtown's major walking districts. OKC's stadium is right in the middle of Bricktown. They did it right. While we can't move the stadium to Old Town, we could certainly do a LOT more to connect LDS to Delano and then push hardcore to develop Delano to the downtown Douglas area which (after a decent walk), gets you to Old Town.

I'm thinking a Douglas Avenue streetcar a la Kansas City's going right up the gut of Douglas from Delano ending at Hydraulic where many quaint breweries and coffee shops reside would do the trick.

https://visitkcfiles.s3-us-west-2.am...eetcar-web.jpg


T


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[ShockerFever]

I don’t think going too much higher than 7 or 8k is necessary. The games are never going to demand 10,000 fans on a regular basis. Spillover crowd onto the berns would provide necessary coverage imo.

A $70 mil 7k stadium better be nice. Theoretically, it should be the best stadium in all of the minors from a cosmetic and amenity standpoint.

[SHOCKvalue]

This pretty much cements Longwell as one of the most visionary, aggressive (in a good way) mayors in the history of Wichita. If only we could swap Longwell for Carlos Mayans tenure.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Hey now, don't forget... Mayans wanted to earmark the WSU mill levy proceeds to the Bring Back WSU Football initiative only! That's progressive!


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[SHOCKvalue]

Mayans single-handedly sunk a nine-figure major redevelopment project and set back downtown Wichita half a generation.

Dude is a choad.

Maybe, just maybe, through this project we will get some spillover effect across the river to help erase the huge Waterwalk scar he created a decade and a half ago.

[C0|dB|00ded]

The problem is the city already screwed the pooch if they wanted Stryker to host professional soccer long term. It is not large enough to host division 2 soccer, which I assume would be the ultimate ambition(assuming pro/rel comes to USL/USL D3, which seems like the goal). And it does meet division 3 standards, 2.5k isn't large enough really if its going to be successful.

Also you SEVERELY underestimate the interest professional soccer has now and would have in the future in this city.

Oh I know there's interest. Kansas has nearly 80,000 illegal aliens living among its borders the majority of which hail from 3rd world countries...

Soccer is the bastard child of impoverished, primitive societies developed for savages, by savages. The rules weren't designed to capture the dollars of a populace in a competitive market; this was an event designed to gather the villagers into one place so the ruler could be exalted. Afterwards the commoners would head back into the jungles collecting coconuts and spearing monkeys for dinner.

You'll find a disproportionate amount of "American" soccer fans to be Liberals/Secularists/Socialists/Communists/Democrats.

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-25.html

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-07-02.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...ld-cup/373680/

Beside Hispanics and the young, the third major pro-soccer constituency is liberals. They’re willing to embrace a European sport for the same reason they’re willing to embrace a European-style health care system: because they see no inherent value in America being an exception to the global rule.

Read that last sentence carefully red-blooded Americans. Maybe rethink your openness to a sport that represents exactly the opposite of what made America - America. Exceptionalism.


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...:cool:

[C0|dB|00ded]

Someone needs to be a sport and quote the above post so 'Crazy can see it. I made it especially for him. ^_^


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...:cool:

[SHOCKvalue]

Apparently MiLB and PCL still have to officially approve the move, sometime by the end of the year they say. Sure hope that is just a formality. Gotta think it is if we're busy tearing down the stadium and doing big press conferences.

[ShockerFever]

Apparently MiLB and PCL still have to officially approve the move, sometime by the end of the year they say. Sure hope that is just a formality. Gotta think it is if we're busy tearing down the stadium and doing big press conferences.

I’m a little disappointed with a lack of timeline and some hard renderings. I get that it seems like things are getting hung up on technical business from Minor League Baseball but all we really got out of that press conference is that Minor League Baseball is coming to Wichita.

I hope they don’t drag their feet with this, but at the same time, do it effing right.