Sacramento Republic FC says that it is continuing to pursue a lead investor, something the club seeks as it tries to make a successful MLS expansion bid.
In December, MLS proceeded with the selection of Nashville as a winning expansion bid, but announced it would hold off on further decisions regarding other expansion proposals. Along with Nashville, Sacramento Republic FC was in the mix of a group of finalists that also included pitches from Detroit and FC Cincinnati. All of those bids face their own questions, but the most pressing concern for Sacramento is whether Republic FC can obtain enough financial backing to receive a team.
Club chief operating officer Ben Gumpert said recently that the group is “laser-focused” on obtaining a lead investor, and indicated that the club is open to ideas for completing a successful MLS expansion bid. More from Fox 40:
“I’ll say that we are laser-focused on finding a lead investor, that is where the road goes through,” Gumpert said. “Toward that end, we are working closely with Mayor Steinberg, with elected, with the entire business community to figure out any and every possible avenue to get that done.”
“It’s time to be creative. Because the last thing we want is to not research and not look at models to benefit this stadium,” said Michael Ault with Downtown Sacramento Partnership.
Ault says his office fields a lot of calls in support of Sacramento getting a MLS team. But it won’t be a little nudge that gets the city over the finish line.
“If there are ways, public, private, to be looked at. Let’s address them,” Ault said. “Let’s look at them. Let’s get some community feedback on it.”
MLS’s most recent expansion decision was made official earlier this week, when it announced that David Beckham’s plan for a new Miami franchise was moving forward. However, it has not made any additional announcements regarding Sacramento, Detroit, or Cincinnati since December. When it was revealed that Sacramento’s bid would require additional financial backing, Republic FC CEO Kevin Nagle laid out what has to happen before the city receives a future expansion team. That included finding a new major investor, along with additional limited partners, and boosting community support.
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