Precourt Sports Ventures will pursuit a McKalla Place stadium site in Austin, Texas for the Columbus Crew, marking the next step in the potential relocation of the MLS team.
The McKalla Place location, while not being in downtown Austin–originally a prime criteria for Crew owner Anthony Precourt–is located in what’s considered an upscale area of the city. It also has the benefit of being city-owned non-parkland. The Crew had run into issues when seeking city parkland as a stadium site, but the selection of McKalla Place neutralizes some community opposition.
Here’s the statement from Precourt Sports Ventures:
“We continue to believe Major League Soccer can integrate into the heart and soul of the Austin community. We’ve heard the concerns about a possible site for a stadium. Soccer is inclusive and celebratory, so we want to shift the focus onto the long-term benefits of a location that works for everybody. We’re impressed with the potential at McKalla Place and believe we could create a privately funded, world-class soccer stadium there. We’re looking forward to working together with the city as we continue to assess the viability of this site. One of the most exciting things we’ll do is to share with the community a detailed list of benefits Major League Soccer could bring to Austin, especially to young people. I just read an article in the Austin American-Statesman that illuminated challenges kids who live in East Austin face when trying to find good access to soccer. We want to help with that and a number of other important issues in this wonderful city.”
Image courtesy MAPFRE Stadium.
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