As it pushes toward its planned inaugural season in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami CF is now accepting 2020 season ticket and suite deposits.
Inter Miami CF–an expansion club backed by a group that includes David Beckham–is slated to begin MLS play in 2020 as an expansion team. The club is working on a long-term facility proposal that could see a new Miami stadium open as early as 2022, but is slated to play its initial seasons in Fort Lauderdale.
The plan in Fort Lauderdale calls for Inter Miami CF to redevelop the Lockhart Stadium site and surrounding land with a project that includes a new MLS training academy. As part of that project, Inter Miami CF would build a new 18,000-seat stadium on the Lockhart site that serves as its temporary home until a facility in Miami is built.
Demolition work on Lockhart Stadium began Wednesday, when Inter Miami CF also announced it is accepting deposits for 2020 season tickets and suites. Though it is intended as a temporary solution, Inter Miami CF officials emphasized that they want to deliver a strong fan experience at the Fort Lauderdale stadium. More from the Miami Herald:
“Today marks an important milestone for all of us at Inter Miami,” co-owner Jorge Mas said in a statement. “We are grateful for the opportunity to host this demolition ceremony in the company of our supporters, City of Fort Lauderdale elected officials and our youth academy players.
“We will work closely with the City of Fort Lauderdale and our partners to build a soccer stadium that delivers a unique and entertaining game day experience for our community.”
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, speaking last week in New York to a group of sports editors, stressed that Lockhart is a “temporary solution”
Though the two sides still have to finalize their agreement before the redevelopment proposal can move forward, Inter Miami CF did get approval from Fort Lauderdale officials in April to begin demolition work on Lockhart Stadium and the adjacent Fort Lauderdale Stadium. A group that also submitted a proposal for the site, FXE Futbol, filed a lawsuit against Inter Miami CF and the city in an effort to stop the project, but it announced Tuesday that it has dropped the challenge. That came after a judge ruled late last week that demolition work could proceed.
Discussions over the proposal in Fort Lauderdale are separate from the ongoing pursuit of a new stadium and surrounding development on the site of the City of Miami-owned Melreese County Club. That plan–Miami Freedom Park–calls for a new privately financed stadium to open in 2022 at the earliest, but those discussions are far from settled.
Rendering courtesy Inter Miami CF.
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