Owner needs right site
Precourt says city’s benefit could top $400 million over 25 years if team moves here.
Soccer fans have been waiting months for an update from Anthony Precourt about the status of Columbus Crew SC’s potential move to Austin.
They received some answers Tuesday when Precourt, the owner/operator of the Major League Soccer franchise in Ohio, delivered a bold statement to Austin-area residents, touting benefits he said could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars if a suitable stadium is built here to house an MLS club.
“With the right site, we can build a world-class, privately financed $200 million soccer park and grounds,” Precourt said in his statement. “As we have said from the onset of this exploratory process, a location in the vibrant urban core where people live, work, and play is of paramount importance. This stadium location is a critical driver to the club’s long-term success.
“Based on our analysis, a public-private partnership of this nature could deliver community benefits in excess of $400 million in the club’s first 25 years, in the form of community investments, park improvements, soccer wellness and programming, wages and construction services, among others.”
The statement represented a major blow to Columbus’ hopes to retain the Crew. Precourt Sports Ventures has made no such financial promises to that city, and PSV officials paint a bleak picture of the franchise’s future in the Ohio capital.
Precourt, in his first public remarks since Oct. 18, said if an MLS club were to play on city-owned parkland in Austin, the community also would benefit