Pinellas county is a battleground for two professional sports franchises in pursuit of the same prize: a new stadium. Both imagine new facilities can help them achieve other goals. One wants to become an MLB powerhouse and the other a Division 1 expansion club for the MLS.
Two teams with ambitious goals. Can they both succeed?
The Tampa Bay Rays are the more tenured team in the city. In 1995 the MLB added the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Rays as their 13th and 14th expansion teams. While the D-backs got Chase Field, a shiny new stadium in the middle of downtown Phoenix, the Rays took over the already eight-year-old Tropicana Field. The Trop, as it’s known, became available in 1996 after the area’s NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, found a new home in downtown Tampa. Following a 17 month, $85 million dollar renovation, the facility was transformed into a full time baseball complex at which the Rays would play their first game in 1998. Initial upgrades were followed by a $10 million renovation in 2006, and a $750,000 enhancement in 2013.
The inaugural season of the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies was played in 2010 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The following year the team found a new home at St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Stadium, which was built in 1947, renovated in 1976, and used for many years by multiple MLB teams, including the Rays, as a spring training facility. The stadium already had quite a few miles on it in 2011 when the Rowdies moved in. Three years later, in 2014, the Rowdies’ majority owner Bill Edwards filed a lawsuit against the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission accusing it of not maintaining the facility. In the end, Edwards took over management and completed a $1.5 million renovation to convert Al Lang to a dedicated soccer stadium.
Two teams with one dream: a new stadium.
Although the end result of their desire may be similar, their needs and the way each of them is going about trying to make it happen is different. The Rays are seeking a new stadium in one of many locations, while the Rowdies are looking to totally renovate their current home. The capacity of each stadium will be vastly different, with a soccer stadium seating approximately 22,000 people and an MLB stadium seating close to twice that. Moreover, the Rays hope to have two-thirds of their new stadium publicly funded, while the Rowdies will cover the entire cost of renovations.
Will either team get its wish?
The Rowdies appear to have a better chance since their renovation will be privately funded, but they will still need to gain the support of voters for an extension (of up to 25 years) on their lease of Al Lang Stadium. Mayor Rick Kriseman has said holding the referendum is dependent on the Rowdies acquiring an MLS expansion slot. Without one, and without a long term deal with the city, where will that leave the Rowdies?
The Rays have a very different battle to fight on the stadium front as their needs are slightly more complicated. The two biggest hurdles are funding and breaking their long-term lease on Tropicana Field with the city of St. Petersburg. The cost of a new stadium for the Rays will be $500 to $600 million (depending on whether it includes a retractable roof). Principal owner Stuart Sternberg has said a portion of that cost would be privately funded, but a majority would need to be covered by public funds. Spending tax dollars on a stadium is something that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of residents, but there are few majority or totally privately funded sports venues in this country.
Assuming the Rays get the funding they need — then what? In October 2015 the City of St. Petersburg gave its permission for the team to look for a new stadium location. This allows the Rays three years to look for a new site while giving the city the opportunity to explore possible post-Rays options for the site. If the Rays vacate the Trop for a location in Hillsborough County, they will be required to pay $4 million for each year remaining on the lease; if they choose a location in Pinellas County, the fee is only $2 million a year.
Two teams, one dream.
For the Rowdies, their fate rests on the shoulders of the MLS committee and its assessment of St. Petersburg as an appropriate market for an expansion team. The Rays have a more complicated row to hoe before they will know if their dream will come true. For now, support from from fans is what both teams need to make their dreams a reality.
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