By Evan Weiner |
Four years ago David Beckham got the go ahead from Major League Soccer to put together a team somewhere in the Miami area. Nearly four and a half years later, there is still no team on the field because Beckham and various partners have no field for various reasons.
Apparently Beckham and his group have found the perfect place for a soccer stadium: the Melreese Country Club, which is owned by the city of Miami. The Beckham proposal is like many others, am athletic facility will anchor a complex that comes complete with shops, a hotel, office space and a public park. That’s the easy part, the devil is in the details such as how much will this project cost and what incentives will the city of Miami give to Beckham’s group to build the complex. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration might have to look over plans as the stadium might be too close to the Miami International Airport property.
If the Miami City Council does approve the Beckham plan, that is not the end of the discussion. Miami residents will get a chance to say yes or no in a November referendum. There is opposition to the proposal as people want the land to be used as a public golf course. Beckham added new business partners in December 2017. The new partners didn’t care much for an Overton location and the city owned golf course property became the apple of the Beckham group’s eye. It has been a struggle for David Beckham and his partners to land a stadium with a planned seaport stadium blocked by various interests. Beckham was steered to land near the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball park but securing the land needed for the project is became a problem and Beckham abandoned the plan and opted for Overton. Beckham may want Miami more than Miami wants David Beckham.
This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Evan Weiner.