Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber today issued the following statement regarding the agreement between the League and the City of San Antonio for an MLS team that could begin play in the city as early as the 2006 regular season.
"Led by Mayor Ed Garza, the City of San Antonio has aggressively pursued bringing a Major League Soccer team to the market," MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated. "As one of the country's fastest-growing and most diverse cities, MLS is convinced that San Antonio is an ideal home for a Major League Soccer club. We are currently in discussions with several potential ownership groups for the San Antonio MLS team and we will work closely with Mayor Garza and the soccer community in San Antonio to assist with the goal of bringing Major League Soccer to San Antonio in 2006."
Under terms of the agreement, MLS would grant the City of San Antonio an MLS club beginning in 2006 provided the following elements are in place:
(a) an ownership group is secured;
(b) 5,000 season tickets are sold by August 17, 2005;
(c) plans are finalized for the construction of a state-of-the-art soccer training complex. Additionally, MLS has conditioned that youth soccer fields be included as part of the soccer complex.
The agreement also contains a detailed stadium plan in which the City of San Antonio has agreed to provide an MLS team with a facility appropriate for the sport, granting the club the rights to all ticket sales, certain sponsorship and stadium signage sales, stadium concessions/merchandise and parking, and the state-of-the art practice complex.
