Oliver Luck, President, Houston Dynamo:
"We are grateful that the Mayor has taken a leadership position on the issue of a stadium for the Houston Dynamo. As we have said from the very beginning, the Dynamo cannot stay in Houston without a new venue. Robertson Stadium has provided a great home field advantage for us and a good interim platform, but it is not an economically viable option in the long term.
The new stadium is our highest priority. Although we have not reached an agreement with the City of Houston, we are anxious to come to closure on the terms of a public-private partnership with the city and we are willing to assume responsibility for a much higher proportion of the costs than any other team owner has had to assume in Houston. While there are other options available to us in Houston, it is our preference to be in a location as central as possible. We very much appreciate the Mayor's interest in working with us to achieve our mutual goal of keeping the two-time defending MLS Cup Champions in Houston, and we look forward to advancing our discussions to that end.
In terms of the youth complex there is a clear realization that there is a shortage of quality space for youth and adult soccer in the Houston area. The development of this complex will draw hundreds of thousands of youth and adult participants and their families and will provide a strong positive economic impact for the 288 corridor. Houston will now be in a position to attract some of the large youth and adult regional, state and national tournaments our area deserves.
Ed Loucks, President, South Texas Youth Soccer Association:
South Texas Youth Soccer Association is excited about today's announcement by the City of Houston. I congratulate Mayor White and Joe Turner of Houston Parks and Recreation for their vision. A severe shortage of quality soccer pitches within the area has long restricted our ability to compete for regional and national level events. This complex, once built, will allow Houston to compete for both regional and national tournaments with long established venues like Burns Park in Little Rock, home to the 2008 National Championships; Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, home to the 2007 National Championships, and complexes in Indianapolis, Indiana, Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. We look forward to bringing the $8.5 million economic impact of one of the United States Youth Soccer Southern Regional tournaments to Houston in the near future.
Pascal Piazza, President, Texas State Soccer Association-South:
The adult soccer community is enthusiastic about the city's announcement of creating new soccer fields. The lack of fields has been a great impediment to the growth of adult soccer and in conjunction with the Dynamo and the City of Houston this complex will allow adults to provide more soccer for the community as well as attract national and international amateur games and tournaments.
Bardo Orta, President, Hispano Soccer League:
"We at the Houston amateur leagues are proud of the initiative shown by the City in creating this park. We feel very proud of the support shown by the City of Houston, in particular, from Mayor White, by recognizing and supporting amateur adult players in Houston. The use of these prospective soccer fields will help fans and amateur players unite and enjoy their family time.
