LAFC Break Ground for Construction of Banc of California Stadium
Los Angeles Football Club broke ground of Banc of California Stadium as the future MLS club aims for completion of the soccer-specific stadium prior to the 2018 season. LAFC co-owners Will Ferrell and Magic Johnson begin the groundwork of the city’s latest soccer club that will launch the official Los Angeles Derby in years to come.
MLS Soccer News: Yesterday, LAFC together with supporters, city and county leaders, and MLS, broke ground on its new 22,000-seat soccer-specific venue named Banc of California Stadium. The Club also announced a strategic partnership with Banc of California, highlighting a partnership that shows the community focus of both organizations.
“When the original MLS business plan came together, there was no plan for soccer stadiums,” Garber told reporters. “That was only 20 years ago. They thought that MLS would play in everybody else’s large buildings as a secondary tenant.
A collection of LAFC owners, local politicians – including Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti – MLS commissioner Don Garber and US Soccer president Sunil Gulati joined the supporters and media in attendance in watching or lifting their gold-plated shovels to break ceremonial ground on the project, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2018.
“We’ll see how they do with the project,” LAFC president Tom Penn told reporters after the groundbreaking. “We’re on target for spring of 2018. This is an uncertain project, a lot has to go right, but God willing it will, safe and on time.”
How did basketball personality Penn get involved in a soccer project? He says, “I am learning. We haven’t signed any players yet! When you built a stadium, it is a monster of a project. There hasn’t been an outdoor stadium since the Dodger Stadium in 1962.”
Will Ferrell, Magic Johnson and other members of the LAFC ownership at stadium groundbreaking. Congressmember Karen Bass, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Curren D. Price, Jr., and Mayor Eric Garrett were also present at the LAFC groundbreaking.
The new state-of-the-art development will bring more than $350 million in private investment to South Los Angeles. This includes a district that will be active on non-game days, year-round, that will feature a large public plaza, restaurants, retail store, and a conference and events center, serving as a sports, entertainment, civic, and cultural landmark for Los Angeles.
“We start here,” said Larry Berg, LAFC Lead Managing Owner. “After years of planning and hard work we are set to make history here in the heart of the city. Banc of California Stadium will allow for greater sports-viewing and live entertainment experiences to take place in Los Angeles than ever before.”
the LA Sports Arena will need to be torn down, as the new soccer-specific stadium will be built on the site, located next to the LA Coliseum. As Garber noted, it will be Major League Soccer’s 20th facility built or renovated with soccer in mind.
What are the steps ahead? First is to find a training facility – there are already youth soccer LAFC Academy players running around — looking impressive in their black jerseys and competing at the San Diego’s Surf Cup. Regarding the stadium project, the LA Sports Arena will have to be demolished so that the new, soccer-specific stadium construction can really commence on the site — this will be MLS’s 20th soccer specific facility in the USA – yes, soccer is becoming more popular than ever.
Source/Photo Credit: Los Angeles Football Club
