D.C. United must use connections for new stadium

The new D.C. United ownership group needs to use its connections in political circles to locate a new stadium for the MLS club.

Among those that could be involved in the stadium project are new mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and City Council chairman Vincent Gray, as well as infamous ex-mayor Marion Barry, who now represents the Ward 8 area that encompasses Poplar Point, the proposed new stadium site.

"When we began this process, when we began to talk about the opportunity for a new home for D.C. United in Ward 8, we visited with many, many people in the community, and our first stop was at Marion Barry's office," said D.C. United president and chief executive officer Kevin Payne.

Payne's goal for the USD 150 million football-specific venue is 2009.But it depends on approval from federal and local authorities.

"The District has got to find comparable space for the facilities that are located on the land, because they're occupied by the Park Service now," said Holmes Norton.

D.C. United officially presented its new operating group, led by real estate developer Victor MacFarlane, the first black man in the history of the MLS to gain controlling interest in a team.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.