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Is Loudoun a good fit for D.C. United?
Rumors are circulating that professional soccer team D.C. United is looking for a new home, and Ashburn could be it.
Officials for the team and Loudoun County would not confirm Ashburn is a possibility, but local fans say this location would be a win-win.
“Loudoun has gone soccer crazy,” said Miles Davis, a Leesburg resident and communications director for Loudoun Soccer – the largest soccer club in Virginia with more than 7,000 youth players.
“There's no doubt in my mind that they would have big support from Loudoun Soccer and its parents and players, as well as all the soccer organizations in Virginia.”
The almost decade-long search for a new stadium includes locations in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, said D.C. United spokesman Doug Hicks.
“We're speaking to lots of local jurisdictions about the possibility of a stadium,” he said.
Since 1996, the team has played home games at RFK Stadium, the former home to the Washington Redskins and Washington Senators/Nationals.
The 48-year-old stadium, Hicks said, seats 46,000, which is about twice what the team is looking for.
Fans say RFK's building design no longer suits its purpose.
“From a fan perspective, there is a big difference in being in a stadium built for soccer and not converted from another use,” Davis said. He added that soccer fans like to be packed in, which helps energize the atmosphere.
Local soccer coach Dave Edwards said D.C. United can expect a warm welcome in Loudoun, if that's the direction it goes.
“Obviously it would be great for the county and this area,” he said. “We're all, in the area, D.C. United fans.”
Having more pro teams here brings role models and money to the county, Edwards said.
“It's nice for people in this area just to know that the Redskins training facility is here” in Ashburn, he said, adding that it connects the county to the team.
In April, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber warned fans that a move outside of the metro area is a possibility if the four-time championship team doesn't find a home in the area.
St. Louis, Mo., is also rumored to have attracted the team's attention.
Davis, who teaches at Shenandoah University's School of Business, said a move outside of the area would be bad for fans and the team.
“There's a loyal, dedicated fan base here,” he said, "and it would be a shame if they had to leave because we could not find a place for them."
Contact the reporter at hhobbs@timespapers.com
The zoning board does not want to approve a minor league ballpark that would cost the taxpayers $0 and where the developer is going to pay several million out of their own pocket for road improvments, but would consider putting a soccer stadium out here that will eventually cost us more tax money for both the stadium and the roads. Why do they think that no other county wants them?
Posted by PAC1010
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The zoning board and BOA had better approve this baseball stadium if they what's good for their re-election bids! Our property taxes are a farce here in Loudoun and this would help relieve them somewhat from tax revenue generated.
Posted by NovaDifferenceMaker
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