David Beckham's MLS group reaches agreement to build stadium in Miami
David Beckham's MLS investment group has reached a tentative agreement with the city of Miami to build a soccer stadium next to Marlins Park, according to the Miami Herald.
Miami mayor Tomas Regalado announced the news Friday after holding a meeting with Beckham’s business partners.
The stadium would be privately funded and does not include the University of Miami, which had been discussed as a potential partnership before, according to the Herald.
Regalado called the agreement a “milestone.” He will next require approval from city commissioners to begin formal negotiations.
When Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007, his contract included a clause that granted him the right to own an expansion franchise. He announced his intentions to operate a club in Miami in early 2014 but the inability to find a stadium to host the team has delayed the process. MLS has been adamant that it will not grant Beckham’s group an expansion franchise without a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Miami.
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Miami city officials rejected a plan last summer for a 25,000-seat soccer stadium next to American Airlines Arena, the home of the NBA's Miami Heat, after an initial proposal for a waterfront site was strongly opposed by cruise lines operating in the city.
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