$70,000 study set on D.C. United move

By Childs Walker | Sun Reporter
February 28, 2008

Article tools

The Maryland Stadium Authority ordered a $70,000 study yesterday to determine whether Prince George's County would be a suitable home for the D.C. United soccer club.

The study by Crossroads Consulting will examine the county's potential as a soccer market and the potential tax and economic development benefits of attracting the Major League Soccer team.

It will not focus on specific stadium sites. Those would have to be vetted later, though the club has shown interest over the years in several locations near College Park.

It's unclear who would pay for a soccer stadium in Prince George's. "Our commitment here is just to do the study," stadium authority chairman Frederick W. Puddester said.

The report is expected to be complete by July. United has agreed to reimburse the authority for its effort if the club ends up staying in Washington.

United spokesman Doug Hicks said the club is pleased the study will go forward.

United's status in the District of Columbia is murky. Club officials reached out to Maryland leaders about a possible move last fall after funding plans for a new stadium in the city seemed to fall through. But Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty recently refloated the idea of paying $190 million for a stadium as part of a redevelopment project in Southeast Washington.

Fenty previously criticized the use of public money for a new $611 million baseball stadium. Like the Washington Nationals before them, United wants out of RFK Stadium.

Given the uncertainty, United officials remain interested in assessing their options in the Washington suburbs.

Puddester said club executives told him they were caught off guard when Fenty reinitiated talk of funding for a Washington stadium.

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson and state Comptroller Peter Franchot have expressed interest in luring the soccer club.

In other business yesterday, the stadium authority heard that construction on the new video and scoreboards at Camden Yards is on schedule. The last pieces of the video screen were expected to go in yesterday, with work on the right-field scoreboard and the main scoreboard set to wrap up next week or the week after.

childs.walker@baltsun.com

More articles

Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

Would you recommend this?

Rate it:
No Somewhat Neutral Yes Highly
QUICK LINKS  |  Soccer
PHOTOS
• 2007-'08 Blast
• Crystal Palace USA
• 2006-'07 Blast
• David Beckham
• More soccer photos
• More sports photos
• Photo search
Subscribe to this blogBLOG: Alive and Kicking Alive and Kicking
BALTIMORE BLAST
Schedule | Official Web site

CRYSTAL PALACE USA
Schedule | Roster | Official Web site | Photos

 D.C. UNITED
Schedule | Results | Roster | Stats

 MLS
News | Scoreboard | Standings | Schedule | Statistics
Teams | Previews | Transactions | Injuries

INTERNATIONAL
U.S. national team news | Other national teams

Search Classifieds

JOBS   CARS   HOMES   SHOP

Other Features

  • Contests
  • Special Sections
  • Fifty Plus

Featured Video Advertisers

Online resources

Download desktop wallpaper created from Sun sports photos
> Orioles
> 1983 World Series
> Ravens
> More

> Sports photo galleries
> Sports blogs
> Sports contests
> Submit sports feedback
Sports Direct newsletter - Subscribe
Sign up for our breaking sports alerts and weekly e-newsletter

Going deep

Sun sports special reports and in-depth coverage
> 1983 O's
> Recruiting Tavon Austin
> Football: The tie that binds
> Orioles
> Baltimore Colts
> Going deep: Other sports