Pete Hayes
The Telegraph
August 22, 2007

Jeff Cooper is many things — a successful attorney, a supporter of youth athletics, a fan of horse racing and, of course, soccer. He’s a devoted father and husband.

One thing he is not is a sideshow huckster. There are no hidden-ball tricks with him. 

Cooper and his group, St. Louis Soccer United, have a proposal before the Collinsville City Council that would lead to the construction of a soccer-specific stadium and multi-purpose entertainment district being proposed for Collinsville in the effort to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to the St. Louis area.

Cooper’s presentation to the Collinsville City Council went well and a Sept. 10 date has been set for a vote. But there are still some doubters, and that’s not unusual. In fact, Cooper wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I agree we should debate it,” Cooper, an East Alton attorney, said Wednesday. “That’s the way it should be done. We want the people to ask questions.

“I guess the only negative thing so far has been the insinuation by some papers that we’re trying to hide the ball,” he said. “But until the City Council says how much retail space it will approve, we don’t know how much can be raised (through bonds).”

So, how much?

The project carries a price tag of $100 million to $125 million for the 18,500-seat stadium and related youth soccer practice fields. The overall entertainment and retail venue will cost around $400 million, including the stadium.

Cooper’s group will pay for much of the project. “It would be safe to say we’ll pay for more than 75 percent of the cost,” Cooper said.

Of course, the question being asked most by Collinsville residents concerns taxation. If I live in Collinsville, how much will my taxes increase to pay for this?

The answer: Not a red cent, unless you attend an event or purchase something at the new venue. Any bonds that are issued by the city to cover its portion of the cost will be repaid through an entertainment tax. If you never attend a soccer game or eat at a restaurant or pay to park there, you’ll never pay a dime for the stadium.

But all Collinsville folks will reap the benefits.

“Just from building permits and water tap-ins, the City of Collinsville will earn about $15 million,” Cooper said. “On a project as expansive as this one, the ‘pennies’ can add up to millions.”

Cooper’s group asked for 300,000 square feet of retail space in its proposal. Now the ball is in Collinsville’s court.

“They can approve the 300,000 square feet or come back with a different figure,” Cooper said. “That’s nothing unusual; it’s just the way the process works.

“But until we know exactly how much retail space will be in the project, it’s a disservice to come up with an exact amount. When we find out, we’ll tell everybody. We’re not keeping it a secret.”

That amount of retail space will be given to an independent bond council, which will determine the amount of bonds that can be issued.

MLS Expansion

MLS is expected to expand by three teams by 2010. At the 2007 State of the League address, MLS Commissioner Don Garber provided an official list of candidate cities for future expansion. Besides St. Louis, potential new league cities includes Atlanta, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Settle and Vancouver.

St. Louis, with its deep soccer roots and strong traditions, has long been eyed by MLS, but the lack of a suitable stadium was a killer. If Cooper’s hard work yields a positive result, it’s safe to say professional soccer will return to St. Louis. And indirectly, we could have a minor-league baseball team to thank for it.

Thank the Grizzlies

When you settle into your seat at the new soccer stadium in 2009 to watch the St. Louis team play its first MLS match, be sure to give silent thanks to the Gateway Grizzlies and the village of Sauget.

The minor-league baseball Grizzlies, Sauget and in-fighting back in 2001 among overcautious Collinsville leaders have led to the current euphoria in the St. Louis area soccer community. Here’s how:

In the “live-and-learn” department of life, that experience some six years ago helped set into motion the process to bring the MLS to St. Louis.

Back in 2001, the group wanting to bring a minor-league baseball team to the Metro East settled on a site just outside Collinsville for a stadium. The site was near the one Cooper and his St. Louis Soccer United group wants to construct its venue near the intersection of Interstate 255 and Horseshoe Lake Road.

The baseball group’s proposals looked great, but somewhere along the line, the project got derailed. So they picked up their gloves and bats and built the stadium farther south along I-255. Originally GMC Stadium, the home of the Grizzlies is now called GCS Ballpark. Right-thinking Collinsville folks knew immediately that they d blown a good deal when the 6,000-seat baseball park was built elsewhere.

Evidently, however, these things do work out in the long run.

The Grizzlies’ stadium pales in comparison with Cooper’s St. Louis Soccer United proposal. But many of the concerns then are concerns now.

“I think (Collinsville) may have learned something from what happened with the baseball stadium,” Cooper has said.

“But with as many jobs that will be created and the amount of economic impact the soccer project will have on the area, it will be great for Collinsville and for the entire area.”
Just as long as they learn from the past.