© 2024 WLRN
MIAMI | SOUTH FLORIDA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Beckham Wants PortMiami

Miami Beckham United

It’s official: David Beckham’s Major League Soccer group has announced it wants to build its stadium on the southwest corner of PortMiami. But there are concerns the road to complete the stadium in that location might be a bit congested.

With a view of the Miami skyline, the current conception of the stadium has about 24,000 seats. Which, for some downtown residents and port officials, equals cars -- a lot more cars.

But David Beckham’s real-estate advisor John Alschuler hoped to quell some of those concerns at a press conference Monday.

“We will never play a soccer game when there is a Heat game,” Alschuler promised. On top of that, “the cruise ship lines board in the morning and the latest in the early afternoon. Our fans come at night so there [will be] no conflict whatsoever.”

In fact, Alschuler said that building the stadium at the port would utilize transportation infrastructure, like the future Port Miami Tunnel, at times when it would otherwise be neglected.

This echoes the Beckham group’s tune about financing the project.

Credit Wilson Sayre
David Beckham talking on the roof of a Miami-Dade College building says Port Miami is his preferred location for the stadium.

Spokesmen from the Beckham group repeatedly emphasized that the stadium along with the surrounding development would not be paid for with any city or county funds.

But during a Q&A with the press later Monday, David Beckham revealed plans that he would go up to Tallahassee Tuesday to seek subsidies for the project.

“We want to be treated exactly the same as every other franchise and if that means, obviously, asking for the funding that other franchises get then that’s what we’d like to happen. Its not an ideal world but this is what we would like,” Beckham told reporters.

But it is too early yet to say how much the project will cost. “It’ll be pretty expensive I’m sure,” Beckham said smiling.

He also mentioned he might announce the team's name in a month or so.

More On This Topic