He imagines a bigger stadium.
He imagines a bigger league.
He imagines being No. 1 in both.
Bill Edwards, man of vision, announced his dual ambitions on Tuesday night, making sure that his Tampa Bay Rowdies are a big-league soccer team. He announced he will immediately start to purse a franchise in the MLS. He also announced he has plans to turn Al Lang Stadium into a stadium that will seat 18,500 fans, roughly three times the current capacity.
Edwards said he anticipated that both goals could be reached “in the next two or three years.”
Edwards pointed out that Tampa Bay is the 11th largest media market in the country, and that the 10 that are larger already have an MLS team.
The Rowdies recently moved from the NASL to the USL. That stay might be short, however.
Edwards said the stadium would be expanded “with no public funds.” He said it was “the perfect site for the perfect city.” He did say he needed “a waiting list” showing that fan interest is there for the MLS.
“This is a legacy I’m going to leave behind,” Edwards said. “The stadium is certainly going to outlive me. And it’s going to be good for downtown. We’ve done a lot of work downtown. We’re growing pass. This is the game they want to see. This is the game we want to give them.”
Edwards said he planned to be in Toronto over the weekend to watch the MLS championship.
“I’m ready to go,” he said.
The Rowdies are now 41 years old.
