David Beckham officially announced today that he will establish a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. Beckham’s team would bring pro soccer back to South Florida.
Major League Soccer folded in South Florida in 2001, much to the chagrin of Miami soccer fans. Now, David Beckham wants to bring it back."It’s a vibrant city, it’s a city with a lot of passion, and I know this city is ready for football – soccer", said Beckham.
But before the team can play, they need a stadium. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez says securing a stadium location is the next step.
"We’re going to do all in our power to make sure that we get the stadium built in the right place and as quickly as possible so that we can start enjoying the matches", said Gimenez.
According to Beckham, money from the private sector will be used to build the stadium.
"We don’t want public funding. We will fund the stadium ourselves", Beckham said. "We want to create a soccer team, a football club that is the people’s football club, it’s as simple as that."
Gimenez says he wants to decide on a stadium site as quickly as possible.