[nas] FW: Kroenke qoute sheet (LONG)

> MLS PRESS CONFERENCE/TELECONFERENCE CALL - September 23, 2003
> 
> In a press conference held Tuesday, September 23, 2003, Major League Soccer
> Commissioner Don Garber introduced the League's newest investor-operator,
> Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports Enterprises, at the Pepsi Center in Denver,
> Colorado. Kroenke Sports announced the purchase of MLS' Colorado Rapids
> soccer team from Anschutz Entertainment Group and the organization's plans
> to build a new stadium for the club which currently plays at Invesco Field
> at Mile High. 
> 
> 
> 
> Today's guests:  
> 
> Major League Soccer Commissioner - Don Garber
> 
> Kroenke Sports Enterprises Executive Vice President - David Ehrlich
> 
> Anschutz Entertainment Group President & CEO - Tim Leiweke
> 
> Colorado Rapids General Manager - Dan Counce
> 
> Colorado Rapids Captain and Forward - John Spencer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DON GARBER opening comments:
> 
> "Major League Soccer was founded by a number of men who had a clear vision
> for what they thought professional soccer could be in this country -- how
> they could create a league that would capture all of the exciting changes
> that are going on socially and demographically with the explosion of youth
> soccer and the explosion of different ethnic groups that are playing the
> world's game. 
> 
> 
> 
> "People like Lamar Hunt, a man who founded the American Football League and
> is the only man to be in two professional sports Halls of Fame, the Pro
> Football Hall of Fame and the Soccer Hall of Fame.
> 
> 
> 
> "Robert Kraft, who's involved in owning the New England Patriots and a man
> who is a key driver of the National Football League.
> 
> 
> 
> "But also a man that's so well known to all of you here in Denver and a man
> who has a vision for sport and about what sport can really mean in our
> communities and what sport can really mean in changing the lives of our
> young people. That man is Phil Anschutz. He has run with us against the tide
> to try to make professional soccer one of the five major sports in this
> country and to try to have a league that can capture and take all of that
> excitement that's been bottled up in this sport at so many different levels.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Now we're here to announce today that we're ready to add a new pioneer to
> the vision of soccer in America, as Phil Anschutz and the Anschutz
> Entertainment Group sell the rights to the Colorado Rapids to Kroenke
> Sports. We're very excited to welcome Stan (Kroenke) and Dave Ehrlich and
> Charlie Wright to the family. We're very, very excited about what they can
> bring to building the sport in this country. If you just look around you in
> this room at all the things that have been done with professional sports in
> this town, it's just overwhelming to us to know that we have a group with
> that power and that vision to help us to continue to grow the sport of
> professional soccer in the United States."
> 
> 
> 
> TIM LEIWEKE opening comments:
> 
> "This is a day with a lot of mixed feelings for Phil Anschutz and AEG
> (Anschutz Entertainment Group). The Rapids were our first franchise in Major
> League Soccer. It's the reason we're in the sport and the reason we're so
> committed and passionate toward the future of this sport. To have this team
> and the employees and the players leave our family is really something we
> had to think long and hard about. We are very grateful to Dan Counce, Coach
> Tim Hankinson, the players and the front office of the Rapids. You've all
> done a phenomenal job and we're going to miss having you in our family.
> 
> 
> 
> "At the same time if you look at the best interest of this franchise and
> soccer in not only Denver but the state of Colorado, it's clear that the
> Kroenke Sports Group can come in and offer strategies and support and
> synergies that we at AEG can't offer. The Rapids were a stand alone
> proposition for us, one of six franchises we own in Major League Soccer. Our
> focus was in the areas where we had other properties. We couldn't find a
> better partner than Stan Kroenke and Dave and Charlie and the rest of the
> group (Kroenke Sports) here. There are still a lot of people in this
> organization (Kroenke Sports) that I had the great privilege of working with
> while I was in Denver. In my opinion this is the organization (Kroenke
> Sports Enterprises) I most admire and respect in all of professional sports.
> It'll be interesting. They beat our head (AEG) in with hockey. We like to
> beat their head in with basketball. Now we have a third sport to settle the
> score. The only difference is that we have five teams and they have one. I
> like our odds right now but the way they're playing (Colorado Rapids) who
> knows. 
> 
> 
> 
> "We again will be a part of this League going forward. We believe in the
> future of Major League Soccer. There are other announcements in the near
> future that the Commissioner has been working on diligently with his staff.
> We couldn't be more excited about MLS. And to show you the future and hope
> of this League I think all you have to do is look at that fact that we've
> been able to add the Kroenke Group as owners and we're able to put the
> Colorado Rapids in such great hands. I don't think the future has ever
> looked brighter for the Rapids. To the staff, the coach and the players -
> thank you. You guys have been great and you've been an important part of our
> family. On behalf of Mr. Anschutz he wants to send a big thank you to all of
> you. This is his home team and you've served him well. We wish you nothing
> but the best of luck in the future. To the Kroenke Group we say welcome.
> We're honored to have you. We look forward to working with you in building
> the sport of soccer."
> 
> 
> 
> DAVID EHRLICH opening comments:
> 
> "It's really an honor to be here today and, when you talk about visionaries
> in sports, the people you really talk about are AEG, led by Tim (Leiweke)
> and Mr. Anschutz. So we are very, very proud today to be part of this. I
> think it was probably one of the worst kept secrets in Colorado sports the
> past couple of weeks as we've been talking, and it's very exciting for us to
> announce the acquisition of the team.
> 
> 
> 
> "It's really just Step One, though, and the most important things are
> coming. The main thing we are going to do next is we are going to
> immediately start looking for a site on which to build a soccer-specific,
> state-of-the-art new stadium, a new home for the Rapids. We've been down to
> The Home Depot Center and seen what AEG has done there. It's a beautiful
> stadium and we think it's something we want to do out in Colorado. I think
> what's important, though, and what we see from them, is that we want to
> couple that with a massive investment in youth soccer development. I think
> the two go hand in hand. We're very excited about putting together a
> state-of-the-art facility for the professional team but at the same time
> investing in the youth in Colorado and really trying to build the sport from
> the ground up. I think the Rapids have started that and we're very eager to
> take that on and grow it even more.
> 
> 
> 
> "This is really a great day for us to be a part of this group and we're
> very, very excited about taking the next step. I'd actually like to
> introduce Dan Counce, who's now our new GM, and we're very happy to have him
> in the KSE family."
> 
> 
> 
> DAN COUNCE opening comments
> 
> "It's a really exciting time for us. Not too many teams in their history
> have an opportunity to be owned by Phil Anschutz and Stan Kroenke, two
> visionaries in the sports and entertainment business today. We're really,
> really excited. The possibility of a soccer-specific stadium for us in
> Denver in the near future is one of the components that make us really
> enthused. We know that this is an important part in the development of the
> sport going forward and for Colorado to get into the fray of a new stadium
> very quickly is really an exciting thing.
> 
> 
> 
> "I would like to recognize our Coach Tim Hankinson. He is in his third
> season coaching us and as you know we had a rough start to the season but
> we've turned it around and the team is playing entertaining, fun soccer and
> I can't wait to see that in a new stadium.
> 
> 
> 
> "Personally, I have mixed emotions. I have been with Phil Anschutz now for
> seven or eight years and have developed a lot of respect for the man and
> organization and I've been working with Tim (Leiweke) during that time. It's
> a sad time but it's really exciting going forward to be joining the Kroenke
> Group, particularly in Colorado and Denver - they have an organization that
> is the best in our area. All you have to do is look out the window to see
> the commitment they've made to our community and the impact they've had on
> the entertainment and sports scene here. The Rapids are very privileged and
> excited to be a part of that. We're very enthused to add to the development
> of the sports and entertainment business for the Kroenke Sports
> organization. We're really excited and ready to go. Our staff is all here
> and I'd like to recognize the current staff and previous people who have
> worked for the Rapids who have played a big part in us being able to develop
> this franchise to a point where we can get an organization such as the
> Kroenke Group to want to step forward, purchase the team and build a stadium
> for us. I want to congratulate everyone for a great job."
> 
> 
> 
> JOHN SPENCER opening comments:
> 
> "I think it's a great day for soccer in America, not only just in Denver.
> Hearing the news today that we're going to have a soccer-specific stadium is
> excellent news for all of the players and everybody connected with the
> soccer side of things. I think having the chance to play under the Anschutz
> Entertainment Group has been fantastic. They always looked after the players
> and I'm sure the players really appreciate it. But having landed on our feet
> today, to go from the Anschutz Group to another big massive sports
> organization like the Kroenke Group, I don't think you realize how lucky the
> players feel. 
> 
> 
> 
> "I would just like to say thanks very much to the Anschutz Group for what
> they've done in the past for the players and the team. We really appreciate
> it. Congratulations to the Kroenke Group for purchasing one of the top teams
> in Major League Soccer. I heard a little rumor that when Kroenke buys a
> team, they win the championship, so I hope we're going to deliver one this
> year."
> 
> 
> 
> EHRLICH on stadium plans:
> 
> "We've just started the process in terms of where we're looking. Downtown is
> one alternative. We want to be in the metro Denver area but we want to be
> flexible because there are a lot of communities out there that might be a
> great fit for us."
> 
> 
> 
> LEIWEKE on the impact of a soccer specific stadium on the Los Angeles
> Galaxy:
> 
> "Based on what we've seen at The Home Depot Center, what we can tell you is
> that we built an intimate stadium. We have 27,000 seats out there, we
> average 22,000 and we had 23,000 the other night. The energy that our
> players feel from that crowd and the emotion the crowd generates by being in
> a small, soccer-specific stadium right on the field gives it a very European
> feel to the game. I've always felt that what we have missed in this country,
> and it's no offense to Invesco because it's a great place to play soccer and
> it's one of the most beautiful facilities in all of sports in North America.
> But the reality is that when you put 20,000 people into a 60,000 seat
> stadium it's very hard to get the atmosphere and emotion. And soccer more
> than any other sport thrives off the emotion of the crowd. The crowd is more
> involved in this game than any sport we're involved with or that I've ever
> seen. If you don't create the right environment in the right facility, then
> you can't create that enthusiasm for the fans and without that enthusiasm
> you're missing half the sport.
> 
> 
> 
> "At The Home Depot Center we've seen an amazing turn in the passion of our
> fans and the support and the media coverage and obviously in the economics.
> We're a break-even proposition which is pretty amazing this day in soccer in
> this country. The experience of coming to a soccer specific stadium now for
> the fans has given them that European feel and flavor that has changed the
> dynamics of the game and the experience of coming out to that sporting
> event. 
> 
> 
> 
> "So I think it's critical that all of our teams are committed to that
> vision. I think it's one of the things we were excited about with the
> Kroenke Group which is that they were focused on that opportunity. Clearly
> we're as equally focused on that opportunity in New York, Washington, D.C.
> and Chicago where we have teams as well and where we intend on building
> soccer specific stadiums to join Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles and Columbus so
> that the whole League has that atmosphere and that feeling every place you
> go."
> 
> 
> 
> EHRLICH on what the Kroenke Sports Group takes from The Home Depot Center:
> 
> "The Home Depot Center is one of the most impressive facilities I've ever
> seen in my life. But the focus that we took from it was the beautiful
> stadium and the youth development facility. When you drive up toward the
> stadium and there are six-year-olds playing in one field and 12-year-olds
> and 16-year-olds playing all the way up to the professional stadium. It's
> incredibly compelling not just from a business standpoint but also from a
> community partner standpoint. So if we're going to take a lesson from that
> it's not really in terms of other sports (hosted) like tennis but it is in
> terms of creating that youth component."
> 
> 
> 
> GARBER on the significance of The Home Depot Center:
> 
> "We call The Home Depot Center the cathedral for soccer in America. It's not
> about the suites. It's not about the beautiful pitch and it's not about the
> fact that it is appropriately sized. But it's all of those things together
> that celebrate the sport. What soccer needs in this country is to have these
> beacons that can drive the growth of the sport and bring new people to it.
> At the end of the day the sport is very successful at the youth level and
> very successful at other levels. And to make it successful professionally,
> we as a League need to be that focal point - the portal which the rest of
> the sport comes through. The way to do that is with a home.
> 
> 
> 
> "If you look at the Pepsi Center here today and the experience that people
> have with the teams that play here is different than before this facility
> was built. You look at baseball before Camden Yards was built or at football
> with the new stadiums like Gillette Stadium that are being built. It just
> changes the people's perception about the sport. It speaks about stability,
> viability and celebration and that's why we're committed to do that in each
> one of our markets both current and future markets."
> 
> 
> 
> GARBER on the impact of soccer-specific stadiums:
> 
> "Our highest attended market on average until The Home Depot Center was
> built was Columbus, Ohio - the first soccer-specific stadium built in
> America in a market that was selected because we believed that the sport
> needed these facilities to bring people together and give them a home ... I
> believe whole-heartedly that if you build it they will come and it's proven
> to be that way. Tim (Leiweke) has competition in Los Angeles and have
> exceeded their goals (Galaxy's) in terms of what the team has been able to
> attract coming out of the Rose Bowl. So the model has proven to work. The
> skeptics won't think it will but we've proven the skeptics wrong in just
> about every one of the strategic decisions that we've made over the last
> couple of years."
> 
> 
> 
> LEIWEKE on the future of soccer and soccer-specific stadiums:
> 
> "People see soccer today and they make assumptions on whether or not a
> soccer specific stadium will work in a place like Denver based on today. The
> sport is going to continue to grow. It is the world's most popular sport and
> it is a religion everywhere in the world and it's changing dramatically
> here. It is a dominant force within our youth who are playing the game
> today.
> 
> 
> 
> "Denver is the largest growing Hispanic population in all of this country
> today and if you look at the Hispanic marketplace soccer is by far their
> most passionate sport. I think with the additional teams that will be coming
> into our league in the next couple of years and with our homegrown talent
> proving that they are some of the finest players in the world, I think not
> only are you going to see soccer continue to grow but I don't think you're
> going to see that in other sports. I think soccer has huge growth potential
> and baseball is at a ceiling. I don't think you go out to the playgrounds
> today and see them full of kids playing baseball.
> 
> 
> 
> "So at the end of the day I believe this is a good bet for the future. You
> can't look at attendance today but you have to look at the attendance 10
> years from now. There is no question that we have the best professional
> growth sport in our country and I also think there is going to be a day in
> time that the United States wins the World Cup and when we do we're going to
> have stars, athletes and players in our League that are going to be renowned
> not just in this country but everywhere in the world. And I don't think
> we're that far away. When you see a Landon Donovan and some of the great
> players this country is developing, you sense that not only we are being
> competitive on world stage but from an attendance standpoint this sport is
> close to breaking through in every place in this country. Los Angeles is
> just one more example of how that has occurred."
> 
> 
> 
> EHRLICH on competition on the Denver sports landscape:
> 
> "Our experience in the past year when we brought on the Mammoth and the
> Crush there was a question about the fact that we already have a lot of
> sports teams here. We proceeded to sell out both teams. What that shows is
> that if you can provide compelling, affordable family-friendly entertainment
> for people these days you will draw."
> 
> 
> 
> GARBER on past MLS team sales and what this sale means for MLS:
> 
> "Let me start by saying there was a team that was sold. Marc Rapaport was
> the original owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy and sold that team to Phil
> Anschutz in 1998. The last sale in our League was in 1998 when we expanded
> and Ken Horowitz came in and bought the Miami Fusion. So this is a tipping
> point, if you will, that we have a team that is being sold because of the
> value that it can represent to the investor and how that investor, in this
> case Kroenke Sports, sees the team integrating into their other holdings and
> how it can be utilized to help develop their relationship with the community
> and also have an asset that will appreciate in value. So it is a very
> positive thing for us.
> 
> 
> 
> "We have nothing but good things to say about Invesco Field. It's a great
> facility. It's a great football stadium. It's not an appropriate-sized
> facility for the future of soccer in America. The future of soccer is about
> soccer-specific stadiums. It's certainly about the continued development of
> our players and the continued addition of investors and staff with passion.
> But, at the end of the day we've got to build stadiums that are appropriate
> for our sport and we now have a new investor here in Denver that's committed
> to doing that, so it's a very exciting moment."
> 
> 
> 
> -- www.MLSnet.com <http://www.mlsnet.com/>  --
> 


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