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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Pro Soccer in the Valley a Real Goal

The first-round games of the World Cup saw the highest U.S. viewership yet – more than 18 million people – as the popularity of soccer in the states has risen steadily for years. Average Major League Soccer game attendance beats that of the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. Soccer is the third most-played sport in the country, behind football and baseball, with 13 million players nationwide. Major League Soccer, founded in 1996 on the wings of the U.S.-hosted 1994 World Cup, may have experienced a rocky start, but it has since bounced back. It is now comprised of 19 teams, and plans to expand further in the coming years. In February, the league bought the troubled Chivas USA team from owner Jorge Vergara. Major League Soccer is now looking for management and investors to rebrand the team and relocate it to a new stadium in Los Angeles. Chivas USA’s lease at the StubHub Center in Carson, where it currently shares a field with the Los Angeles Galaxy, expires at the end of the 2014 season. The team has long been on the hunt for a home of its own, and the league is now kicking the search into high gear. The Valley Industry & Commerce Association now asks the question: Why not locate the team in the San Fernando Valley? A coalition called San Fernando Valley Soccer has formed to bring Major League Soccer to the Valley, and sees an opportunity with Chivas USA. The Valley has the perfect demographics for an MLS team. Most of the people who attend soccer games in Los Angeles are second-generation Latinos and adults between the ages of 18 and 34. More than 40 percent of the Valley’s population of 1.8 million is Latino, and there are nearly 360,000 people between the ages of 18 and 34, as well as numerous families with soccer-playing children. However, there is an even more significant factor in a team’s success; revenue. The Valley and its surrounding areas have plenty of disposable income to spend on season tickets, merchandise, concessions and luxury suites, with higher annual incomes on average than Los Angeles as a whole. Many key neighborhoods, such as Simi Valley, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch and West Hills have average household incomes of more than $100,000 a year. Calabasas and Topanga are just below $200,000 in terms of median annual household incomes, while Hidden Hills, one of the wealthiest cities in the country, averages $350,000. That’s not to mention the Valley’s surrounding areas like Santa Clarita, a significantly affluent city compared to all of Los Angeles County, or Ventura County, which is on par with Santa Clarita. Moreover, the Valley has a major advantage in accessibility. Northern Los Angeles County and Ventura County are huge swaths of the population that likely wouldn’t make the trek to Downtown Los Angeles or Carson for a weeknight soccer game, but definitely would to the Valley. The Valley’s healthy business climate would work to a soccer team’s advantage. Home to numerous major corporations like the Walt Disney Co., Health Net Inc. and Anheuser-Busch Cos., the area has more than 850,000 jobs. Nearby sports stadiums are great places for entertaining clients, as well as for staff activities. Lastly, the San Fernando Valley is frequently referred to as “America’s suburb” for a reason. Most residents of the Valley and its neighboring communities are homeowners, the vast majority of which maintain family households. Sports events are popular opportunities for family bonding. The Valley is well known for its sprawling landscape, which only makes it a more optimal host for a professional sports team. There are plenty of potential locations for a soccer stadium – California State University at Northridge, the old Pratt & Whitney building in Canoga Park, and Laurel Plaza among them. Major League Soccer is looking for the right Los Angeles-based entity to give Chivas USA a new home and a new identity. The San Fernando Valley Soccer coalition encourages the league to look in our direction. Stuart Waldman is president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA), a business advocacy organization based in Sherman Oaks that represents employers throughout the Los Angeles County region at the local, state and federal levels of government. NOTE: Editor Laurence Darmiento was on vacation last week but will return with his regular commentary in the next issue.

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