LOS ANGELES >> Just minutes from the future home of the Los Angeles Football Club, sits a former vacant warehouse that was once a personal car museum.
Now, the building, with its simple décor of brick walls, high ceilings and natural light, is the site of the LAFC Experience Center (lafc.com/experience), the first step toward further developing their already growing fan base.
Fans have the opportunity to tour the location where they can view the latest Banc of California Stadium renderings, the various premium amenities and a virtual seat viewing area, to help fans select their seats in the 22,000 soccer-specific stadium that’s set to open when the club debuts for the 2018 Major League Soccer season.
The stadium is being built on the site of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. It is expected to bring $350 million in private investment to the South Los Angeles area.
“This rivals anything that I’ve seen in the world,” LAFC General Manager and Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations John Thorrington said of the soon-to-be completed stadium. “It is a home run location, home run stadium … I think a lot of stadiums that look like spaceships that have been planted somewhere, this really fits LA and I think that’s part of why it’s gotten such traction.”
LAFC doesn’t have a coach yet or players, but the supporter groups have already made themselves known and Saturday, an estimated 1,500 assembled near the construction site for a “Foundation Event.” Fans were allowed to sign slabs of concrete that will be placed under the center circle of the stadium.
“We appeal to so many, so that’s why we feel that we’ve got this ability really unite what is such a disparate place,” President and Owner Tom Penn said. “In part because of our location and because of our sport, we feel like we can appeal to everybody in this marketplace and this can be the place that they can come together for something bigger than themselves.
“We Kolaybet don’t have a team, but we’ve got a culture that’s growing. It has nothing to do with wins and losses, it has to do with the connectivity of these folks … 14,000 folks have signed up and we’re still 13,14 months out. There’s just tremendous connection with this sport and this vision.”
The club announced that it now has 14,000 “originals,” fans that have deposited money for season tickets.
The game-day experience could be unmatched across Major League Soccer. Of the various premium locations will be a Sunset Club, which will include a pool. Other clubs include Field Level, Founders and a Figueroa club.
The closest seat will be just 12 feet away from the touchline and it will have a roof made of ETFE plastic, which will minimize glare and reflect heat, similar to the roof of Allianz Arena in Germany, home to Bayern Munich.
“I grew up here,” Thorrington said. “And if you would have ever said there would be a soccer-specific stadium in Downtown LA, I would have said not in my lifetime. I still, when I get to the site, pinch myself because we’re changing the skyline of LA with a soccer stadium.
“This is only possible because of what’s come before us in MLS. This is now what MLS is.”
Soon the focus will be directed toward the on-field product. LAFC can sign players and recently partnered with The Orange County Soccer Club (USL) to develop players.
“We are out there searching, scouting, high, far and wide for MLS-ready players that we’re hoping to have in market in January,” Thorrington said. “We have the ability now to go and sign those players and loan them out. We’re in a very fortunate position that there’s no lack of interest in the decision-making process. We want to target the right types of players and people that we think will represent our city well and make our fans proud.
“When we talk about representing our city, part of that is that it is a city of stars. We’re not going to hide from that. We’re not doing anything that doesn’t involve competitive value and on-field quality. That’s clearly the priority. We want players that our fans are going to be really excited to watch.”
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