Difference between revisions of "General Timeline of Events"

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'''August 10, 2018:''' MLS approves another deadline extension to PSV. [https://twitter.com/imdanielsalazar/status/1027991827922800641 Twitter]
 
'''August 10, 2018:''' MLS approves another deadline extension to PSV. [https://twitter.com/imdanielsalazar/status/1027991827922800641 Twitter]
  
'''August 15, 2018:''' Austin City Council "voted 7-4 to allow the investor/operator of Columbus Crew SC to privately finance a $200 million stadium at McKalla Place in exchange for the city-owned land". Source [https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local-govt--politics/austin-city-council-votes-yes-mls-mckalla-place/nsM6yKWS6u3g7CC66KXFXJ/ Statesman]
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'''August 15, 2018:''' Austin City Council voted 7-4 to "authorize the negotiation and execution of agreements with Precourt Sports Ventures". Source [https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/live-austin-city-council-decides-future-of-mls-stadium/1372523233 KXAN]
  
 
'''August 22, 2018:''' Travis County commissioners unanimously voted to “authorize the county attorney to preserve the county’s right to challenge the tax-exempt status of the stadium company’s use of city property.” Source [https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local-govt--politics/travis-county-plans-challenge-tax-exempt-status-mls-stadium/3FinX5cQ4FlC7ysWCOuq6M/ Statesman]
 
'''August 22, 2018:''' Travis County commissioners unanimously voted to “authorize the county attorney to preserve the county’s right to challenge the tax-exempt status of the stadium company’s use of city property.” Source [https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local-govt--politics/travis-county-plans-challenge-tax-exempt-status-mls-stadium/3FinX5cQ4FlC7ysWCOuq6M/ Statesman]

Revision as of 00:42, 26 August 2018

2013

March 12 – Sunday, March 17, 2013: According to a letter to Austin City Council, dated June 18, 2018, MLS Commissioner Garber reportedly met with Mr. Foley, Co-Managing Partner, Austin Sports & Entertainment about MLS coming to Austin, Texas prior to the Columbus Crew SC being sold to Mr. Precourt with the secret ‘Austin out clause’. Source AustinTexas.gov

July 30, 2013: Precourt purchases Columbus Crew and commits to keeping the team in Columbus to Mayor Michael Coleman. Source Dispatch

July 31, 2013: Don Garber announces that MLS will expand to 24 teams by 2020 at halftime of the MLS All-Star Game. Source MLS Soccer.com

2014

November 26, 2014: Crew signs partnership with a new United Soccer Leagues soccer team, the Austin Aztex, ending its affiliation with the Dayton Dutch Lions. Source Dispatch

2015

March 3, 2015: Columbus Crew SC makes historic club announcement revealing a stadium naming rights partnership for its stadium. Mapfre Insurance, a Spanish based global insurance provider has had regional offices in Columbus since 1999 after purchasing Automobile Club Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, a company founded in 1947. Source YouTube and Mapfre Insurance

November 2, 2015: Mark Abbott, deputy commissioner of MLS, meets with San Antonio officials and states that there would not be franchise located in both Austin and San Antonio. Source Crew Not Done Yet

November 4, 2015: San Antonio approves purchase of Toyota Field based on information from MLS officials. Source Crew Not Done Yet

December 6, 2015: Major League Soccer announces future expansion to 28 teams at Board of Governors meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the day of the MLS Cup between Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew SC. Source MLS Soccer

2016

February 10, 2016: Columbus Crew SC launch For Columbus kits (team uniforms) inspired by the Columbus city flag at a media event hosted by the City of Columbus and featuring Mayor Andrew Ginther. Source YouTube

July 14, 2016: Anthony Precourt states, "I’m a new member of the MLS expansion committee". Source Dispatch

August 23, 2016: Anthony Precourt emphasizes commitment to Columbus and the importance of civic pride and the community as well as the Top 4 selling kits in MLS. Source Massive Report

September 29, 2016: Charles Altcheck, special assistant to the commissioner, emails Mayor Adler about research in Austin. Emails between Mayor’s office, Altcheck & Mark Abbott, Deputy Commissioner, continue for the next 6 months. Source Dispatch

October 17-20, 2016: Columbus Crew SC announces the hiring of Barrett Sports Group (now CAA Icon) to perform surveys of fans and the business community in central Ohio. Source Columbus Business First and Columbus Business First

October 25, 2016: Anthony Precourt tells Dispatch reporter Adam Jardy, “I’m tired of the insecurities. We’re playing for Columbus”. Source Twitter

November 8, 2016: Anthony Precourt tweets from Major League Soccer’s NYC league offices. Source Twitter

November 2016: Dan Barrett of Barrett Sports Group emails Mayor Adler’s office about surveys being conducted to gauge business and community interest. Source Dispatch

2017

February 2017: Dan Barrett emails Mayor Adler’s office referencing San Antonio expansion bid after the official expansion submissions are published on January 31, 2017. Source Dispatch & SI

February 24, 2017: Columbus Crew SC signs historic 3 year sponsorship agreement with Acura/Honda, a company with over 13,500 Ohio employees, established in Marysville, Ohio in 1982. Acura's Business Planning Office is headquartered in Marysville and central Ohio is where 5 of the 6 Acura models are manufactured. Source Columbus Crew SC, Dayton Business Journal, Acura Columbus

March 14, 2017: Anthony Precourt attends South by Southwest interview of Don Garber by Grant Wahl. Source YouTube

March 15, 2017: Mayor Adler emails Don Garber to ask for ideas on what city can do since not on the expansion list. Garber responds, “You Got It”. Source Dispatch

May 26, 2017: Anthony Precourt likes this tweet from Merritt Paulson, owner of the Portland Timbers FC MLS team: "Exactly 10 yrs ago, we moved to Portland. Been a lot of work, change and fun. One of best decisions I have made. Here's to the next decade!". Source Twitter

June 10, 2017: Dave Greeley of PSV interacts with Austin supporter groups on twitter. Source Twitter

August 3, 2017: Columbus Crew SC 2018 season tickets are promoted. Source Columbus Business First

August 7, 2017: Don Garber produces letter authorizing lobbyist to solely represent MLS in Austin. Source Twitter

August 8, 2017: MLS registers Austin FC and Austin Athletic as trademarks. Source USPTO and Source USPTO

August 10, 2017: Columbus Crew SC 2018 season tickets are available for purchase. Source Columbus Crew SC

August 15, 2017: Multiple lobbyists file with the City of Austin as clients of Major League Soccer. Source AustinTexas.gov

August 18, 2017: PSV registers mls2atx.com for a future “community of supporters” website. Source Whois

October 16, 2017: Columbus Crew head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter notifies veteran players of potential relocation. Source The Athletic

October 16, 2017: Grant Wahl tweets that Anthony Precourt is pursuing a relocation of the Columbus Crew. Source Twitter

October 17, 2017: Columbus Crew SC conducts a media conference call with a remote Anthony Precourt about relocation. Source Columbus Crew SC

November 9, 2017: mls2atx twitter account shares multiple tweets with "Columbus, Ohio" as the location. Sources Twitter and Reddit

November 15, 2017: MLS and PSV meets with Columbus leaders in New York City. Source USA Today

November 17, 2017: MLS responds to San Antonio’s Judge Wolff inquiries. Source ScribD

November 21, 2017: Attendees at Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC playoff game document parking lot safety issues. Source YouTube

December 7, 2017: San Antonio Judge Nelson Wolff publishes report documenting potentially fraudulent MLS expansion process. Source Austin Sports Law Blog

December 12, 2017: 8 Possible sites identified and submitted to Austin Parks Department. Source AustinTexas.gov

2018

January 24, 2018: MLS2ATX accuses Columbus fans of manipulating Austin politics. Source Email sent by MLS2ATX

January 25, 2018: Don Garber acknowledges existence of Anthony Precourt’s Austin clause in an interview with Grant Wahl. Source SI

March 13, 2018: PSV releases "Commitment to the Community" letter. Source MLS2ATX

March 19, 2018: Multiple economists provide feedback on PSV's community benefits proposal. Angelou Economics provides feedback on "its own independent study". Source Statesman

March 22, 2018: Parkland is removed from consideration after City of Austin proposes a resolution to remove all public parkland from the potential site list. Source AustinTexas.gov

March 22, 2018: Austin City Manager is directed to produce a report about McKalla Place. Source AustinTexas.gov

April 20, 2018: Anthony Precourt changes his twitter bio to change the word “owner” to “investor:operator and chairman” less than one day after the MLS Motion to Dismiss argues that MLS, not PSV, owns the team. Source Twitter

May 11, 2018: Columbus Public Health finds eight of nine concession stands have violations ranging from unsafe food storage to mouse droppings. Source 10TV

May 15, 2018: Columbus Crew SC announces that the Academy is discontinuing Under-12 and Under-13 teams. Source Twitter

May 17, 2018: Dave Greeley, President of PSV states: "There is not, over 22 years of fact and history, broad-based community support in Columbus and there is very poor corporate support, based upon facts and history." He then referred to naming rights going to Spanish insurance company Mapfre and jersey logo rights going to Japanese car maker Acura. Mapfre (dba ACIC) has had a presence in Columbus since 1947, and Acura (dba Honda) has been in central Ohio since 1982. Source Austin Business Journal

May 23, 2018: Bobby Epstein, Co-owner of Circuit of the America, met with PSV to discuss using COTA. Meeting was confirmed by Dave Greeley of PSV but Epstein says there is "no need for them to have further conversations if they get free land with no taxes”. Source Austin Monitor

June 1, 2018: City Report produced in compliance with Ordinance 20180322-099. This is also the date the PSV published an unsolicited proposal. Source AustinTexas.gov and Source MLS2ATX

June 13, 2018: Reports from Sacramento Bee that Sacramento may be Precourt’s second option. Source Sacramento Bee

June 15, 2018: PSV published ad claiming unsolicited proposal is in compliance with Ordinance 20180322-099. Source MLS2ATX

June 20, 2018: Richard Suttle, MLS and PSV lobbyist, states “If we have to wait for months to see if McKalla is going to work or not, then I think we have no other option but to look to other cities. The decision may not be made by Precourt. He wants to be in Austin. The decision may be made for him by the league.” Source Statesman

June 21, 2018: Dave Greeley, President of PSV, acknowledges that the survey of 3,645 respondents are more “fishing where the fish are” than a representative sample. Source FourFourTwo

June 27, 2018: "Texas open government lawyer Bill Aleshire sent a letter to the Austin City Attorney raising several arguments for a competitive bidding process at McKalla Place". Source Twitter

June 27, 2018: PSV releases results of a commissioned "social impact study" conducted by Angelou Economics. Source Twitter

June 28, 2018: Austin City Council approve two items related to Mckalla Place, one to solicit plans from other developers and one to negotiate with PSV. Source AustinTexas.gov & AustinTexas.gov

June 29, 2018: Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership makes statement about PSV. "It is strikingly eerie. The approach style is similar: demands, disjointed communication and an inability to generate collaboration." Source ESPN

July 6, 2018: Richard Suttle, Austin attorney representing PSV, makes statement about the "really good offer", timeline, and other "options" available for "Anthony". Source Austin Monitor

July 8, 2018: Beckham Group releases renderings of 25,000 seat stadium & multi-use development. The group "would pay $4 million to $5 million in rent to the city annually and pay state, county, city and school board taxes on 73 acres of rezoned land, an estimated $44 million in new annual taxes across all jurisdictions". Source Miami Herald

July 10, 2018: Columbus Crew SC Academy Boys U18/19 team wins the 3rd Place game in U.S. Soccer Development Championships. Two Crew affiliated teams qualified for the playoffs in the U16/17 age group and two qualified for the playoffs in the U18/19 age group. Source US Soccer Development Academy

July 13, 2018: Miami City Commission postpones the commission vote to July 18, 2018 on whether or not to place the Beckham Group's soccer stadium project on the November 2018 ballot. Source Miami Herald

July 22, 2018: Writer for MLSSoccer.com tweets, "[i]t is incredibly, undeniably obvious that Precourt is suppressing attendance numbers, etc. There are half-empty stadiums across the league where reported attendance is 15-20k, yet the Crew routinely report thousands less." Source Twitter

July 27, 2018: Terms sheet released by City of Austin containing additional details of negotiations resulting from Resolution 130. Source AustinTexas.gov

July 31, 2018: MLS Commissioner, Don Garber, says "We're not racing against any deadlines" when asked about the Columbus-Austin situation. Source Twitter

August 2, 2018: Questions linger from Austin City Council over proposed terms including transportation plan, affordable housing plan, property taxes, and financing. Source Community Impact

August 2, 2018: After the August 1 special Austin City Council meeting, council members provide additional questions and feedback including a comparison of the terms between Miami and Austin. Source AustinTexas.gov

August 3, 2018: Richard Suttle, lobbyist for PSV, claims that MLS has a tight timeline in spite of comments from the MLS Commissioner just days before. Source Austin Chronicle

August 6, 2018: "Save the Crew reveals plans for a new stadium near downtown Columbus". Source ABC6

August 9, 2018: City of Austin posted a revised term sheet to be voted upon at the regular council meeting. Source Community Impact

August 10, 2018: Austin City Council elects to delay voting until Wednesday, August 15 after Richard Suttle, lobbyist for PSV admits, "We blundered" by including MLS Academy in the community benefits package, an amount that is approximately 50% of the benefits. Source TheAthletic

August 10, 2018: MLS approves another deadline extension to PSV. Twitter

August 15, 2018: Austin City Council voted 7-4 to "authorize the negotiation and execution of agreements with Precourt Sports Ventures". Source KXAN

August 22, 2018: Travis County commissioners unanimously voted to “authorize the county attorney to preserve the county’s right to challenge the tax-exempt status of the stadium company’s use of city property.” Source Statesman

August 22, 2018: "On Wednesday night, at an event in Austin, Precourt Sports Ventures (PSV) revealed the brand identity for Austin FC, a potential MLS club". Source MLS Soccer

August 23, 2018: Current Columbus Crew employees spotted in Austin, Texas for the branding announcement. Source Twitter

August 24, 2018: San Antonio Mayer Ron Nirenberg states “I still don’t think that this is a done deal”. Source [https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2018/08/24/mls-in-austin-not-a-done-deal-sa-mayor-says.html San Antonio Business Journal