Senate Approves Altered Stadium Bill
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Senate has voted in favor of an amended version of House Bill 1273. The bill calls for $20 million in renovations to Carroll Stadium, the current home of Indy Eleven Professional Soccer on the campus of IUPUI. It now heads to conference committee.
April 9, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indiana Senate voted 46-3 today in favor of an amended version of House Bill 1273, which would lay the framework to secure an 18,000-seat multipurpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis. The stadium would serve as a permanent home for all Indy Eleven Professional Soccer games and potentially more than 30 other sports and entertainment events to be held every year on the Indiana University campus of IUPUI.
“We are thrilled that the Senate’s vote today furthers our goal to secure a proper stadium for ‘the World’s Game’ and all of its passionate supporters from across Indiana,” said Peter Wilt, president and general manager of Indy Eleven. “We look forward to building on this momentum with our partners at Indiana University and IUPUI and working towards a venue plan that will do the City and State proud while boosting Indiana’s economy for all Hoosiers.”
HB 1273 was filed by Indiana State Representative Todd Huston (Fishers – District 37) to extend a sports and entertainment development area to include a future stadium site and a new downtown Indianapolis hotel to be developed by the owner of Indy Eleven for the purpose of reinforcing stadium finances. The multipurpose stadium bill received strong bipartisan support from the Indiana House by a vote of 74-21.
The cost of the project would still be financed through user fees captured at the stadium and, if necessary, the afore-mentioned downtown hotel project.
Now that the legislation has been approved by the Indiana Senate, a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers will work to finalize legislation for a stadium located on the campus of IUPUI that would be owned by Indiana University and have $20 million of its financing allocated by the State of Indiana.
“We appreciate the thoughtful consideration of the stadium bill by the Senate and their efforts to help create a fiscally responsible solution for a multipurpose stadium in Indianapolis,” said Ersal Ozdemir, owner of Indy Eleven. “The potential to partner with Indiana University to create a first-division-quality stadium that honors the rich heritage of soccer in the Hoosier State is being met with tremendous enthusiasm by our fans.”
ABOUT INDY ELEVEN
After selling out all 14 home games of its 2014 Inaugural Season in the North American Soccer League (NASL), a professional soccer league based in the United States and Canada, Indy Eleven is now preparing for its second season beginning in April 2015. The squad contests its home games at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on the campus of IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis, where an average of nearly 10,500 fans helped Indy Eleven lead the growing league in attendance during its first season.
Born Indy Pro Soccer after launching as the 11th member of the North American Soccer League on January 16, 2013, Indy Eleven established its identity 99 days later on the 152nd anniversary of the establishment of the 11th Indiana Regiment during the Civil War on April 25, 1861. The mission of Indy Eleven – “To win championships with and for the community” – stays true to its aim of fielding a team that will represent Indiana proudly on and off the field.
Source: Indy Eleven, Bose Public Affairs Group