MIAMI (CelebrityAccess) — Miami Beckham United, a consortium led by former footballer David Beckham's bid to launch a new Miami-based Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise scored a win this week after Dade County commissioners signed off on a $9 million real estate deal for land for a proposed stadium.
According to the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade commissioners voted 9-4 to approve the deal that paves the way for Beckham's group to acquire the final 3 acres of the 9-acre plot of land in Miami's Overtown neighborhood where they hope to build a stadium.
Beckham and company next must seek approval from the city of Miami to actually build the stadium, which will be financed entirely through private contributions.
Miami Beckham United is led by David Beckham, his business partner Simon Fuller, and includes Miami-based Bolivian businessman Marcelo Claure, American sports executive Tim Leiweke and CEO of Eldridge Industries and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly.
The consortium's bid would see a 25,000-seat stadium built on the property to serve as a host for an MLS football team, the first in Miami since the Miami Fusion dissolved in 2001 after years of low ticket sales and disappointing revenue.
"[I'm] relieved, pleased, big step forward," Oak View Group's Tim Leiweke told ESPN in a telephone interview after news of the approval from Dade County broke. "We control our own destiny now," he added. – Staff Writers
