Will Austin get a major league soccer team? I certainly hope so. But, like so many other things in life, only time will tell.
Almost a million people live in Austin, TX. I’m one of them. The city, which was once known primarily as a college town (home to the world-renowned University of Texas at Austin), is that and a whole lot more.
Today, Austin is major league in all ways except one: it doesn’t have a major league sports team.
We all know that soccer is a huge international sport, but we also know that it has never rivaled other professional sports in America. That could be changing, especially because of concerns regarding long-term health issues associated with football and America’s changing demographics.
Always popular with youth, it’s also clear that there’s room for soccer popularity to grow. The World Cup is one reason. The Olympics is another. And major sports networks, including ESPN and FOX, are devoting more coverage to international pro leagues, like the English Premier League.
It all adds up. When I go out on the town I see a lot more people wearing soccer jerseys.
If pro soccer came to Austin it would provide an opportunity to bring families together through a sport their kids play. Just think how much fun it would be for youth teams to make field trips to see their local pro team play? And there are more than enough fans in the Austin region to fill a 20, 000-seat stadium. Merchandise would fly off the shelves.
There’s talk that the Columbus Crew SC might move to Austin. In the meantime, Austin’s City Council is looking at three stadium locations: Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, Roy Guerrero Metropolitan Park, and McKalla Place.
Will Austin get a major league soccer team? I certainly hope so. But, like so many other things in life, time will tell.
