SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The dream of Major League Soccer in Sacramento is still alive as a Canadian investment group is in talks with the Sacramento Republic FC to get a bid into the MLS.
“We are hungry for Major League Soccer,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “We and I, as the city's mayor have never given up on Major League Soccer. We just been relatively quiet about it over the last year out of necessity.”
The Stronach Group is an entertainment and real estate company in North America. The group is well-known for owning many horse racing venues including Santa Anita Park and the soon to be closing Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area.
“They have had an incredible track record in business,” said Steinberg. “Belinda Stronach herself is a former public servant, a member of the Canadian Parliament.”
The group’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer released a statement:
“We were made aware of this opportunity some time ago and have been exploring this and have had good discussions with the various stakeholders, including City officials, Sacramento Republic FC, and the league,” said Kevin Gilmore, EVP and Chief Operating Officer of The Stronach Group. “This is the type of investment that is of interest to us as we look to add to our existing sports and entertainment portfolio. However, the dynamics of exploring such an opportunity require that we refrain from discussing this broadly in the media.”
Sacramento Republic FC Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle praised the group in the following statement:
“As I have said all along, I have been steadfastly pursuing any and all options, including MLS, with the ultimate goal of serving our amazing SRFC fans and Sacramento community."
“Not for one second have I stopped our due diligence, research, as well as partnering with Mayor Steinberg and the city to ensure Sacramento gets all it deserves. I have said from the beginning Sacramento is a major league city. We have checked every box and continue to demonstrate that we are more than ready to go to the next level."
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for The Stronach Group and am encouraged by the tenor of our conversations. And out of respect for those conversations and the sensitive nature of what is an ongoing process, I have no further comment at this time, other than to say I am incredibly motivated and excited for the future of soccer in Sacramento and the region.”
The city has had problems finding an investor with deep pockets after investor Ron Burkle backed out due to reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a fan of Sacramento Republic FC for 10 years, we have gone through this roller coaster of emotions,” said Krissie Goetez, Sacramento Republic FC fan.
Goetez adds while she is excited for latest news, she has lost some hope Sacramento will ever go to the MLS.
“I'm still learning. I'm still reading, I'm still trying to figure out, what is what is this group's intention,” said Goetez. “It's really hard to control the emotions. You want to hope for the best. But you want to also be realistic at the same time and let's see what this group does.”
Mayor Steinberg says building an MLS stadium should not be too difficult. But the big hurdle will be when the Stronach Group negotiates with Major League Soccer.
Thus far, no timeline has been released.
The hope is to turn a portion of the Railyards in downtown Sacramento into an MLS stadium. In 2017, a Downtown Sacramento Partnership report estimated a $1.25 billion economic impact if it happened.
