Irvine City Council to discuss use of Championship Soccer Stadium at meeting
The Irvine City Council will discuss two proposals at Tuesday’s meeting, one of which could lead to a partnership in which Galaxy II, the Los Angeles Galaxy’s developmental team, uses the Great Park Championship Stadium as its home field next season.
If so, that could mean displacing the current tenants, including the Orange County Soccer Club.
The 5,000-seat stadium opened in August 2017.
The first model is to remain status quo: 40 days of access for professional soccer teams and 80 days of access for community-based groups for the main stadium. Those 40 days are divided between OCSC (18 days) and Strikers FC and FC Golden State Force (22 days).
The second model is a “transition to partnership with the LA Galaxy.” Under this model, the Galaxy would use the Stadium for its reserve team, currently Galaxy II, for next season’s MLS Next Pro league. According to the proposal, the club has requested to play home games (approximately 16-18) in the Stadium.
If the City Council agrees to this second model, that would end the Memorandum of Understanding the city of Irvine has with Orange County Soccer Club. The current Memorandum of Understanding automatically renews in November for an additional two years.
Under this proposal, the Galaxy “has committed to replacing all lost revenue.” Last year, OCSC paid $195,015 to the city of Irvine for priority use of the stadium.
Friday, Orange County Soccer Club released a statement from owner James Keston regarding the situation:
“Our club is built in Irvine, 100 percent Orange County proud and now under attack. We are stunned and extremely disappointed by yesterday’s news that the city could undo all the great work we have done in soccer and in the local community in Orange County.
“OCSC has called Championship Soccer Stadium home for the past five years. It is where fans have come together to watch our team represent their community, where we have won trophies, and where local players have realized their dreams as they have risen from the academy to the pros and on to some of the largest clubs in the world.”
At its Saturday’s home against the Colorado Switchbacks, OCSC requested fans email letters of support to local Irvine elected officials and to attend the City Council meeting. Fliers handed out also read that “our club, built in Irvine and 100 percent Orange County proud is under attack.”
This is the last season the Galaxy’s developmental team will play in the USL, moving to MLS Next Pro next season. Several teams in the MLS have and are moving their reserve teams from the USL to the MLS Next Pro system, which launched its inaugural season in March, setting up a clash between MLS and USL in situations like this.
“The USL is disappointed by the news that the City of Irvine would even consider terminating Orange County SC’s tenancy at Championship Soccer Stadium in Great Park and provide exclusive use to the LA Galaxy’s developmental team,” USL president Jake Edwards said in a statement. “In response, we are working closely with OCSC to explore legal and contractual options.”
A third proposal will be up for discussion to convert the grass field inside the stadium to artificial turf, which would cost the city approximately $1.5 million.
OUR COUNTY. OUR HOME.
Press Release → https://t.co/R956CsL4wV
For More Info & Ways To Support → https://t.co/bhuG4wDdcF— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) August 5, 2022