David Beckham makes pitch to bring

soccer to Las Vegas

David Beckham poses for a photo with Oakland Raiders fans during a Southern Nevada
Tourism Infrastructure Committee meeting at UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, 2016.
(Brett Le Blanc/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @bleblancphoto

Former soccer star David Beckham, right, with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis, speaks on
a proposed Las Vegas domed stadium during a meeting with local government and UNLV
officials at the Stan Fulton Building at UNLV on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Erik Verduzco/Las
Vegas Review-Journal Follow @Erik_Verduzco)

David Beckham leaves a Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee meeting at UMLV
about building a domed stadium in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Brett Le Blanc/Las
Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bleblancphoto)
image

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By GILBERT MANZANO
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis wasnt the only prominent sports figure who made a pitch
to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on Thursday morning.
Soccer legend David Beckham and Davis teamed to push forward plans to build a $1.4 billion,
65,000-seat stadium that could ultimately bring the Raiders to Las Vegas.
Beckham was in attendance to provide a different perspective on the use of the stadium,
which is being proposed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Majestic Realty. Beckham has a
business and promotional relationship with Las Vegas Sands properties in China.
The former Manchester United standout made the committee aware of the possibility of
bringing European soccer clubs to Sin City for summer exhibition matches that could fill up
the stadium and turn into weeklong festivities.

To bring a great organization like the Raiders is incredible, but its bigger than that,
Beckham said. Its about the MLS (Major League Soccer) coming here, its about bringing in
the biggest European teams like Manchester United.
Tim Leiweke, the former president and chief executive of AEG, took it a step further by telling
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who is part of the committee, that the stadium could
bring a MLS franchise to the city. Goodman has long wanted the MLS in Las Vegas.
Major League Soccer and the mayor know this better than anyone. Shes been pursuing it for
a very long time, God bless you, Leiweke said. Youve had one issue here: a stadium. This
resolves that issue. And there is a qualified, quantified ownership group thats prepared to
step up and help you chase an MLS franchise.
Youre not the only one out there. As (MLS) Commissioner (Don) Garber will tell you, there
are a lot of cities now chasing those last four franchises. But with your stadium, with this
ownership group and with the might and support of the Raiders, you will never have a greater
opportunity to have an MLS team.
The American soccer league is looking to expand to 28 teams by the end of the decade. MLS
stands at 20 teams after adding Orlando City SC and New York City FC this season. The league
expands to 24 in the next few years with guarantees to Minnesota, Atlanta and a second team
in Los Angeles.
The MLS is making progress on bringing an expansion team to Miami, of which Beckham and
Leiweke are owners.
Sacramento, St. Louis, Detroit, San Diego, San Antonio, Cincinnati and Austin, Texas, have
expressed interest in getting one of the final four bids for a franchise.
Las Vegas Mayor Goodman has always been a strong supporter of bringing a Major League
Soccer expansion team to the city, said Dan Courtemanche, the MLS executive vice
president of communications. We will continue to monitor Las Vegas as a possible MLS
expansion market in the future.
The interest in Major League Soccer expansion is at an all-time high. The demand for more
teams is another strong indicator of the leagues continued growth and overall interest in our
sport.
A prospective ownership group has yet to approach the league office with a plan to bring MLS
to Las Vegas, according to Courtemanche.
Goodman jokingly asked Beckham during the meeting to join her in getting an MLS team to
Sin City. Beckham made it clear he was committed to Miami.
Beckhams Miami team is on hold until it finds a stadium. The former Los Angeles Galaxy
midfielder recently found land for his stadium after two years of failed attempts.
Great things take time, and Im starting to realize that, especially over the last few years
since we announced our ideas in Miami, Beckham told the SNTIC. So I understand that it
takes time. What you have at the end of it is something that is so special.