NFL American football franchise the Minnesota Vikings have stepped up their efforts to secure a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team for their new stadium by agreeing a partnership with the Relevent Sports agency.
Members of the Vikings ownership and management group have visited other MLS cities and venues recently and continue to have dialogue with MLS officials about securing a franchise to play in the new stadium. Slated to open in 2016, the new Vikings stadium was designed with the specifications of a professional soccer field and an MLS team in mind.
The Vikings said they are working with stadium architects and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority to design a house reduction mechanism that will bring the stadium capacity for MLS games to 20,000-25,000 seats, a reduction from the NFL capacity of 65,000.
The NFL last month awarded the 2018 Super Bowl to Minneapolis, and the partnership with Relevent Sports will aim to deliver international soccer events to the new $1bn (€735.3m) venue as well as assisting in the MLS franchise drive.
“While the Vikings have been focused on the new stadium construction and securing the Super Bowl in 2018, behind the scenes we have been very active with our MLS plans,” Vikings vice-president of public affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley said. “We believe this is an outstanding market for MLS, and the new stadium, with its phenomenal indoor-outdoor fan experience, is a great fit for soccer. We look forward to working with local grassroots soccer leaders, organisations and fans to move this effort forward.”
The Vikings’ NFL rivals the Atlanta Falcons played a key role in their city securing an MLS team in April. The Atlanta team, which will become the 22nd MLS franchise, will enter the league in 2017. Arthur Blank, who also owns the Falcons, will own the new MLS team.
The Atlanta MLS franchise will be based at a yet-to-be constructed downtown stadium. The $1bn venue will also play host to the home games of the Falcons. The 71,000-seat stadium, which will feature a retractable roof, will have its capacity reduced to 29,322 for MLS games.