A-B Enters Letter of Intent to Transfer Ownership of Soccer Park to SLSU

Site to Continue Supporting Youth and Amateur Soccer; Will Also Be Explored for Major League Soccer Stadium Use

Anheuser-Busch today announced its intent to transfer ownership of its Soccer Park facility to St. Louis Soccer United (SLSU), the local group working to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise to the St. Louis area.
Over the next several months, SLSU will work with public officials to explore the feasibility of building an MLS quality, soccer-specific stadium at the site. Anheuser-Busch intends to transfer the Soccer Park location to SLSU even if the site proves to be unworkable for an MLS stadium, with the goal of ensuring it continues to serve St. Louis' amateur soccer community as it has since 1982.
"St. Louis is home to one of the strongest soccer communities in the country," said Dan McHugh, vice president of Media, Sponsorship and Activation, Anheuser-Busch Inc. "The transfer of A-B Soccer Park to SLSU is a community win-win. It supports civic efforts to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis and preserves a community home for organized youth and amateur soccer."
In addition to leading St. Louis' candidacy to attract an MLS expansion franchise to the area, SLSU owns the St. Louis Athletica team that will begin play with a home match on April 4 in the new Women's Professional Soccer league and partners with the nation's largest youth soccer club following the merger last year between Scott Gallagher, St. Louis Soccer Club and Metro United. The newly merged club was recently named the top club in the nation for its superior youth development program by ClubRank™.
Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United, says Anheuser-Busch's donation of Soccer Park enhances St. Louis' MLS bid.
"This is the best situation we could have hoped for," said Cooper. "We have two potential locations for an MLS stadium and youth soccer complex that demonstrates the region's strong commitment to bring Major League Soccer to the undisputed soccer capital of North America."
SLSU also has agreement with the City of Collinsville, Ill., to build a soccer stadium and surrounding youth complex, pending the awarding of an MLS expansion franchise. The organization will continue to work with Collinsville officials while feasibility of the Soccer Park site is explored in the weeks to come.
At present, MLS plans to announce two expansion franchises by March 31. Three cities – Miami, Atlanta and Montreal – have withdrawn from consideration, leaving four contenders: St. Louis, Portland, Ore., Vancouver and Ottawa.
Anheuser-Busch is a charter sponsor of MLS, which began play in 1996, and sponsors each of the league's 14 U.S.-based teams.