It didn’t take long for Crew owners Jimmy, Dee Haslam and Pete Edwards to realize they may have underestimated fan support when they built Lower.com Field in the neighborhood of the arena.
“We didn’t build it big enough,” Dee Haslam said Tuesday. “We learned about it pretty quickly because we have a huge fan base.”
The stadium, almost 3 years old, has a nominal capacity of 20,139 seats. Last Saturday’s regular season match against CF Montreal, which ended 0-0, attracted a record 20,927 spectators, even more than the attendance for the season’s MLS Cup final last, December 9.
“It’s considered the best stadium in MLS,” Haslam said, interviewed by Ohio Chamber President Steve Stivers at the Columbus Museum of Art for the annual State of the Arts Summit. bedroom affairs.
The stadium brought attention to the city and became a model for other stadium designs, including Northwestern’s new football field, she said. The stadium was also chosen to host this year’s MLS All-Star Game.
“The fans came and they really made a big difference in what our players think about our own stadium,” she said.
The Cleveland Browns Dome Stadium?
The stadium backdrop comes as the Haslams continue early work on a potential new stadium for the Cleveland Browns, which they purchased in 2012. The Haslems also co-own the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
“It’s incredibly complex,” she said. “There are a lot of details to work out.”
Two ideas are being considered: renovating the existing Cleveland Browns Stadium along Lake Erie or a domed stadium in suburban Brook Park near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
“We have two incredible opportunities,” she said. “We’re really excited. One of the things we care about is fan things. Right now we’re not doing a good job with that.
Among the issues are parking and access to the stadium, she said.
The value of a domed stadium is that it could be used for events other than Browns games, such as hosting Big 10 championships, concerts and basketball games, Haslam said and his son-in-law, JW Johnson III, executive vice president of the Browns. and partner of Haslam Sports Group.
The recent NCAA women’s Final Four in Cleveland generated about $30 million for the local economy, Johnson said.
“How you can do this consistently is extremely important,” he said.
Whichever option is chosen, Haslem said the lakefront needs to be redeveloped.
She remembers her first trip to Cleveland in 2012, when she asked someone for a walk along the lake.
“He looked at me like I was crazy. There’s no way to get to the lakefront,” she told him.
It was at this time that she became passionate about the need to redevelop the lake.
“How can you have this amazing city and not have access to the lakefront,” she said.
Regardless of how the project unfolds, it will require the type of public-private partnership needed to build Lower.com Field, Johnson said.
“We need to have this public partnership to create these great stadiums,” he said.
“It’s not just about us,” Haslam said. “It’s about what’s best for the state.” What’s the best thing for the region, what’s the best thing for the city of Cleveland.”
“Those relationships are really important to us. We’re going to be here for a long time.”
Haslam and Johnson recognize that such partnerships require a commitment from taxpayers.
“We approach the process looking at how can we be good partners, not how can we win. … We also recognize that taxpayers need to have a return,” she said. “Their money must be used wisely.”
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