With David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF set to debut in the MLS next season the urgency to get a permanent stadium site and design secured is more pressing than a Pep Guardiola attacking system.
However, the team is making great strides and has recently submitted the final plans for its Freedom Park complex to the city’s officials.
As well as revealing updated renderings of the project with the stadium now featuring a signature pink canopy roof, the plans outline the lease and community benefits agreement for Freedom Park. As a sweetener for building the 25,000-seater soccer stadium, the club is proposing it will also build amenities for the local community to benefit from. This includes a 58-acre public park, a tech hub, hotel, entertainment district, and free access to its 11 soccer fields for Miami youth. Other community benefits includes a US$5m gift for Miami’s Riverwalk/Baywalk project, and US$20m for the park maintenance.
Not only has Inter Miami’s ownership group pledged to build the stadium and surrounding buildings at no cost to the taxpayers, the club is proposing a 99-year lease paying around US$3.5m in annual rent.
“We look forward to working with the City of Miami to finalize the voter-approved, fair-market-value lease agreement that provides residents with an expansive public park, 11,000 construction jobs, 2,300 permanent jobs and more than $40 million in tax revenue, while using zero City taxpayer dollars,” said Inter managing owner Jorge Mas in a statement.