MIAMI, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The competition for two Major League
Soccer expansion teams that will be awarded just got a lot hotter. On
Wednesday a prominent investor group comprised of Brightstar Founder, CEO,
and Chairman, Marcelo Claure and, international soccer powerhouse Futbol
Club Barcelona plan to announce their bid for a Miami franchise to MLS
soccer Commissioner Don Garber. After an early morning meeting with
principals and Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe A. Martinez and FIU President
Modesto A. Maidique a tentative agreement has been reached. The ownership
group, President Maidique and Commissioner Martinez will host a press
conference at Brightstar to publicly announce the intentions of bringing
soccer to Miami-Dade County and feature the proposed stadium site for the
club. Following the press conference, the ownership group plans on a formal
conference call with the Commissioner to formally announce their bid.
Who: Joan Laporta, President, Futbol Club Barcelona
Juan Oliver, CEO, Futbol Club Barcelona
Marcelo Claure, Founder, CEO and Chairman Brightstar Corp
FIU President Modesto A. Maidique
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe A. Martinez
Other Miami-Dade officials
What: Official announcement of formal bid submittal for a
Miami-Dade based Major League Soccer franchise
When: Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. press conference
Where: Directions to the MLS Press Conference:
From Miami International Airport Area:
Start out going South on Le Jeune Road. Merge onto
FL-836-West. Merge onto Florida's Turnpike North (portions are
toll). From Florida Turnpike North, take the Exit 34 ramp
(right exit), which immediately becomes NW 106th - At first
stoplight, turn right onto NW 112th Ave. (by Flagler
Station). Stay in right lane and make an immediate right
onto NW 105th St. NW 105th St. winds around past Ryder
Building and becomes NW 117th Ave. Brightstar is on the left
side of NW 117th Ave, with a sign on the building, facing
the Turnpike. End at Brightstar Corp.
9725 NW 117th Ave, #300, Miami, FL 33178. +1.305.421.6000
From Fort Lauderdale Area:
Take 595W to Florida Turnpike. Go South on Florida Turnpike.
Take the Gran Park Ave exit 34 (right exit), which
immediately becomes NW 106th - At first stoplight, turn
right onto NW 112th Ave. by Flagler Station). Stay in right
lane and make an immediate right onto NW 105th St. NW 105th
St. winds around past Ryder Building and becomes NW 117th
Ave. Brightstar is on the left side of NW 117th Ave, with a
sign on the building, facing the Turnpike. End at Brightstar
Corp. 9725 NW 117th Ave, Miami, FL 33178. +1.305.421.6000
Current Status of MLS Expansion
The MLS currently has 14 teams. Major League Soccer is currently going
through an expansion process where and is looking to add up to (4)
additional franchise. Already, Seattle will become the 15th team next
season and Philadelphia is set to join the league in 2010. The other
potential expansion cities include Montreal, Ottawa, Atlanta, Las Vegas, a
second team in the New York area, Portland, Ore., and St. Louis.
The advent of Marcelo Claure and FC Barcelona into the competition
promises to make the selection process extremely interesting. In fact,
early last week Vancouver and Portland submitted bids with outgoing mayor
of Vancouver traveling to New York to help shore up support for his city's
bid. However, FC Barcelona is recognized as one of the premier clubs in the
world and has been eyeing a MLS Franchise opportunity for the last several
years. Until just recently, Miami-Dade seemed to have no viable suitors
willing to back a soccer franchise and thus was no where near submitting a
formal bid, however, in the last several weeks Marcelo Claure, along with
FC Barcelona advanced discussions on a formal partnership and together they
are intent on bring Major League Soccer to Miami.
Ownership: Marcelo Claure & FC Barcelona
Marcelo has established himself as a prominent businessman in Miami
with strong private and public relationships. As a Bolivian and owner of
the largest Hispanic owned business in the U.S. (Miami Based Brightstar
Corp.) Marcelo understands the nuances of the Miami market, the differences
between groups with varying national origin, and the way to connect and
harness the power of the Hispanic community in Miami. Just as important, FC
Barcelona is considered one of the top soccer clubs in the world. FC
Barcelona's motto is Mes que en Club which, translated from Catalan means
"More than a Club." In fact in the world of soccer, FC Barcelona is an
institution. During the 2006- 2007 season, FC Barcelona was the third
wealthiest soccer club in the world, with revenues exceeding two-hundred
ninety-one million Euros (euro 291,000,000). Beyond its global recognition
and prominence, FC Barcelona has a winning culture that will be embedded in
the MLS franchise in Miami. FC Barcelona has won 18 Spanish league titles,
24 Copa del Rey tournaments, 11 Spanish Super Copa trophies, 2 UEFA
Champion League titles, 4 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup titles, and 2 European
Super Cup trophies
Together, the Claure/ Barcelona lead ownership group is keenly aware of
the Miami market and the unique demographics. In particular, the idea
behind the partnership will be to channel the broad interest in soccer that
exists throughout South Florida into support for an MLS franchise in Miami.
In partnership with Barcelona, Miami's MLS franchise team will become
Ibero- America's team bridging Spain, the United States, and Latin American
supporters. Moreover, The Miami-based MLS franchise will follow in the
tradition established by FC Barcelona and will import its operational and
sports models to deliver high levels of success on and off the field. As a
result of its achievements and global appeal, FC Barcelona currently has
over 155,000 registered club members and over 1,782 officially registered
fan clubs around the world, including at least one in Miami. In Spain, 25%
of the national population is comprised of official supporters of FC
Barcelona.
The MLS franchise would be a natural extension of FC Barcelona, in the
same way companies set up subsidiaries in foreign territories. The business
and operational model, execution plan, and commitment to sporting
excellence will all be aligned with headquarters in Barcelona and deliver a
world-class experience and product for the MLS franchise's fans. This is a
winning recipe for the team's fans, Miami-Dade, the local franchise, and
the MLS at large. If selected, the FC Barcelona emergence into the MLS
market is sure to inspire other leading institutions like Real Madrid,
Manchester United, Chelsea, and others to follow in FC Barcelona's
footsteps.
In addition to FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure, the partnership will be
open to bringing new partners on board that strengthen the enterprise, are
aligned with the vision and commitment of the partnership, and that meet
the standards and approvals of Major League Soccer.
Franchise Stadium Plan
The group has entered into a 5 year agreement to play at Florida
International University's recently completed soccer compatible stadium.
The stadium, which was recently completed to house the Golden Panther's
football team was also built with MLS regulations in mind, as such, the
stadium is virtually "soccer ready" and can serve as a home for a MLS
franchise with little, if any at all, aesthetical changes needed. In fact,
last Tuesday, upon news of the potential bid, MLS sent a representative to
inspect the Stadium and gave it a thumbs up. In addition, the ownership
group is eager to work with FIU and Miami-Dade County to create a
world-class soccer environment that will attract clubs and players from
around the world for matches, training, and rehabilitation. As part of that
effort, the franchise is planning to:
-- Host youth soccer camps and soccer academies;
-- Bring international competitive and friendly matches to FIU; and
-- Provide year-round training and rehabilitation facilities for
professional and youth teams from around the world, which will include
tournaments and matches.
About Marcelo Claure, Lead Partner
Marcelo Claure founded Brightstar Corp 11 years ago in Miami, and since
then has grown the business to over $5 billion in estimated gross revenues
for 2008, a local presence in over 50 markets around the world, and the
company is widely recognized as the world's leading distribution and supply
chain management organization to the wireless industry. Marcelo's business
achievements have achieved significant recognition, including USA
Today/Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, a World Economic Forum Young
Global Leader, Hispanic Business Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year,
Hispanic Magazine, Top Hispanic Entrepreneurs, America Economia Award of
Excellence, and serves as on the Bentley Board of Trustees amongst other
recognitions. In addition, Marcelo is committed to giving back to the
community and was a founding member of Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per
Child. The project's mission is to provide low-cost laptops to children in
under-developed countries around the world. We are proud to report that to
date the program has delivered over 1 million laptops to children around
the world.
Beyond his business successes, Marcelo was also the youngest member of
a National Soccer Federation to lead a national team to the World Cup. In
1993, fresh out of Bentley Marcelo joined the Bolivian Soccer Federation as
the General Manager. Working closely with Guido Loayza, President of the
Bolivian Federation at the time, Marcelo helped Bolivia qualify for the
1994 World Cup, the first time in Bolivian history. After the World Cup,
Marcelo left the Bolivian federation to focus his energies and skills on
entrepreneurial activities like starting Brightstar. However, earlier this
year, alongside Guido Loayza, Marcelo became co-President of Bolivar.
Bolivar is Bolivia's most prominent club team, and is considered the ninth
most successful team in Latin American soccer. This past month, Marcelo
became the first individual in Bolivian history to set up a private entity
to manage part of a professional soccer team. For the next 20 years,
Marcelo will own all of Bolivar's assets and liabilities and will operate
all the activities at the Club with the exception of the hiring of players
and coaches. Among other things, this will include stadium operations (and
the construction of a new stadium), sponsorships, and broadcasting rights.
More on Futbol Club Barcelona, Lead Partner
Beyond the comprehensive, successful, and world-class sporting
experience offered through FCB's multiple professional teams, the key of
FCB's success and global prominence has been the leadership role it
occupies in the globalization of sports and soccer. Its motto, "More than a
Club," is completely applicable to FCB, and as the globalization of sports
continues FCB will continue to lead the way through smart and strategic
initiatives, including its participation in MLS.
It is perhaps the flexibility inherent in its motto that makes it so
appropriate for defining the complexities of FC Barcelona's identity, a
club that competes in a sporting sense on the field of play, but that also
beats, every day, to the rhythm of its people's concerns.
FC Barcelona is "more than a club" in Catalonia because it is the
sports club that most represents the country and is also one of its
greatest ambassadors. Also, for different reasons, FC Barcelona is "more
than a club" for many people living elsewhere in Spain, who see Barca as a
staunch defender of democratic rights and freedom.
Today, football has become a global phenomenon, and support for
Barcelona has spread spectacularly around the world. The number of club
members from outside of Catalonia and Spain is increasing daily, and the
club wants to respond to that show of passion for Barca. This has developed
into a need and an obligation. And the best way for the club to do that has
been to take a step further and become "more than a club around the world"
as well. This Barca that is so concerned for its people needs to be
globalized. This caring and humanitarian Barca needs to be globalized. It
is a strategic decision that is in keeping with the club's history and the
way that football is continuing to develop on a worldwide basis.
That is why the FCB has decided to contribute 0.7 per cent of its
ordinary income to the FC Barcelona Foundation in order to set up
international cooperation programs for development, supports the UN
Millennium Development Goals and has made a commitment to UNICEF's
humanitarian aid programs through the donation of one and a half million
euros for the next five years and now wears the UNICEF logo on its shirts.
More on Florida International University Stadium
FIU Stadium is the stadium for the FIU Golden Panthers football team,
and is located in Miami, Florida. The facility opened in 1995, replacing
nearby Tamiami Field, which was also used for many years as a university
recreation field and by local high school football teams. When FIU began
its football program in 2002, FIU Stadium became the home venue for the
team and has remained that way since. As of the 2008 season, FIU Stadium is
solely used by the football team as the FIU track and field teams no longer
use the facility.
As a result of construction begun March 2007, the FIU Stadium is
undergoing an expansion for the 2008 football season. Upon completion,
seating capacity is increased to 23,500, including 1,400 club seats. In
addition, the stadium will have a 6,500 square-foot Panther Club, an upper
concourse, a new press box, new lighting, a jumbotron scoreboard, new
coaches' offices, locker rooms, expansion of the weight room, and 19
suites. Seating will include chairback seats and bench seating, all with
backrests for fan convenience. Additional phases of construction will
include a student support complex and will bring the stadium's seating
capacity to approximately 45,000 by the 2010 football season.
SOURCE Futbol Club Barcelona
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Related links:
http://www.brightstarcorp.com
CONTACT:
Michele M. Merrell, Futbol Club Barcelona,
+1-786-239-2556
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