David Beckham Faces Rival For Stadium Land

Bobak Ha'Eri [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]
Lockhart Stadium In Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

David Beckham and partners want to build a soccer stadium in Miami and a training academy in Fort Lauderdale. But nothing about their six-year-long-and-counting quest has been easy, and the Fort Lauderdale piece is no exception.

A rival bidder wants to build a mixed-use facility on the land Beckham's group is eyeing, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Both groups want to take over the city's long-defunct, 64-acre Lockhart Stadium.

Beckham's group — Miami Beckham United — wants to build offices and a youth development facility for its Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami, which is slated to begin playing in Miami in 2020. Beckham's group proposes that a United Soccer League One team would play at the Fort Lauderdale site.

“It’s not a refurbishment of Lockhart. It will be a new stadium for a (second-tier) USL team and a soccer-centric academy," Beckham's partner, Jorge Mas, told the Miami Herald. "We’ll be able to host tournaments and other games there."

Miami Beckham United is proud to share its vision for the new Lockhart Stadium Community Park and future home to Inter Miami’s professional training facilities. pic.twitter.com/93ELM2lBFg

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 1, 2019

The group's rival, FXE Futbol, had been involved with recently scrapped plans to develop the site as a water park and recreation center. It is proposing fields for a United Soccer League Championship team (one level higher than a USL One team), plus a a Topgolf attraction, restaurants and more. 

“Right now, the [Fort Lauderdale] city commission has been star-struck by the name Beckham," FXE Managing Partner John P. Reynal said, according to MagicCity.soccer. "And I don’t blame them! He’s a very good looking guy, used to be a great player, and he really revitalized the MLS. He deserves the recognition.

"But they’re offering to come in, take 30 acres of city land, pay $1 a year rent to build a private, enclosed facility with zero community involvement. We’re offering a project that’s open to the public, that will generate jobs for the city.” 

Friday was a deadline for proposals for the site, and the City Commission will consider both proposals soon. 

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's South Florida Newsletters
Related Stories

NYC Pushes To Use Opportunity Zone 2.0 For Mamdani's Housing Goals

Defense Tech Firms Setting Up Shop In Trump Family's Palm Beach Orbit

Bugatti Lends Brand To 60-Story Miami Condo Tower

How Crystal Lake 'Connects The Dots' To Building Complete Community

Downtown Atlanta Improvement Group Picks Food Bank Chief As Next Leader

Goldman Sachs Pays $154M For Davie Apartments: The South Florida Deal Sheet

Rig Collapse At Citadel HQ Site Sends 4 To Hospital

Crystal Residences Offers A Model For Delivering New Housing And Lasting Community Benefits In Coral Gables

Brandon Johnson Seeks Second Term Amid Strained CRE Relationship

Stephen Ross Expands Palm Beach Empire With Massive Boca Raton Campus

Prolific South Florida Developer Nick Rojo Dies At 44

25 Years After 9/11, Lower Manhattan Is Finally Firing On All Cylinders