Now that soccer superstar Lionel Messi is coming to play for Inter Miami, some are wondering whether the team will keep on playing at Fort Lauderdale’s DRV PNK suddenly-too-small stadium.
Messi, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, is sure to bring in big crowds when he joins the team, possibly as soon as July.
But DRV PNK only has 18,000 seats. And the owners of Inter Miami — who include soccer legend David Beckham and billionaire construction tycoon Jorge Mas — have yet to break ground on their long-planned, 25,000-seat stadium in Miami.
Some say it only makes sense to move the games to a bigger venue that accommodate the Messi-crazed masses. One possible option might be the 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
It was unknown Thursday whether the team’s owners are pursuing that option. Miami Beckham United officials could not be reached for comment. Neither could billionaire real estate mogul Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.
Bringing in the crowds
But fans, such as Olaf Henke, director of the Fort Lauderdale FC youth soccer club, say it makes perfect sense.
“There’s going to be a big hype around Messi,” Henke said. “So why not give more people a chance to see him play.”
When it comes to sports in South Florida, it’s all about who is on the field, Henke said.
“It’s a great achievement to have Messi come to play for Inter Miami,” he said. “Messi is arguably the best player that’s played the game.”
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis is well aware of the exposure Messi will bring to not only the sport, but the region.
“We are very happy that Mr. Messi decided to come to South Florida,” Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “This is an exciting moment for everyone in South Florida, and Fort Lauderdale in particular. Fort Lauderdale is the home for Inter Miami and we want to continue to remain the center of the soccer world here in South Florida.”
What happens if they move their games to Hard Rock?
“That remains to be seen,” Trantalis said. “We will see what happens.”
Fort Lauderdale feud
Inter Miami’s owners never meant for DRV PNK to be the team’s permanent stadium, Trantalis noted. The plan has always been to move the team’s home games to Miami as soon as the new stadium is built.
But Inter Miami is expected to maintain a presence in Fort Lauderdale, with DRV PNK serving as team headquarters and the main practice field.
“No matter where they ultimately play, at a new stadium in Miami or at Hard Rock, Fort Lauderdale would still be the venue for practice and administration and an academy mentoring future stars,” Trantalis said. “We have a spectacular stadium. Inter Miami has a big investment in Fort Lauderdale. Their strategic plan was to always keep that aspect of the operation here. We want to be working partners with them.”
Trantalis says he hopes to speak to Inter Miami’s owners this week in an attempt to resolve an ongoing feud related to overdue building permit fees and a long-promised park. The team has been using the park site for parking south of the stadium.
That arrangement ended a week ago when Fort Lauderdale notified Inter Miami officials the 20-acre parcel was no longer available.
Fort Lauderdale officials warned the team’s owners weeks ago that they’d lose access to the lot if they failed to pay $1.4 million in overdue building permit fees by May 31.
Both sides had agreed to enter into mediation in an attempt to resolve several outstanding issues, including the dispute over the unpaid permit fees.
But the mediation talks went nowhere, city officials say.
Big star, big money
Commissioner John Herbst, whose district includes the stadium, accuses the team’s owners of dragging their feet on getting the park built because they need the land for parking.
“They are about to spend several hundred million dollars to bring on a big name star,” Herbst said of Inter Miami bringing in Messi. “I would hope they would want to follow through on all the promises they are making in all of these communities, not just ours.”
Steve Williams, a soccer fan from Hollywood, thinks Messi’s arrival is a game changer for both the team and South Florida.
“Ticket prices went up tenfold yesterday,” he said. “Messi is the guy everyone wants to see. People fly around the world to see these people. When Messi arrives, I’ll pay $400 to see him. He’s at the top of his game and he’s a prodigy. The best scorer in the world. He’s a total golden hire.”
As for where the games are played, Williams says he likes the idea of moving them to Hard Rock, if that’s possible.
“People north of here can get to it and people to the south can get to it,” Williams said. “That’s the advantage of Miami Gardens. If Hard Rock is smart, they’d make the call: ‘We’d love to have you here.’”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
