***NOTE: I didn’t start off thinking I would do this, so it’s spotty at the beginning.  I took notes while watching the webcast***

Some attendees: KP, VM, Jack Johnson, Charlene Dukes, President of PG Community College, Gaylord National Harbor, PEPCO, Joe Quinn – Washington Freedom, Sasho Cirovski – UMD, Fred, Rodney Wallace, Marc Burch, Ben Olsen, Jaime Moreno

Jack Johnson talking now, thanking the dignitaries

…now talking about his son, who is extremely excited. He played at Howard U. and is very active in the soccer community.

…says PGC is excited, it’s a soccer "town", mentions the youth leagues, U of MD. Says 12 minutes from current location via metro.

….Largo / Kettering as the location

…praising state of MD for their help in this effort, stadium authority, etc.

…says deal will not cost residents money, but will provide opportunities

…if we do our job right, we will be building before the end of the year

…talking up job creation and opportunities for a diverse community. Praising MacFarlane and the rest of United’s commitment to community.

…finishes with "Welcome Home!"

STATE SENATOR ANTHONY C. MUSE

talking up the importance of the economic impact he’s recapping some of the feasibility study positives

STATE DELEGATE MELONY GRIFFITH

…benefits of physical activity (providing exposure to professionals performing something they might not have seen before) …new entertainment opportunities for families

… grew up in Great Falls, Montana and didn’t have the opportunity to see soccer, but her kids are excited

…reiterated the fact that it won’t cost taxpayers any money

…finishes with "We are PG United and we are excited to be working with DC United"

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIRWOMAN MARILYN BLAND

…more support

…suggesting a new emphasis within the board of education to integrate soccer into the curriculum!

Says it should be on par with football and basketball.

VICTOR MACFARLANE

• Excited that permanent home is coming
• glad to help bring new investment to PG Co
• thanked all the dignitaries
• said that MD is fortunate to have such an effective and professional process for evaluating stadium proposals and opportunities and praised the professionalism of the MD Stadium Authority (MSA); third party validation has been critical in the process
• said that DCU went through this process and the answer to the question of whether or not it made sense was a resounding YES
• DCU working with all stakeholders to select the best site possible
• hopes to have selection complete in the next 30 days "or so"
• understands that in this economic climate, DCU should not and will not ask for taxpayer dollars to build the project
• only asking that tax revenues generated by the project be used to help service the debt
• DCU is committed to buildign the stadium in PG Co. They are absolutely not talking to anyone else. DCU wants to be and will be in PG Co.
• Stadium will be state of the art, LEED Certified, and part of a mixed use district
• DCU wants to be a leader in the community, so the team will have its HQ, practice facility, and all of its employees in PG Co.
• mentioned the mission statement (win championships, serve the community)

KEVIN PAYNE

• Reiterated the presence of Sasho Cirovski, coach of the NATIONAL CHAMPION MARYLAND TERRAPINS
• said that the county should be proud to have the premier college program in the country
• DCU is excited to be a closer neighbor to UMD
• recapped team history of success
• said that in 1994 they dreamed of one day having their own home and is pleased, humbled, and grateful to PG Co for helping move closer to that dream
• the team name is not an accident, and is pleased that County Council Chair understands the power of the concept
• said we have the greatest fans in MLS
• happy to be coming home

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY COUNCILMAN SAMUEL DEAN

• welcomed MacFarlane & Payne to PG Co, "the greatest place in the world" (chuckling in the crowd, and on the dais)
• shout out to Steve Proctor, who helped steer the team through the bureaucracy of the County
• hopes the team will change it’s name to Prince George’s United (!) oh dear
• asked that DC United be invited to address the full county council (the chair could be heard to say "consider it done"

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY COUNCILMAN WILL CAMPOS

• said he grew up in El Salvador before coming to the US and that he played futbol every waking hour
• in 1996, when MLS was created, it was incredible and made him very happy
• said he’s nervous because there are professional soccer players in the audience
• wanted everyone to know that DCU has been involved in PG Co long before any talk of a stadium, mentioning a public service campaign regarding crosswalks (apparently a lot of spanish speaking immigrants were getting hit by cars!) that Thiago Martins and Talon helped out with
• addressed the spanish speaking media (sorry, my spanish is muy mal), said he thought Univision and Telemundo were on hand
• says to Jaime: "Don’t leave without taking a picture with me!"

TERRY SPEIGNER :: CHAIR, PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

• reiterated the positives of the proposal
• commended DCU’s philosophy and looks forward to the arrival and DCU becoming one of, if not THE premier professional sports team in the county (general snickering)

JIM ESTEPP :: PRESIDENT, GREATER PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

• said that it was a pleasure to see the unity of the county officials on this issue
• said that he helped bring the Redskins to PG Co when he was on the council and that it would appear that there is a trend forming
• gave his impression of Victor MacFarlane, that his history of revitalization, developments that integrate themselves with the needs of the community, and bringing entertainment as well as improving the quality of life of the existing community are amazing accomplishments
• He is excited to have MacFarlane in the community

QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

Q: Say more about the site/sites. How much land? What other pieces of the development? How many fans from PG Co. Will current fans travel to PG Co? Do you have to make inroads into the football culture that exists?

A: (KP) We know exactly where our fans come from. PG Co is a significant, but not the largest, segment of the fanbase. Northern Virginia is the largest. May have to evolve our fanbase a little. Our fans are very loyal and the fanbase has been expanding every year since 1996. Season ticket holders from 11 states, tickets purchased by people in all 50 states last season and from 13 countries. Believes fans will follow the team because there’s only one DC United (VM) We will not be talking about sites today

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Q: Thought about changing the name?

A: (VM) Until today, no.

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Q: Any protections for the bonds if the league folds or ticket sales do not perform?

A: (VM) It’s a non-issue. Even if the league folds, or tickets aren’t sold, there will still be events at the stadium to generate income. (Melony Griffith) Everyone carefully reviewed the feasibility study before making this decision (Jack Johnson) If we worried about what terrible thing might happen tomorrow, we would do nothing today. We are looking to the future. ———

Q. If revenue doesn’t come in, who pays?

A. (JJ) We have looked at the financial modeling, and it is always projected at the low end. I’ve worked on 40 similarly financed projects and every one has outperformed projections, because the model is so conservative (VM) We project 60 events per year, of which only 20 are DCU events, so presuming DCU doesn’t perform, the other events will cover the shortfall

———

Q. When is the earliest the stadium might be complete? How has this deal affected relationship with D.C. and RFK stadium?

A. (VM) Shooting for opening of 2012 season, but could be ready 2/3rds of the way through 2011. The lease at RFK is for two more years. Continued conversations with city and administration and they will not be kicking the team out before the new stadium is ready. There is no ill will toward DC, we tried a business deal and it didn’t work out. We are pleased that it did work in PG Co.

———

Q. Elaborate on Community process for site selection

A. (VM) City Council, Community Leaders, Civic organizations around each potential site, will be consulted. Folks in the know in PG Co are advising them of all the stakeholders.

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Q. What are the challenges of building with the state of the economic environment?

A. (VM) It’s the worst of times, and the best of times. Construction costs have been growing from 10-25% per year until this crisis, it has changed dramatically. Now costs are moving down and for the first time in a long while, costs are easier to predict. We will have a G.M.P. (that means guaranteed maximum price) before commencement of the construction. MSA does an excellent job of cost estimation. This really is the best time to build a stadium.

———

Q. Couldn’t hear this question. Presumably someone asking why lottery funds weren’t diverted from MSA’s funding to go toward schools????

A. (VM) We won’t accept any dollars we didn’t ask for. (JJ) Not taking any $$ away from roads or schools. County Exec. has the option to raise taxes, but there is a complex procedure that has to be undertaken. Doesn’t anticipate doing so (MG) Mentions Thornton (education funding bill in MD), funded by the lottery, made big investments in K-12 education, both operational and capital, but doesn’t want folks present to be distracted from what a wonderful opportunity Victor MacFarlane is bringing to the county with this project

———

Q. If the revenues aren’t there, who’s on the hook?

A. (VM) The state. Want to emphasize that there will be revenues. There is a proven track record for DCU and it is an unfair statement that there will be no revenues.

———

Q. Will the team have any presence in DC once they move (e.g. foundations, outreach, etc.) Will you really change the name?

A. (VM) As of today, we are DC United. Our efforts are metropolitan. We will not abandon any kids that we currently serve, but we will expand our service in PG Co.

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Q. Citizen from Carribean welcomed DCU, stating that soccer is part of her life, etc. Will there be a female team (not that I will be playing! …gets a laugh)

A. (KP) Reminded everyone that Joe Quinn of the Washington Freedom was in attendance and that they were expecting the Freedom to be tenants in the stadium

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Q. Theresa Dudley (The Sentinel) – In these times, how are you going to convince PG Co residents that this is a good risk? Why isn’t the lottery money being redirected from MSA to education?

A. (JJ) Gov’t is holistic. Just because you do one thing doesn’t mean you can’t do another. In fact, you must always to many things. This project will stand on its own. (KP) Wants it made clear that the tax revenue that will support this project does not exist today. The project will not use any lottery funds.

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Q. Liz Farmer (MD Daily Record) – Criteria for site selection?

A. (VM) 12 acres, because it will be an urban stadium, not surrounded by parking lots. It will be part of a Live-Work-Play environment.

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Q. Couldn’t hear the last question

A. (VM) It’s immaterial. It’s past. We can’t rewind the clock. We’re coming to Prince George’s County.