Padres lead investor Peter Seidler on Friday night said he is part of a group hoping to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to San Diego.

Mike Stone, a private equity investor and philanthropist in San Diego, would be the lead investor, according to two sources, speaking on the condition they not be identified. The other investor would be retired Qualcomm executive Steve Altman, one of the sources said.

“My interest flows from the fact that I have a lot of respect for Mike Stone because of his approach and his leadership qualities and his analytical view of things, and because we look at the sports world from a similar perspective,” Seidler said.

“It’s a public-private partnership and owners have an obligation to the fans and the community. There’s a civic component that I believe in and Mike shares and an effort to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to San Diego I think if done right could be great for the city.”


The investment group is interested in sharing a stadium in Mission Valley with San Diego State’s football team, the sources said. An Aztecs spokesman said the school would have no comment.

SDSU plays in Qualcomm Stadium, an aging facility that has been home for the Aztecs and Chargers since 1967. The Chargers are seeking to build a new stadium and convention center in East Village.

In April, SDSU President Elliot Hirshman endorsed turning the Qualcomm site into a 166-acre campus that would include a new stadium of up to 40,000 seats.

Seidler declined to comment on sharing a stadium with SDSU. But emails obtained by The Associated Press through a California Public Records Act request show that SDSU has been in contact with Stone and Altman at least since April 2015. In late November, Stone emailed Athletic Director Jim Sterk, copying in Altman, saying they should consider jointly sponsoring a proposed study, “with SDSU and MLS objectives in mind.”


MLS currently has 20 teams but is in the process of expanding to 24 teams by 2020 with an idea of eventually reaching 28.

“The Major League Soccer season right now has 17 home dates a year,” Seidler said, “and to have 17 pro soccer events in a new stadium in addition to other soccer friendlies you can bring in can be fantastic fan- and family-friendly entertainment and could really succeed here. … For me to be part of it — whether it’s small or something larger — is something I’m starting to get excited about.”