Nashville's soccer community's came out in full force to the city's fairgrounds Tuesday night to urge approval of a $275 million Major League Soccer stadium proposal, dominating a public hearing ahead of a decisive Metro Council vote next month.

Soccer moms, recreational players and fans of the sport far outnumbered opponents of the project, giving Mayor Megan Barry and an MLS ownership team led by businessman John Ingram a crucial assist.

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Supporters, many wearing blue and gold Nashville Soccer Club scarves and T-shirts, touted the "universal language" of a game they said matches the changing demographics of Nashville.

They said an expansion MLS club in Nashville and a new stadium at the fairgrounds would ignite youth soccer in the area, provide an economic jolt to underutilized property and give a city with growing diversity a new team to unite behind.

"People from all walks of life, no matter where you come from, no matter what your background is, soccer is a sport that everyone can rally around," said Johnathan Slape, Nashville chapter president of soccer supporters group American Outlaws.

"To have a team like that in Nashville, for the community, it would be a huge thing to grow this city."

Public hearing draws more than 700

More than 700 people, stadium boosters and opponents, packed the standing-room-only public hearing, according to security staff for the event, which was held at the creative arts building at the fairgrounds site. People spoke for more than two hours.

Supporters of the effort to bring MLS to Nashville needed the strong showing ahead of a Nov. 7 council vote on Barry's proposal for a $225 million revenue bond package for the stadium.

Their turnout was especially critical after fairgrounds advocates slammed the soccer proposal during an Oct. 4 public hearing hosted by the Metro fair board.

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Barry and the Ingram-led ownership team are working under an expedited stadium approval timeline in hopes of being one of two cities that MLS plans to award teams in December.

Vice Mayor David Briley organized and hosted Tuesday's meeting. More than half of the 40-member council sat in rows facing a crowd that weighed in a project that would bring a 27,500-seat soccer stadium and private development to the Metro-owned fairgrounds.

MLS team would be 'feather in cap,' boosters say

"Some time in 1997, I made a pretty bold proclamation that hockey wouldn't work in Nashville," said Tim Williams of Bellevue. "I'm pretty sure I was wrong about that. After seeing the energy and the drive that we saw this last spring, it's hard not to imagine a soccer team working in Nashville."

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Angie Stiff of Lewisburg, whose daughter is set to play college soccer, said she was there "representing soccer moms."

"I have loved the growth I have seen in our city and the opportunities that our city has to offer," she said. "Bringing MLS to Nashville is just another feather in our cap. There are so many families in Nashville and the surrounding areas that would support it."

Save Our Fairgrounds offers 'conditional support'

A representative of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce announced the organization's support for the project. Representatives of the Southeast Laborers' District Council discussed possible benefits with the stadium but said they want construction jobs to be good-paying union work.

In a shift that could neutralize some opposition, the group Save Our Fairgrounds, led by Rick Williams, offered "conditional support" for the stadium proposal after previously opposing it. The group's request: that the mayor's administration agree to amend the bond resolution to ensure future fairgrounds improvements. The mayor's office has said that fairgrounds upgrades are part of the long-term plan, but that it would require a later vote.

"We felt working to keep improvements coming to the property, while maintaining and improving the existing events on the property, was the best route for our organization to take," Williams said.

Critics say stadium would take away from neighborhood investments

It wasn't all praise for the stadium proposal.

Fairgrounds supporters, many working-class, doubled down on concerns about dramatically altering the fairgrounds, which is also home to auto-racing, flea markets and the annual Tennessee State Fair.

"I've got nothing against soccer," said Bob Blair, a next-door neighbor. "But why not put it somewhere else rather than here? So many things have been taken away from the regular man. That's why I'm here. I know I'm in the minority here."

Others said the expensive project would come at the expense of other city needs.

"You all can build all this and fund all these projects, but when it comes to the poor and poor neighborhoods, we get nothing," said Lisa Leeds, a fairgrounds supporter.

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Joe Smithson said his neighborhood has seen few investments over the 20 years since Metro funded stadiums for the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators and Nashville Sounds.

"There' s been zero return on investment in my neighborhood for all these other projects," he said. "And now you're asking me to help fund a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar project for another sports team that most likely will not benefit me."

Vice Mayor not surprised by turnout

While Nashville soccer fans talked mostly about the sport itself, some still raised concerns how about the stadium would work at the fairgrounds.

Some asked about parking and worried about the added traffic congestion. Another pushed for "fan-first" pricing to attend games that would be below the MLS league average of $46.22. One speaker said he supports soccer but not "hand-outs to billionaires," referring to Ingram and his ownership group.

Another point of contention remains 10 acres of city land that Ingram and the owners would receive for a private mixed-use development. They're planning a mix of residential mid-rise apartments — affordable and market-rate — along with retail, commercial and hotel space.

More:Nashville MLS stadium plan raises questions over 10-acre private development

Briley, the vice mayor, said he wasn't surprised that MLS fans outnumbered the project's opponents.

"I expected there to be more people in support just because they're more organized and better financed, so they had an opportunity to get people here," he said.

"Even the majority of the people who opposed weren't opposed to the idea in principle, they just wanted to see some improvements on the idea or some minor modifications to it. That's sort of the sense I got."

Rival city's MLS bid stalls

Twelve cities are vying for expansion teams. One of those, Charlotte, has seen its chances fizzle after a proposal for a $175 million stadium has stalled in its city council. City leaders there have pointed to the more expensive package put together in Nashville for creating competition that it can't match.

In addition to $225 million in revenue bonds, Barry has proposed two separate general obligation bond issuances for the project, one to cover infrastructure upgrades at the fairgrounds and another to pay for site improvements. The Ingram-led ownership group would contribute $25 million in cash for the stadium.

More:Nashville Sports Authority approves $225M bond resolution for new MLS stadium

The plan calls for the owners to pay $9 million annually to help retire $13 million in annual debt payments. The remaining $4 million would come from sales tax revenue generated at the stadium as well as a $1.70 ticket tax. If those revenues fall short, Metro would be on the hook.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.