Indy Eleven stadium bill moves on, but lawmakers express reservations

A proposed $82 million stadium for the Indy Eleven soccer team passed a House committee Monday, although some members voting yes expressed reservations.

"We're talking about a lot of assumptions," Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, said. "I'm going to vote to keep it moving but reserve the right to do what I have to do on the House floor."

After a 20-3 vote by the Ways and Means Committee, the debate moves to the full House with a new twist first discussed publicly during Monday's hearing.

The financing would include taxes captured at a hotel under construction at the southeast corner of Illinois and Market Streets and owned by Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir.

The previously discussed financing would capture taxes from stadium events to service the debt, about $5 million per year. The team and city are negotiating a $9.9 million contribution.

The bill's sponsor, Todd Huston, R-Fishers, started the hearing by saying that soccer is a sport that appeals to young people.

"The most successful Millennial in our city, Andrew Luck, might be our biggest soccer fan," Huston said.

Huston said he was skeptical about last year's Indy Eleven stadium proposal before the team had played a single game. Indy Eleven is entering its second season in the North American Soccer League.

"A year later, we have answers to many of our questions," Huston said. "Indianapolis and central Indiana didn't just support the Indy Eleven. It shattered any and all expectations."

The team released a report by KSM Consulting of Indianapolis that says the 18,500-seat stadium would open in 2018.

The report estimates 66 events per year, including 15 professional women's soccer games and 10 concerts.

The report also estimates average paid attendance and average ticket prices for various events:

---Indy Eleven: 16,500 at $29.50.

---Women's professional soccer: 8,500 at $17. (There is a nine-team National Women's Soccer League.)

---Concerts: 10,000 at $55. (There is another outdoor concert venue planned for Downtown.)

The report estimates six events as "other soccer," five as "other events, exempt" (from ticket taxes such as school sports) and 10 as "other events."

Chase Downham, Indiana state director for Americans for Prosperity, said the stadium is "questionable in need and questionable in the prospect for success."

He said money spent at the stadium might come at the expense of other Indianapolis stadiums and teams. The KSM report noted that in a section on risk factors.

"Taxpayers should be concerned about whether the soccer business is right for them," Downham said, adding that Major League Soccer, the country's top pro soccer league, isn't profitable.

Dave Guthrie, executive director of Indiana Soccer, said he met with MLS commissioner Don Garber over the weekend and asked him what he would say if he were at the hearing.

"The people who fill the stadiums in professional soccer, that is the new America," Guthrie said. "He said these are not NFL converts. They are not NBA converts. These are the new Americans who have a passion for this game."

Guthrie added that the fan demographic is highly educated and diverse.

The KSM report noted risk factors such as pro soccer leagues and franchises "still developing" that could affect the "caliber of team players" and their salaries.

Huston acknowledged his colleagues' concerns before the vote and said there is more work to do.

"I won't sit here and tell you all the numbers are worked out and everything's guaranteed," he said.

Contact Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia. Read his bio page and other stories.