Stadium Site Finder and Ticket Prices Among Topics Discussed at Buffalo Pro Soccer Town Hall Event

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — If there’s one thing Buffalo Pro Soccer officials want the community to know, it’s that the club intends to be “by Buffalo, for Buffalo.”

The slogan was mentioned several times during Thursday’s public event at the Banshee Irish Pub in downtown Buffalo, and was even emblazoned on scarves handed out to many of the more than 100 supporters in attendance. The gathering will likely be the first of many for the group led by Peter Marlette Jr., which is seeking to bring a football team to Buffalo by 2026 that will compete in America’s second-largest men’s professional league, the USL championship. The men’s team would be accompanied by a professional women’s team, which would play in the USL Super League.

For Marlette, a Buffalo native and former professional player who previously oversaw USL League One club Union Omaha to two first-place finishes before leaving to continue that effort, Thursday’s first town hall meeting was the culmination of support that he’s seen both in person and on social media. media.

“Seeing the support from the community, I expected it,” Marlette said. “The soccer community in Buffalo is ready for this and that’s why I was so excited to get here now and build this.” This first town hall is already proof of that, but I expect the same thing for the next ones.”

Refine the stadium search

As part of the event, Marlette took to the bar stage while donning a Buffalo Pro Soccer scarf, speaking to fans and answering their questions for nearly an hour. He touched on a variety of hot topics surrounding the club, including arguably the most important one on the community’s mind: where will the teams play?

Marlette said the group has only four potential sites left, all in the city of Buffalo, for a 10,000-seat modular stadium project that he said could be entirely, if not largely, financed by the private sector. He added that two of the sites are downtown, while the other two are not far from downtown.

“I believe, honestly, that any (of the potential sites) the club would be successful at and operate at,” Marlette said. “But we have to make sure it’s the right arrangement for the team and the right arrangement for this community, so we’re going to be very diligent about that as this progresses.”

Accessibility to the stadium was also a topic of discussion, and Marlette assured fans that three of the four venues would be easily accessible via public transportation, while he believed the fourth could have an NFTA bus route added nearby if he was chosen.

“Accessible” ticket prices

For one of the first times since the project was made public about five weeks ago, community members got an idea of ​​what it would cost to attend a Buffalo Pro Soccer game.

Marlette said he’s aiming for an average single-game ticket price around $35, with cheaper fees for general admission and also more expensive options for VIP sections and suites.

He reiterated that he wants the club to be “a gathering point for the community” and “accessible” to everyone, both through the stadium location and ticket prices.

“We want to meet the needs of everyone who wants to watch professional football,” Marlette said.

Community-inspired team name and colors

Continuing to echo the slogan “by Buffalo, for Buffalo,” Marlette said community feedback would play an important role in creating the club’s identity.

Marlette polled the audience for potential team name ideas toward the end of the town hall, with “Buffalo United” and “Nickel City FC” among a half-dozen names shouted out. He added that as things get closer to fruition, broader public feedback on a name and colors will continue to be sought.

For now, interacting with the club on social media, reaching out through its website, or attending future town hall meetings are the best ways for the public to make their voices heard.

And for those who yearned for the club to pay homage to the Buffalo Blizzard of the 1990s with its name, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. However, Marlette joked that a Blizzard-themed tribute party is a must.

Show me the money

As has been widely acknowledged from the start, financial support from outside investors will be necessary to get the club off the ground.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is finding a primary owner, as a USL championship club requires one to own at least 35 percent of the team and have a net worth of around $30 million. This, combined with stadium costs and other operational costs, means the group’s work is difficult to achieve.

Marlette has repeatedly said he believes this is the perfect time for investors to get involved in soccer in the United States and in Buffalo, and he remains confident he can secure the necessary funds.

“I can’t give you too many details, but I will say yes, we’ve made a lot of progress in financing this team and getting additional ownership,” Marlette said. “I’m still here fundraising and meeting people every day who are excited about this project and have the funds to contribute to it. »

At one point during the town hall, Marlette mentioned Oakland Roots SC, a USL championship club that has raised more than $3 million through crowdfunding, allowing donors to own a small share of the team. Fans at the Banshee gave the loudest cheers of the evening when asked if they would be willing to contribute in the same way.

Marlette suggested that finding investors is an ongoing effort, but fortunately for him, Thursday’s town hall added a new angle to his speech.

“Tomorrow at 8 a.m. I have an investor interview with someone who can have a big impact on this project,” Marlette said. “I can tell this person that I had budgeted for 60 people (at city hall) and we almost doubled that number. …I already have a good story to tell investors, it’s a proof of concept.