The Kansas City Wizards announced Monday that the club has selected Global Spectrum to manage and operate the team’s new 18,500-seat future home, slated to open in June 2011. Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor, manages 90 stadiums, arenas and convention centers throughout North America, including PPL Park in Chester, PA, home of the Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
The Wizards state-of-the-art, $160 million venue is being built at The Legends in Village West in Kansas City, Kansas and was designed as the first authentic American soccer stadium. Global Spectrum will provide innovative management, marketing and operations at the new stadium, which features 33 luxury suites, two premium clubs, a 60,000-sq. ft. entertainment plaza, and a 2,000-seat supporters section.
Global Spectrum handles similar responsibilities for Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, and the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, among many others.
Global Spectrum will also book non-soccer events for the stadium. The company works with numerous concert promoters and traveling show producers throughout North America and can utilize these resources to create new and exciting opportunities for the Kansas City region.
“Global Spectrum has an outstanding reputation for managing high-performance facilities throughout North America,” said Robb Heineman, Kansas City Wizards President and CEO of OnGoal. “As we prepare to open the most dynamic stadium in North America, we felt it was necessary to hire the best firm to manage and operate our stadium. We look forward to working closely with Global Spectrum in making our new stadium the premiere facility of its kind in the United States, and a must-play venue in the Kansas City region.”
“We are very excited to be working with Robb Heineman and the entire Wizards organization,” said John Page, Chief Operating Officer of Global Spectrum. “This is a terrific opportunity for Global Spectrum to create new opportunities for the Kansas City region by managing the Wizards new stadium.”
In keeping with team policy, terms of the management contract were not released.
About OnGoal, LLC
OnGoal, LLC is a group of local Kansas City business and community leaders, comprised of Neal Patterson, Cliff Illig, Pat Curran, Greg Maday and Robb Heineman. OnGoal, LLC is a high-performance, entertainment and consumer experience company and owner of the Kansas City Wizards (MLS). The Wizards were a founding member of Major League Soccer in 1996 and are in the midst of their 15th season. For more information, log on to their official web site at www.kcwizards.com.
About Comcast-Spectacor
Comcast-Spectacor is a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), among other entities. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 85 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions. For more information, log on to their official web site at www.comcast-spectacor.com.
# # #
CONTACT:
Ike Richman
Comcast-Spectacor
215-389-9552
irichman@comcast-spectacor.com
Dave Borchardt
Kansas City Wizards
816-665-8442
dborchardt@kcwizards.com
