ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Carolyn Kindle Betz made a bit of a shocking confession on KMOX's St. Louis Talks show. She said before St. Louis began its bidding process for a Major League Soccer team, she didn't really like soccer and hardly followed the sport.
Things have, of course, changed since then. But her previous lack of soccer fandom may just make the new MLS stadium in downtown St. Louis that much better for the below-average soccer fan. We asked her about what was most important to her when making the original designs of the stadium.
“I wanted to make sure that everyone felt comfortable," Kindle Betz said. "I’m not a soccer fan per se, I’ve never watched a match before. So I wanted to be able to have other options than just watching a match. I want to make sure there’s something for everyone.”
Since that successful bidding process and her first two years in her position, Kindle Betz has watched plenty of soccer.
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“I do watch soccer now and I’m definitely understanding positions. This has always been about sports, yes, but something even bigger than that," she says.
That's why, she says, there has been a big focus on the stadium's food and entertainment options. St. Louis CITY SC named local award-winning chef Gerard Craft as its "Flavor Officer" to help select the food that will be featured in the stadium – it's expected to be full of dishes from local restaurants and fan-favorites.
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW, HERE:
She says the stadium construction is still "progressing at a very good rate" despite the pandemic and they're expecting to be handed the keys well before the first MLS match in 2023. She says they hope to host other events before that first game to "break in" the new stadium in Downtown West.
As for when and what the next big announcement will be? They're hoping to announce the team's jersey and/or stadium sponsors in the next few months.
"Conversations going on with quite a few different corporations," Kindle Betz says. "Hopefully by the end of the year we’ll have another exciting announcement."
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