Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The hype surrounding the potential of a professional soccer club coming to the City of Buffalo continues to intensify, as president of Buffalo Pro Soccer, Peter Marlette Jr., went before the Buffalo Common Council’s Community Development Committee on Wednesday to discuss the group's ongoing efforts.
Marlette provided an update on where things stand with the selection of a site to build a new soccer stadium in the community, but also gave an overview of the stadium’s potential economic impact on the City of Buffalo, its benefits for local businesses and the community, and insights from a recent survey asking for fan input on their ideal stadium experience.
After commissioning CSL International, the leading advisory and planning firm in the sports industry, to conduct a market feasibility study for the team and the stadium in the City of Buffalo, Marlette says the results have been illuminating.
"In their economic impact study, they estimate that between construction of the new stadium in 2025 and the operation of the club and stadium from '26 to 2055, we will generate a total output of $351.3 million to the City of Buffalo, create $110.5 million in personal earnings, create 95 full-time jobs, and have a fiscal impact of $11.9 million to the City of Buffalo. Those total outputs for the county will be $588.3 million, and to the state of New York, $631.5 million," detailed Marlette during his address to the Common Council.
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Just last week, Acting Council President Bryan Bollman submitted a resolution to the Council expressing his support and enthusiasm for Buffalo Pro Soccer’s efforts to make a new professional soccer stadium a reality for the city. Marlette was honored to receive such recognition by Bollman for their ongoing efforts.
"Acting President Bollman submitted this resolution, no prompting from us. Truthfully, I didn't even know about it until it was submitted. And as part of that resolution, they requested that I come and speak to the Council, which I'm thrilled to do," Marlette said following Wednesday's meeting.
"I think about the economic impacts, what a driver this could be for the City of Buffalo," added Council President Bollman in an interview with WBEN on Wednesday. "We heard in Council some of the numbers and the revenue it could generate for the City of Buffalo. I also think about the addition and the resources they could provide to some of our youth sports. And just having another entertainment venue and resource for residents is exciting to hear, that they're committed to the City of Buffalo stands out to me. And they've really engaged the community with community meetings, a survey. I really like how they're approaching this."
Marlette also noted that the Buffalo Pro Soccer group has come down to two finalists for a stadium site in the city. One of those sites has already been confirmed as The Buffalo News' old parking lot space along Scott Street.
"We are in the final conversations with the stakeholders of both of those sites. They are both proving to be highly motivated to get the stadium there," Marlette said. "It's going to be a tough decision, and it's one that we're going to have to make in the coming weeks here. That's the immediate next step."
While Marlette would not disclose further details about the second proposed site for a new soccer stadium, he admits neither site was considered when the group first came with its ambitions to bring a USL Soccer club to Buffalo.
"They were presented to us once it got out there of what our project was, and once people started to realize what the potential of a stadium of this capacity could be," Marlette detailed. "I did start, and I fully intended, initially, to go to a different site, and to do this completely privately funded. These other sites are just too good not to see all the way through, not to pursue completely, both for the club, but actually - more importantly - for Buffalo and for Western New York. And they are more expensive than the ones we were initially considering, so the plans had to change a little."
When it comes to The Buffalo News site, Marlette says a stadium there would be huge towards further developing a potential sports corridor downtown with KeyBank Center and Harborcenter already close by.
"You've also got the proximity to the hotels. It's a venue that people from around Western New York and then Southern Ontario are accustomed to coming to for pro sports with the Sabres, Canisius hockey, whatever it may be. So that's very attractive," he said.
"As a resident of the City of Buffalo and someone who loves this city, it's a parking lot desert right now. It's an opportunity to, hopefully, if we choose that site, if it ends up making the most sense, to be a catalyst for development in Downtown Buffalo and draw more people and more money there."
While Bollman is excited about the premise of a sports corridor in Downtown Buffalo, he believes this new soccer stadium could be put anywhere in the city and it would still bring plenty of attention.
"Soccer is a global sport, and I was trying to talk about that on the Council too. There's a lot of people watching from all over the world, so the impacts of bringing it into the City of Buffalo, it's amazing," Bollman said. "I think it'll generate more tourism, it'll help our small businesses. And I support it wherever they put it. Of course, I'd love to see it in my district too and benefit from the economic impacts, and just have something else for the residents to come and support. Wherever they go, we'll support them, and I wish them well."
The goal for Marlette and the Buffalo Pro Soccer group continues to be see the new USL team open for the 2026 season of soccer, which begins in March. That means in the several months to come, a stadium site has to be finalized, ground has to be broken on site, and a number of other decisions in house need to be made surrounding the team.
Marlette admits there is a time crunch, but there is not much concern surrounding that time crunch.
"We expect that we are going to be making our decision on this stadium in the coming weeks here, and as soon as we do, it is full speed ahead," Marlette said. "At both of these sites, there will be a push for some public funding, so we'll need to really advance those conversations. And then principal owner conversations are going great, and people are waiting to hear where we end up before they make those decisions. So I expect by the end of this year, all of that to be done, and then we have shovels in the ground basically as soon as weather permits, next winter, spring."
Marlette is already having preliminary conversations with potential front office staffers like executive-type positions, as well as technical staffers and others. He anticipates those positions to begin being announce this coming January.
Bollman certainly likes Marlette's enthusiasm, and hopes that Buffalo Pro Soccer can deliver for the City of Buffalo.
"Either way, if we get there even at a later point in time, I'm still happy for the City of Buffalo. It seems like an aggressive timeline, and I like that. I like the mentality, and I hope they get there," Bollman said. "But from the community meeting, from the results of the survey, they really are working hard. Hopefully that's a realistic timeline."
When it comes to high level investors and potential owners for the soccer team in Buffalo, Marlette says the seed funding for the project been successful, as the group doesn't need to raise any more money.
"At one of the sites, there is an offer from a principal right now, and it's a pretty good one. But we do expect once we've selected which site we'll be going to, more to want to have those advanced conversations. So we want to make sure that we've vetted all of our interested parties and all of our offers, and make sure we're making the right choice for the business," he said.
At the end of the day, Marlette knows the group can't necessarily accept the most money from investors.
"We need to create a sustainable business, that this is going to last forever. So those conversations are going very well," Marlette added. "I expect as soon as we announce which site we're going to be at, not long after that, we'll be selecting our principal owner."