By Rick Smith, WRAL TechWire editor, and Neil Morris, WRALSportsFan contributor Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina Football Club's multi-year drive to build a multi-use soccer facility in hopes of landing a Major League Soccer expansion franchise will get a boost next Tuesday morning when the club unveils plans for a 20,000 seat stadium in downtown Raleigh. Steve Malik, the owner and chairman of the NCFC, told WRAL TechWire that he is partnering with Raleigh developer John Kane for a project that Malik said will cost $1.9 billion. The stadium will be the hub of a sports/entertainment and mixed use development, Malik said. Full details of the project, including the specific location, renderings and other information will be disclosed at Tuesday's announcement, Malik said. The project is much more than just soccer, he added. "Having an urban stadium with great highway access and with entertainment options surrounding it will strengthen our bid," Malik said when asked about the MLS franchise bid. "At the same time, this plan is not just about soccer. We are planning 75 other major events and hundreds of smaller events that will activate the development year round. " The proposal is part of a multi-year effort by Malik, who is owner and executive chairman of Cary-based MedFusion, a health information technology firm, as well as a serial entrepreneur and investor. Malik acquired the Carolina RailHawks in 2015, later rebranded the franchise, acquired the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League and has sought a Major League Soccer franchise. (North Carolina FC is part of the United Soccer League.) In 2017, Malik proposed the building of a stadium at another downtown Raleigh site. He submitted an official bid to join MLS in December of that year. In its application, North Carolina FC highlighted the strong historical population growth in the Triangle. "The market is ready for an MLS team based on our geographical location, population growth, dynamic economic environment and significant soccer participation," Malik said in December 2017. "MLS requires a minimum of 20,000 seats with amenities in order to maximize revenue, and a new stadium is vital to our plans as it would increase the economic impact in the area and allow us to better showcase the sport.” Major League Soccer’s last three expansion invitations – to Nashville, Cincinnati and Austin – leaves the league one team short of the state goal of 28 markets. However, during his annual state of the league address last December, MLS Commissioner Don Garber opened the door for possible expansion beyond 28 teams. "A lot of communities have been making bids for these MLS expansion spots for a long time,” Malik said. “I’ve been asked do I think we’re the next slot. No, I do not. Do I think we’re a top 36 market for MLS? Yeah, absolutely, and every other major league in our country has gone up to 36 teams. We’re going to keep improving our position.” The teams' current home, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, seats about 10,000 after an expansion in 2012. Malik hinted that his latest proposal is for a much larger area and thus will provide for more related development. "Our previous targeted location was only 13 acres, and now we have considerably more acreage and the matching commitment for private development in large part because of the tax benefits driven by the opportunity zone," Malik explained.​ In March, Malik told city and county leaders that he and Kane had secured 40 acres in southeast Raleigh and were working to acquire additional properties. Given the scale of the development, Malik said "there will certainly be others involved, but for now Kane Realty and NCFC are the primary developers." Malik, who also has been very involved in youth soccer, foresees a busy schedule for the stadium which will drive attendance as well as related spending in Raleigh. "While soccer with our existing men’s and women’s teams and international exhibitions will be approximately 35 dates a year, we expect attendance will increase with more entertainment options proximate as is evidenced in other comparable markets," he said.​ Kane is the developer of the sprawling North Hills project and a new complex being built north of downtown Raleigh near Capital Boulevard. The Malik-Kane project takes advantage of tax incentives offered through development of so-called opportunity zones. North Carolina FC was one of eight groups to submit a plan after Wake County officially requested information about future hospitality projects that could be funded by the county’s Room Occupancy and Prepared Food and Beverage Taxes. In that application, NC FC proposed a 22,000-seat Downtown and Entertainment Sports Center (DESC) whose primary tenants would be men's and women's professional soccer teams. North Carolina FC and Kane Realty recommended the establishment of an Entertainment and Sports Center Authority to manage the DESC, similar in concept to the Centennial Authority and its management of PNC Arena. The application forecast that the DESC “will host numerous other sports, entertainment, public, and civic events above and beyond pro soccer,” the sort of multi-use cited with approval in the Destination Strategic Plan commissioned by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and published last August. "Extremely important," Malik said when asked about the federal program which the North Carolina Department of Commerce says has "the potential to attract investment capital into low-income areas of North Carolina." The state has some 250 such zones. “Opportunity Zones allow for capital gains from anything to be invested in census-tract, underprivileged economic areas," Malik explained to WRALSportsFan in March. "In Raleigh, there’s one from Red Hat Amphitheater south past I-440. In those areas, you can take an unrealized capital gain and invest it and avoid paying tax on the gain for as long as 10 years. You also get a step-up in tax basis. There’s very favorable tax treatment for investment in the Opportunity Zones.”
North Carolina aims to strengthen its bid for a Major League Soccer franchise by unveiling plans for a $1.9bn sport and entertainment multi-use site with a 20,000-seat stadium in Raleigh.