Former FC Dallas Stadium general manager Michael Hitchcock is developing a new North American Soccer League facility in San Antonio tied to a noble cause, special-needs children.
In a deal thought to be a first in pro sports, 100 percent of all net proceeds from operations tied to the San Antonio Scorpions will go to the operation of Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park customized for disabled kids. The Scorpions are in their first year as an NASL club.
Local businessman Gordon Hartman, the Scorpions’ owner, is the driving force behind both projects. Hartman privately built Morgan’s Wonderland, named for his daughter with special needs, and is building the stadium across the street from the park in northeast San Antonio.
Hitchcock is a founding partner of Playbook Management International, the consultant hired by Soccer for a Cause, corporate parent of the Scorpions and the stadium.
The team’s operating budget this year is $1.6 million, and Playbook Management is getting close to that number. It has sold more than 30 sponsorships valued at more than $600,000, a number covering agreements with Anheuser-Busch, Nike and Univision. The Bud Light Party Deck will be part of the new facility, Hitchcock said.
Officials expect to surpass $1 million in sponsorship revenue alone in 2012, doubling projections for the Scorpions’ first year of play at Heroes Stadium, a $30 million high school football stadium.
Groundbreaking for the new stadium, designed by local firm Luna Architecture, is set for early March, and it will open for the 2013 season. It can expand to 18,000 seats should San Antonio land an MLS team, Hitchcock said. The stadium’s total cost is less than $20 million.
