Soccer fever took over the Raleigh City Market on Wednesday, July 19 when the North Carolina Football Club organized the #919toMLS Rally downtown. The rally was sponsored by the local team, North Carolina Football Club, in order to generate widespread support for the city’s bid for a Major League Soccer team.
Banners were hung all across downtown as the city of Raleigh and NCFC combined efforts to create a buzz for local soccer fans. The festivities began at 5 p.m., and those who attended the rally received a free “919 to MLS” scarf and T-shirt as crowds flooded the area.
Lonerider Brewing Company provided free beer and the London Bridge Pub welcomed rally members to congregate and watch the U.S. National Team play El Salvador in the Gold Cup.
NCFC and NC Courage players were also present to show their support for the bid, meeting rally goers and waving their flags with the rest.
NCFC owner and leader of the MLS bid, Steve Malik, expressed that a strong showing of community support could go a long way as MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott brought his executive team to visit the Raleigh area.
The most noise came from groups like the Oak City Supporters, a Raleigh-based independent support group who have played a large role in growing the fan bases of NCFC and the NC Courage. The group led most of the chants and excitement, along with providing their own free memorabilia for rally members.
The biggest headline from the evening came from NCFC’s announcement of its preferred stadium location in downtown Raleigh. The new stadium would be located off of Peace Street on land that is currently state-owned. Seeing the rendering of the ambitious stadium plan sparked a new excitement for most Raleigh residents and turned the rally into a hit. If North Carolina FC is rewarded the MLS bid, owner Steve Malik says private investors will back a $150 million stadium that would seat 22,000 people.
Malik’s proposal for the new stadium is the key aspect of his pitch to the MLS, and he believes Raleigh is ready for the change.
“Downtown Raleigh has seen tremendous growth,” Malik said in his press conference on the night of the rally. “Yet we have lacked a facility that we could all experience, pull for and root for a sports team.”
Abbott was impressed by the energy shown by the Raleigh community, and saw great potential in what the stadium proposal had to offer.
“You can’t help but be really overwhelmed by the plan that’s being presented here. It’s a stunning stadium, in an incredible location proximate to downtown,” Abbott said to the hundreds gathered in the City Market.
The bid for Raleigh’s new future is still very much uncertain, with Charlotte and 11 other major cities across the country rallying their communities as they vie for the same opportunity, however it’s clear that local fans are ready to support an MLS team in Raleigh.
