SoccerCity's Campaign Headquarters Are Officially Open
The SoccerCity team kicked off the second half of its latest contest the Tuesday morning after Labor Day with a media event at their newly opened campaign office in Serra Mesa, just a long ball away from the SDCCU Stadium site that their project seeks to transform into a brilliant new development complete with a brand new stadium for a Major League Soccer expansion team, badly needed housing, retail and office space, a park that runs adjacent to the San Diego River and much more.
The campaign office will serve as home base for the flood of volunteers who have repeatedly asked how they as individuals can assist in the very real struggle to win in November 6th in order to win on the field in the years to come.
When this project first launched, support was at an all-time high. The signature gathered effort broke all records as over 112,000 signatures were collected in just under two weeks. Support amongst individual citizens has always been strong, despite the hurdles tossed up by the political process along the way.
Undeterred by the institutional adversity the campaign has come across in recent weeks, spirits in the office were high as volunteers joked, laughed, bonded and put in a shift for the cause the believe in.
Carrie Taylor giving the supporters their instructions
Volunteers spent the morning writing messages to fellow voters, encouraging people who might not vote to make an effort to hit the ballot boxes in November, while SoccerCity Partners Nick Stone and Landon Donovan explained the virtues of their project to media less familiar with their plan.
"I've always been a fan of soccer," said 19-year-old Andrew Beltran. "I've grown up in San Diego and I've always had to go to LA or outside of SD to catch a game. To have a team here would be a dream come true."
"The passion of the game is my favorite thing. People can do amazing things together when inspired by passion and I think that SoccerCity will help unify the city of San Diego."
Unity is certainly one of the underpinnings of the project. SoccerCity will be on the ballot as Measure E and several people around the office were heard saying that E is for Everybody. Whether you like soccer or not, the SoccerCity plan includes public park land, retail venues, bars and restaurants, thousands of housing units and office and classroom space that can be used for universities and businesses alike.
What comes next?
For the next two months, volunteers will congregate at SoccerCity's campaign HQ to coordinate efforts in the build up to November 6th when voters will decide the future of Mission Valley's decrepit stadium that sits in what is currently the largest parking lot west of the Mississippi River.