Polk County, Iowa residents may have to pony up some money.
Kyle Krause wants to bring a United Soccer League franchise to Des Moines, Iowa. That is the easiest part of Krause’s plan to get the United States’ second tier league to town. Now comes the hard part. Raising money to build a 6,000-seat stadium which would require about $60 million in funding. It would be a public-private partnership deal with Krause putting up some money. Krause also wants Des Moines and Iowa politicians to pitch in. Krause owns the Des Moines franchise in the USL League Two which is a fourth tier United States soccer league. The USL President Jack Edwards called Des Moines an ideal home for his league once a stadium is built.
Krause is looking for help from individuals to pay for the stadium but it has been suggested he needs $30 million from taxpayers and at this point it appears as if getting $30 million from Polk County, Iowa supervisors is not going to happen. While Krause would own the team, the public made up of the city of Des Moines, Des Moines public schools and Polk County would own the facility. The Polk County supervisors’ have indicated that the stadium is too costly and too risky for them. There is also a time element to Krause’s plan for a team and to build a stadium. The USL wants to know whether Des Moines will have a stadium funding plan in place by April 1, 2020. That give the group about a half year to find $60 million and hope some of that money comes from individuals who want to see pro soccer in Des Moines at a higher tier minor league level with the possibility of games against MLS squads. Krause wants funding in place by April with the stadium construction starting in August 2020 and the team on the field by 2022. All Krause needs is $60 million.
