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Amanda Butterfield ReportingSalt Lake County will not get behind a plan to build a new stadium for ReAL Salt Lake, and that could mean professional soccer in Utah is on the way out. According to a exclusive poll for Eyewitness News, more than three-fourths of the Utahns surveyed say that wouldn't be much of a loss.
In a vote of five to four the council denied the proposal and ReAL's owner, David Checketts, is not happy.
Dave Checketts: "Today's County Council vote against building a stadium in Sandy is a setback for our club. It is however, not the end of the road."
In a written statement David Checketts made it clear he was disappointed with the council members who voted to deny the proposal from the Sandy City Mayor to build not only a soccer stadium, but a 650-million dollar mega-development, the largest Utah has ever seen.
Checketts says those council members who opposed the project and the County Mayor, have "demonstrated a total disregard for the future of our community and state."
But the majority of the council found the proposal, funded largely by hotel taxes, just didn't make sense for the county and residents.
Peter Corroon, (D) Salt Lake County Mayor: "The door's not closed. We want to be open to Sandy or anyone else that has a proposal that makes sense. Soccer is good for Salt Lake and we want to keep them here."
Now, it's back to the drawing board on how the stadium should be funded and where it will be located. If it was up to residents, the team would keep on playing at Rice Eccles Stadium. Survey USA polled 500 adults in the metropolitan Salt Lake area for KSL-TV. It found that 37-percent of them think that's the best place for ReAL to play. 27% want a stadium in Sandy and 21% the Salt Lake Fair Park.
As for where funding should come from, 64% don't want it to come out of public funds. As for ReAL soccer fans, with no stadium and a losing team, it's tough to be loyal right now.
What happens next isn't clear. Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, the project's main proponent, says he may go back to the legislature to get help with more funding.
