Braxton Payne talks MLS in St. Louis on Fox 2

In the bonus online-only segment of FOX 2’s Hancock and Kelley Show, Director of Digital Communications, Braxton Payne, talks about how the new MLS team in St. Louis will shape St. Louis’ future.

A note from Braxton:

Soccer is something that has shaped my entire life. I grew up playing and my father has worked for Vetta Sports Club, an indoor soccer facility, in the St. Louis region for 30 years. I grew up going to Ambush and Steamers games. Soccer is the future of U.S. sports, it is growing in all areas of the country from youth soccer to professional soccer.

St. Louis earning an MLS team will be huge for the region. Carolyn Betz, Jim Kavanaugh, the Taylor Family, and the entire ownership group have bet on St. Louis. They have bet on St. Louis to be a city that can bounce back from some down years. They are betting on Downtown St. Louis to be a hub and a destination for so many people. This is a bet that many that live here have written off. Mayor Lyda Krewson, President Lewis Reed and some on the Board of Alderman knew what downtown could be. The fight for the new NGA West facility to the fight to keep the NFL in St. Louis to the fight to bring in development and investment into the City hasn’t always been easy, successful, or popular but it is what is right for the city. The new MLS team provides us with a world-class facility in the heart of Downtown West.

We must not think of it as a simple development, it is the intangibles. This team will bring an added value of civic pride. As a native St. Louisan, there is one thing we all know to be true. St. Louis is a proud city. Thank you to the ownership group for adding something in St. Louis that we can all be proud of.