The Future of the FIRST Championship- The FIRST Stadium

[Lil' Lavery]

No. I would loathe to see FIRST squander money on such a foolish expenditure. If they were to convince some multi-billionaire to commit a significant portion of their net worth (ha!) to FIRST, I would much rather have them invest it in any number of applications that would enhance the average teams' experience, ranging from the kit of parts to helping struggling regional committees to passing it along as registration cost savings. Beyond the initial cost, prove to me you could fund the upkeep cost by renting it out to other events. Just because you say you can doesn't mean that you actually can. Show me a business model that will sustain this specialized space.

But cost is only the first hurdle. Find me a suitable location. It needs to be near an excessive number of hotels to support the demand for team housing, especially if you want to support 25% of the team population. If it's a single venue it needs to be near a major hub airport. It needs a public transit system to move teams from the airport to hotels and hotels to the venue. It needs enough amenities in the area to feed and entertain teams. Basically, it needs to be in a major city. Now, find me a large plot of unused or available land in a major city near amenities and public transportation. Good luck. Stadium proposals for major league sports already often struggle to do this, and they have the backing of city governments and eminent domain laws. Try convincing the public to support an eminent domain seizure for a venue used for a program that most of them have never heard of and that won't provide year-round jobs to people. That's political suicide for whatever policy maker advances the idea.

This is not just a pipe dream, it's a poor target to pursue.