Derek King#MLS4TheLou Press Kit
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#MLS4TheLou Fact Sheet
Ownership Group
Led by Carolyn Kindle Betz and six other female, multi-generational members of the Taylor family, a new St. Louis MLS team would be the first female majority owned club in the league’s history and one of the few in all professional sports
100-percent St. Louis-based ownership group consisting of the Taylor and Kavanaugh families, including:
o Carolyn Kindle Betz
o Andy Taylor
o Jim Kavanaugh
o Jo Ann Taylor Kindle
o Christine B. Taylor
o Alison Kindle Hogan
o Kelly C Taylor
o Patricia A Taylor
o Barbara Taylor
The ownership group is using the slogan #MLS4THELOU
Commitment to St. Louis
The 100-percent St. Louis-based, majority female-led ownership group has deep ties to the St. Louis community in business and philanthropy
The Taylor family’s long-standing commitment to the revitalization of St. Louis is proven through the number of philanthropic and infrastructure initiatives the family is actively involved and personally invested in throughout the region
As part of the ownership group’s commitment to be an exceptional club and neighbor, they will maintain open lines of communication with key civic, community and business leaders to help build a more equitable and vibrant St. Louis
Overwhelming Privately Funded
The ownership group’s proposal is overwhelmingly privately financed and the ownership group has no intention of requesting citywide tax revenues or tax increment financing (TIF)
Both city and state officials are involved in the discussions which could include incentives such as abatement of the city amusement tax or “user taxes” that allows for the collection of some tax revenue from only those who attend events
Overall, this proposal will request significantly less from the city and, based upon current information, will allow the city to receive new revenue
The financing package relies on certain tax credits from the state, which we are currently discussing
This proposal is structured differently in several ways:
o This is a different ownership group that is 100% St. Louis based ownership group with deep roots in St. Louis business, philanthropy and soccer
o The proposal is privately funded at a much higher percentage
o This group does not intend on requesting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) or any direct citywide tax
o Based on the information currently available; more revenue will be generated for St. Louis
Ideal Stadium Site
Currently owned by the state, the preferred stadium site is adjacent to Union Station in the western part of downtown St. Louis