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The Herb Simon family is officially involved in the effort to bring Major League Soccer to Indianapolis.
There’s been speculation regarding the family’s involvement in Mayor Joe Hogsett’s efforts to secure an expansion team for the Circle City for months—the Simons acquired a parcel integral to the development of a soccer-specific stadium in late April 2024, the same month Hogsett announced his pursuit of a club.
Mel Raines, the CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, confirmed the company’s involvement in the process on Monday night, although she declined to specify whether it was stepping in as an investor.
“At the city’s request, we are part of conversations about Indianapolis’ pursuit of bringing a Major League Soccer team downtown,” Raines told IBJ. “While these discussions are ongoing, we are committed to working with our elected leaders to explore this opportunity. As we have for decades, we will support the city and state to amplify our reputation as a world-class sports, event and entertainment destination.”
Several officials associated with Pacers Sports & Entertainment, including Raines, former CEO Rick Fuson and Phil Bayt, an attorney representing the Simon family, were among those to greet MLS Commissioner Don Garber inside a suite at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday night. Garber was attending the Indiana Pacers game against the Denver Nuggets as a guest of the mayor.
They were also joined by several other area leaders, including Indiana Sports Corp. President Patrick Talty; Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy; Capital Improvement Board Executive Director Andy Mallon; and City-County Council President Vop Osili. U.S. Sen. Todd Young was also in attendance, as was Indiana University soccer coach Todd Yeagley.
A spokesperson for Hogsett did not immediately return a call requesting comment regarding the Simon family’s involvement Monday night. MLS spokesperson Dan Courtemanche also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Herb Simon, the 90-year-old chairman and majority owner of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, is worth about $5.3 billion, according to Forbes. The entire Simon family is worth about $11.6 billion, according to the publication.
Last year, a company affiliated with the family paid $10.5 million to acquire a downtown parking lot in a key location for the city’s plans for building a soccer-specific stadium, adjacent to the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport.
At that time, Bayt, the family’s attorney, said interest in the 5.2-acre surface lot at 101 S. Alabama St.—directly east of the Virginia Avenue Parking Garage—“predated soccer” and that the acquisition was entirely separate from the city’s plans. Pacers Sports & Entertainment has in recent years increased its use of the lot for Fieldhouse-related activities nearby, including parking for staff and television broadcast vehicles.
The city was in the process of buying a 1-acre parking lot at 301 E. Washington St. from a Simon holding company. In mid-December, the company also purchased a parcel at 355 E. Pearl St.—which is the address city officials have cited for the proposed stadium.
Herb Simon has played an integral role in Indianapolis’ success as a sports-centric city. Herb and his brother, Melvin, purchased the Pacers in 1983, after the previous owners started shopping the team, which was fresh off of an abysmal season that sold just 1,255 season tickets and averaged only 4,000 fans.
This is not the Simon family’s first foray into the world of professional soccer. From 2017 to 2020, the family owned Reno 1868 FC, which played in the USL Championship league—the same league that the Indianapolis-based Indy Eleven plays in now.
That team ceased operations in late 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Simon also owns the Reno Aces Minor League Baseball team, a Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Unlike teams in many other top-tier professional sports leagues, Major League Soccer clubs are not franchises and they do not have individual ownership groups.
Instead, each team is owned by the league itself, which secures one or more investors to fund an expansion fee—which for Indianapolis could exceed $500 million—as well as contribute to stadium development and support team operations and other expenses.
The ownership group will be responsible for submitting a formal expansion club bid to the league, which city officials have said they want to happen in the coming months.
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Duh.