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My husband recently shared a story about a high school classmate who broke up with his girlfriend because he thought he had a chance to date a more attractive girl. Alas, he did not, and he wound up girlfriend-less.
The story came up as we were chatting about the city’s ongoing soccer saga, which started a couple of months ago when Indianapolis officials unceremoniously spurned the Indy Eleven, its fans and its plans for a near-downtown development years in the making to hastily pursue a bid for a Major League Soccer team on a different stretch of land.
Whatever you might think of that pursuit, and whichever side you come down on, it felt a lot like the situation my husband’s high school buddy put himself in. Except in this case, I think we can all agree that we do not wish to be a soccer-less city.
Rarely do I write about the same topic twice, and never have I combined two prior columns into one potential solution, but there’s a first time for everything, so please allow me to riff off last month’s column: What if there were a way for Indy Eleven supporters and city officials angling to lure a potential MLS team here to have their cake and eat it, too?
Even if everything unfolds perfectly as the city hopes, it is still years from building a stadium and launching an MLS team.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear what will happen with the current Eleven Park development, but the recent discovery of more human remains there might have permanently tainted the parcel despite relocation efforts.
It might not feel like it for fans who’ve had the rug pulled out from under them, but the Indy Eleven might have the upper hand here.
About a year ago, I wrote a column about the need for Indianapolis to coordinate and collaborate with surrounding suburbs, which are growing by leaps and bounds.
From 2010 to 2020, U.S. Census data showed the share of Americans living in the suburbs grew 10.5%. More recent data shows the population within Indianapolis shrank 0.8% from 2020 to 2023, but the metro area grew 2.2% in that same time frame, adding more than 45,000 people. Counties with the most growth were Hancock, Boone, Hamilton and Hendricks.
To that end, if you drive just 15 miles in any direction from Monument Circle, you will find many beautiful schools, brand-new big-box stores and amazing athletic facilities.
Some of these facilities will soon house professional teams like the Mad Ants, the Indy Fuel and the Fishers Freight that suburban leaders have lured there. The suburbs also are home to youth athletic teams that will knock your socks off, including some pretty stellar soccer clubs. In other words, lots of potential fans.
As much as I don’t want the Indy Eleven to replace “Indy” with another city name, they have an opportunity to cut bait and shop their wares elsewhere.
City leaders have made it clear that it’s MLS or bust in Indianapolis, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the end of the road for the rowdy Brickyard Battalion or more casual fans looking for an affordable way to cheer on local professional soccer.
A graceful exit—with proper compensation for what’s happened over the past two months—might actually put the team in a more prosperous situation with a partner city that wants the Eleven to succeed instead of casting them aside for something shinier.•
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Chartier is a lifelong Indianapolis resident and owner of Mass Ave Public Relations. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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Unceremoniously? I don’t know how you can write that but also acknowledge “…recent discovery of more human remains…” The Eleven plan and site were unworkable, uneconomic and unlikely to provide a chance for an MLS team. The City made the unpopular decision to move on.