Blank bids for MLS franchise

Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced Tuesday afternoon that he will seek a Major League Soccer franchise for Atlanta.

The AMB Group, Blank’s management and investment company, submitted a bid in time for Wednesday’s expansion deadline. Blank and league officials wouldn’t comment on possible sites, although Cobb and, to a lesser extent, Gwinnett counties are considered front-runners.

Blank, who also owns the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, would have to come up with an estimated $40 million for a franchise.

“Filing this application represents an important next step as we continue to explore the possibility of bringing Major League Soccer to fans throughout Metro Atlanta,” AMB spokesman Brian Farley said in a statement. “We’re also looking at how best to create a sports-and-entertainment center that can not only serve as a premier soccer destination, but also a community resource for soccer enthusiasts at various levels of play throughout the region.”

Major League Soccer, founded in 1996, has 14 teams spread from New York to Los Angeles. The league will add teams in Seattle and Philadelphia in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and plans further expansion by 2012.

A 20,000-seat stadium, along with land, parking and other amenities, could add an additional $80 million to the package. Public money would likely become part of any financing mix. Stadium naming rights could help defray the costs.

Blank’s group has scoured stadium sites in a half-dozen Metro Atlanta counties. But Cobb and Gwinnett, with burgeoning soccer enthusiasts of all ages and large Hispanic populations, are considered the likeliest locations.

Gwinnett commissioner Bert Nasuti, who came up with the idea of bringing minor league baseball to the county, said that while some people might be discussing bringing an MLS franchise to Gwinnett, no discussion has involved county officials.

Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Commission, said Tuesday that a proposed site near Kennesaw State University would be ideal.

“The ability to link a soccer franchise with KSU is a very exciting opportunity from the county’s perspective,” said Olens, who cautioned that financing remains a hurdle.

Kennesaw State’s non-profit foundation has contracted to buy 50 acres on the eastern side of Interstate 75 for intramural and club sports. Daniel Papp, the school’s president, hasn’t ruled out the prospect of building a soccer and/or football complex on the site.

“There’s an opportunity to make a significant, long-term contribution to the community, which is a key consideration in all the Blank businesses,” Farley said, without referring to any particular site.

Olens, who has met a couple of times with Blank’s representatives, wouldn’t detail possible financing scenarios. He did say, though, that any package would include private money as well as county and KSU dollars.

Atlanta is already home to a pro soccer team, the Silverbacks, who compete in the United Soccer League first division, a professional rank below MLS. The Silverbacks’ stadium is located near the intersection of interstates 85 and 285.

MLS officials had labeled Atlanta a “tremendous” potential market. A half-dozen other cities, including Las Vegas, Ottawa, Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia, have expressed interest in a franchise. League officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

Staff writer Michael Pearson contributed to this article.

On ajc.com/sports: Vote on whether you think Atlanta would support a Major League Soccer franchise.