Timeout for pro soccer on DI?

News broke on March 27 that MUSC Health Stadium, on the outskirts of Daniel Island’s downtown area, is likely to be sold to out of state real estate developer Holder Properties. The sports field has been home to Charleston’s minor league soccer team the Battery since 1999, making it one of the oldest entities on Daniel Island. In fact, it has been called the first modern-era stadium in the U.S. designed for soccer.

While the deal is not set in stone, it is likely to be closed by the end of April, according to the Battery President Mike Kelleher. He assured that the soccer team will finish out their season, ending in October, at MUSC Health Stadium.

“If we did go, and it’s looking more likely, I think we have a great opportunity,” said Kelleher.

Currently, the Battery does not have a stadium lined up as their next playing field, but Kelleher mentioned that several irons are in the fireplace, including Johnson Hagood Memorial Stadium at the Citadel. In addition, Kelleher said that a downtown sports venue is the preferred option because of the exposure that it offers.

“It’s amazing how many people don’t even know we’re here and we’re in our 27th season,” Kelleher said candidly. “I think the RiverDogs get a lot of mentions because they are downtown, whereas I don’t think we get enough credit, benefit or whatever we deserve and maybe we need to do a better job of that.”

While the business side of the equation is edging closer to done, residents have openly voiced their discontent with the potential sale.

“My family was never season ticket holders, but we sure did value the option to take in a Battery game in our own backyard on a fairly regular basis,” resident Rindy Ryan said. “I don’t see us traveling downtown to see them nearly as often as we have in the past. I think it’s a shame we couldn’t have more music festivals in that space, as the Zac Brown events were by far our favorite Daniel Island events.”

One writer for the U.S. Soccer Blog created a #SavetheBattery campaign that has seen a handful of reposts on Facebook.

Summerville resident Kristen Lewis, who attended the Battery’s home game on April 7, said that while she and her family will follow the soccer team downtown, they prefer its Daniel Island location.

“We love the Daniel Island feel,” said Lewis, who has been a season ticket holder in the past. “We have traditions! A lot of the people that come to these games go to Orlando’s first and we’re known there when we go for pizza. It’s a really, like, family feel. We would very much miss it here.”

One game attendant, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed that he worked on the construction of the stadium 20 years ago.

“It will be a shame to see it go,” he said. “It’s been a landmark.”

Longtime Battery fan Ian Grady lives downtown and believes that the stadium will benefit from the move.

“We’ve loved it here for years, but honestly I think downtown would be better and it would get more support,” said Grady, who cheered on the team Sunday as they played Charlotte Independence. “Driving onto Daniel Island is kind of a trek.”

Daniel Island Development Company President Matt Sloan said that he is “hopeful” that a scenario will arise that allows the Battery to remain on the island.

“The stadium and Battery soccer were a jump starter for Daniel Island and they’ve been an integral part of our community ever since,” Sloan stated. “Our company is proud to have been a part of the effort to bring them here and we will be very disappointed if they do indeed go away.”

Two days before the potential sale was announced, Berkeley County Council voted to transfer the FILOT (Fee in Lieu of Tax) agreement from current owner Holland Park, LLC to HP 1990DI, LLC. According to the website for the South Carolina Secretary of State, HP 1990DI LLC was incorporated on March 28, 2019. Although the paper could not confirm the company is an affiliate of Holder Properties, an address cited in its business filing is the same as the Holder Properties corporate office in Atlanta.

Council approved the FILOT transfer with no discussion or opposition. According to Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley, who resides on Daniel Island, the current owners of the property have the contractual right to transfer or assign their interest in the FILOT to future buyers, subject to council approval.

“But council cannot unreasonably withhold approval,” he said. “So basically, they’re just inheriting the tax status on the building, but it’s almost over – it only has three years left.”

Whitley added that he and fellow councilmembers were not told in advance of the vote that the Battery was considering relocating from Daniel Island and said he was “highly disappointed” to learn of the development.

“No one advised the county of their plans, ever,” said Whitley. “I just view it as a loss to our quality of life for everyone who enjoys having a quality professional sports team in our community.”

City of Charleston Councilman Gary White of Daniel Island also expressed displeasure at the move, but remained optimistic.

“I’m very disappointed that they are leaving, but in the same vein, I am happy to know that at least they are going to stay in the city,” he said.

While many residents are upset at the news, Kelleher asks island citizens one question: “Where were you?” When looking at the attendance numbers, only about 40 season ticket holders out of over 700 were Daniel Island residents, he said.

“If you were packing out the stadium every week, then maybe it would be different,” added Kelleher.

According to the Battery’s total ticket sales, the numbers have stayed roughly the same since moving into the stadium in 1999. Ticket numbers have hovered between 3,000 and 4,000 tickets sold per game, on average. Ticket sales hit their peak in the 2015 season, averaging 4,080 per game, but have been on a decline since.

The 2018 season had the lowest numbers in terms of ticket sales since The Battery’s move to MUSC Health Stadium, with an average of 2,872 per game.

Kelleher was quick to clarify that ticket sales do not necessarily equate to attendance, implying that an actual presence at the games may have been lower.

“I think Daniel Island is a fantastic location, a fantastic place, but I don’t think it’s got a captive audience anymore,” he concluded.

The big question that remains is about MUSC Health Stadium’s status if the sale is successful. No one, including the City of Charleston’s planning department, knows what will happen to the stadium, but prospective buyer Holder Properties has an impressive portfolio of commercial real estate.

Holder Properties Chairman and CEO John Holder said that his company does not yet know what will be constructed on the stadium grounds, but adds that “a lot of it is predicated on Daniel Island [DI Development Company].”

“It could be townhomes, it could be apartments, it could be office, it could be a hotel, and we are trying to work with them to determine what is the best use,” Holder claimed.

The CEO considered the public reaction and explained that the property holders put the land up for sale before his company laid down an offer.

“I think there is some misconception that somehow we initiated this and we are somehow forcing the team to leave,” he said. “With our involvement with the Blackbaud building next door, we became a natural to look at buying it.”

In late March, the Post and Courier broke the story that the MUSC Health Stadium may be sold to an out of state real estate developer by the current owner Holland Park, LLC at the end of March, leading to wild speculation from several parties on and off the internet. Holder Properties also owns Blackbaud’s new corporate campus and Central Island Plaza.

Change isn’t easy for many people, but Kelleher plans to create a fan advisory board that will give the Battery’s administration the opportunity to hear everyone out.

“I think we’ll have people that have been here from the start and whenever we move, it won’t be the Charleston Battery to them anymore, but we have to try to make it the Charleston Battery, listen to the supporters,” he said.