St. Louis-based ownership group announced its mission to bring a Major League Soccer club to St. Louis.
The new ownership is composed of multi-generational members of the Taylor and Kavanaugh families. Led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Holdings and Executive Director of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, and six other female 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. Andy Taylor, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Holdings and Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of World Wide Technology, complete the #MLS4THELOU ownership group.
“We recently met with the Taylor Family and Jim Kavanaugh regarding their new vision for Major League Soccer in St. Louis and are impressed by their commitment to the MLS effort,” said Dan Courtemanche, Major League Soccer Executive Vice President of Communications, “We look forward to spending time with them during the coming months to learn more about their plan.”
According to the group, their proposal is ‘overwhelmingly’ privately financed. The ownership group has no intention of requesting citywide tax revenues or tax increment financing. The group hopes to reach a ‘fair proposal’ that works for all. 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. The #MLS4THELOU group’s vision is to build a club that excels both on the field and within the community. The combination of the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh merges a love for St. Louis and soccer, and creates an ownership team with strong business, philanthropy and soccer credentials.
“We believe an MLS team will bring together the many different segments of the St. Louis community, uniting people in their passion for a global sport,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, “It will be a strong attraction for the city and region as we work to bring young people and new talent for businesses. An MLS team will be an exciting addition to downtown St. Louis and further proof of a renaissance taking shape in the city we love.”
COMMITTED 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.
“We envision an MLS team as yet another way to increase the energy and momentum to an already wonderful city that means so much to us,” said Andy Taylor. “The addition of a third major league team speaks to our desirability as a place to work, live and play. St. Louis is a major league city that deserves the many benefits that come with an MLS club.”
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. “St. Louis is a storied soccer city and has a rich past, present and future in the sport. St. Louis belongs in the MLS,” said Jim Kavanaugh. “Our goal is to ensure St. Louis’ rich soccer tradition not only continues, but flourishes for years to come.”
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