The TSU-Dynamo Stadium marriage is inching closer to reality.
Two weeks after he first expressed interest in the project and a couple of meetings and phone conversations later, newly appointed TSU athletic director Charles McClelland said the school is willing to invest in the construction of the 22,000-capacity stadium in exchange for the rights to use it."My understanding of the proposal is that the Houston Dynamo and Texas Southern University would share the use of the stadium, including some signage, so it would be the home of Texas Southern University athletics and football program," McClelland said Wednesday, two days after meeting with a city official involved in the stadium negotiations. "We're interested and understand that there has to be a financial commitment from the university, but we are very pleased with the direction of the talks and hope to be able to come to a resolution in the near future."
While McClelland declined to disclose the size or range of the financial commitment because of the ongoing nature of the talks, he is confident the range that has been discussed is "within the capability of the university."
Andy Icken, the city's deputy director of public works, who is heading negotiations on a stadium deal, said he discussed TSU's interest in entering the soccer stadium deal at a meeting Monday.
TSU's proposal makes sense because the Tigers could use the stadium for their football games and the city could rely on TSU's financial participation as a way to keep additional tax dollars from being spent on the facility, Icken said.
"If we can make it happen, we will," Icken said. "We have nothing other than discussions going on at this point."