June 16. 2010 1:00AM
AC Milan to play Greek soccer club at Silverdome on Aug. 6
Vincent Goodwill / The Detroit News
Pontiac -- For years people wondered what would become of the Pontiac Silverdome. They now have at least one answer.
Triple Play Sports and Entertainment, which own and operate the Silverdome, announced Tuesday the legendary stadium will host a soccer match between AC Milan and Panathinaikos FC, two of Europe's most popular teams, at 8 p.m. August 6.
It's been dubbed as "Match of the Titans," and is the most significant soccer match played in the Detroit area since the 1994 World Cup. It'll feature 17 players who are participating in this year's World Cup.
Roger Faulkner, senior advisor to Triple Sports and Entertainment, believes this year's World Cup is providing the opportunity to capitalize on soccer's popularity and that the Silverdome is the perfect venue.
"There's 150,000 fans who have never seen a live soccer game," he said. "There's a starvation factor, and the cork's about to blow."
The playing surface on which the match will be played no longer is a big concern. In 1994 the price to import natural grass to the Silverdome was more than $1 million. Faulkner said it'll cost less than $100,000 this time.
"It's not as complex as it was in 1994 when we shipped grass in from California," Faulkner said. "There's experience with grass fields being laid and being there three or four days."
Steve Apostolopoulos, director of the sports division of Triple Play Sports and Entertainment, hopes the match helps establish a consistent soccer presence at the Silverdome and in Metro Detroit.
"It's been in the works for a long time, and we finally secured the event," he said. "The Silverdome is a great place for sporting events."
Apostolopoulos also said preliminary discussions for bringing an MLS team for Metro Detroit are underway.
"Participation (in soccer) across the country is huge, and here it's huge," Faulkner said. "We haven't had someone with the financial resources and the passion to make it happen. We have that with the Apostolopoulos family."
Sixteen years ago Metro Detroit was ranked by FIFA as a top 10 soccer market, and in Faulkner's words, "We thought we were golden, but nothing happened."
Faulkner was concerned when an unknown group purchased the Silverdome last November for $583,000. After he met with the Apostolopoulos family, he thought a golden opportunity was upon him.
"When they bought the Silverdome, most thought they would sell it," Faulkner said. "After I met with them in January, I thought it was the most marvelous thing to happen for soccer in Michigan."
Because of Metro Detroit's economic struggles, Faulkner and Apostolopoulos haven't set expectations for the match's attendance. They're expecting a reasonable boom to local business, though.
"The players will be arriving August 4th," Silverdome spokesperson Tom Constand said. "Ninety-nine percent of operations will be with local businesses. Over 600 people will be employed."
Constand and Faulkner also stressed soccer wouldn't disappear as it did last decade.
"It's not a one-shot event," Faulkner said. "It's the beginning of continuing soccer promotions in Michigan. A big turning point ... the momentum is tremendous."
From The Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20100616/SPORTS07/6160369/AC-Milan-to-play-Greek-soccer-club-at-Silverdome-on-Aug.-6#ixzz0r1Ew8AI2
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