Houston Officials Nix Dynamo Soccer Complex

• Houston Chronicle, Wednesday, February 21, 2007 3:55 PM

Houston Mayor Bill White effectively ruled out the use of the Gus Wortham Golf Course in Houston's East End as a possible location for a new soccer complex that would serve as the training grounds for defending MLS champ Houston Dynamo. White said he wouldn't support the move because the East End's Councilwoman Carol Alvarado doesn't support the move. About a dozen of her constituents complained that removing the 100-year old golf course would be a disservice to the community.

The Dynamo and Houston city officials had discussed the possibility of converting the public golf course into a youth soccer complex as part of a deal to keep the Dynamo in Houston. The other condition, team officials said, is to build a new soccer-specific stadium. Otherwise, the MLS champions would explore the possibility of moving to the suburbs. The Dynamo currently plays at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium.

To fund the project, the city would need to renovate public land, which is few and far between. White said it's unlikely the city would be able to find a location big enough both for a new stadium as well as a youth complex, though he hopes the locations would be close together and linked by public transit.

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