Miami Marine Stadium and Miami FC

First of all, this wasn't originally my idea, credit for that goes here, I just happened to think it was an idea worth writing about.

Miami FC leads a somewhat nomadic existence. The future of the club was up in the air until March when owners Traffic Sports USA announced they would be playing the 2009 season, but leaving the announcement so late meant that the team had to scramble for a home, any home except for the horrible Tropical Park Stadium where they had played since their inception. Eventually the owners decided to split the season at two stadiums in two cities; Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale - former home of the Miami Fusion, and the rather massive FIU Stadium in Miami. Neither is ideal for Miami FC.

Miami Marine Stadium is a stadium located the Virginia Key, and island in Miami-Dade County. The stadium seats 6,566 and was the first stadium purpose built to host powerboat racing when it was constructed in 1963. Designed by Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela the stadium has been vacant since 1992 when Hurricane Andrew damaged the structural integrity of the building, since then it has been largely uncared for and sits in shocking shape.

Despite it's neglect the stadium is beautiful.

There are several groups looking to restore Miami Marine Stadium, chief among them are the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium, a group organized under the Dade Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization.

While Miami Marine Stadium needs a use, Miami FC needs a home. This is where their stars intersect.

In 2004, the Singaporean government was searching for a temporary solution to it's need for a National Parade Day venue while the new Singapore National Stadium was being constructed. Somewhere along the line someone came up the the idea for the Float at Marina Bay a bayside stadium with a floating platform that would serve as the arena floor. The result was an architectural masterpiece that can support upwards of 1,700 tons.

While costs make this an unlikely solution for a club the calibre of Miami FC, it would be an absolutely fabulous one. A refurbished Miami Marine Stadium would instantly become a showpiece venue for the USL and American soccer as a whole and give a new lease on life to one of Miami's most historic venues.

Personally I feel that in an age of cookie-cutter stadiums and cultureless McMansions we should absolutly save a structure like Miami Marine Stadium and the technology used at Singapore's Float provides a golden opportunity to do so, but it won't happen. Miami's recent history is rife with unfufilled promises surrounding the stadium and all the while it continues to sit and rot, never visited unless to be photographed for someone's flickr site or taged by graffitti artists. It really is sad that such a wonderful piece of architecture and craftsmanship is left to rot.