Votes coming for Argentine soccer complex in North Bay Village
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A soccer complex could rise on land behind Treasure Island Elementary School. Image: Courtesy of North Bay Village
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) proposed building and managing a headquarters and soccer complex on public land in North Bay Village two years ago — and crucial votes will take place in coming weeks.
Why it matters: North Bay Village is a densely built and fast-growing municipality on three man-made islands, and the soccer complex would use its most significant green space.
- Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported that the proposed soccer project and Lionel Messi's signing with Inter Miami are drawing Argentines to North Bay Village.
Catch up quick: The AFA proposed building soccer fields, padel courts, a new recreation center, offices and a police station on land behind Treasure Island Elementary School that's owned by the village and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
- Currently, there's a utility building and truck parking on the site.
- The AFA would run youth soccer training, and Argentina's national team would train there occasionally — possibly when Miami hosts part of the 2026 World Cup.
- The AFA wants to open academies throughout the U.S.
Details: Under the proposal, the land would remain public while the AFA would pay $97.5 million over 30 years to build on it and maintain the property.
What we're watching: North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham tells Axios an agreement with the school board will give the village the authority to construct and operate the facilities on the land.
- Terms should be finalized by the end of this month, posted on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Board's agenda and then voted on by the board on Sept. 6, he says.
- The North Bay Village Commission would then vote in mid-September on adopting those terms.
What's next: North Bay Village has a separate agreement with the Argentine Football Association to fund construction of the facilities and operate them.
- Soccer fields could potentially be built by next summer, but the building would take longer.
Context: About 3,000 condos and apartments are under development in North Bay Village.
- Last year, North Bay Village changed its zoning laws to accommodate developer Sunbeam Properties' plan for 8 to 10 mixed-use towers up to 65 stories in height along the 79th Street Causeway.
What they're saying: "If all of the buildings that have been proposed were to be built, the city would double in population over the next 5 to 10 years," Latham says.
- The city and AFA would be able to use the facilities only when not needed by the school.
- "We are creating athletic facilities where there are none," Latham says.
The other side: Critics have complained about potential traffic and travel by Latham — who formerly worked for FIFA, soccer's governing body — to negotiate the deal.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove an earnings estimate that was incorrectly attributed to AFA when it was made by NBC6 and has been disputed by a North Bay Village spokesperson.