Stadium plan is Real as it gets

Real is here to stay — for real this time.

Now that lawmakers agreed Thursday to set aside $35 million to keep Real Salt Lake from leaving Utah for St. Louis, work will begin in earnest to finish an agreement between the state, Sandy City and the team.

Representatives of those three entities are already hammering out the interlocal agreement that will spell out everything the team is getting to stay in Utah — and everything the team has to do in return. The agreement could be done within a few weeks.

An hour-and-a-half after the bill passed the House, 48-24, Thursday, Real Salt Lake team officials and players gathered on the Capitol plaza with state lawmakers, Sandy and Salt Lake City leaders and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who says he will sign the measure as soon as it reaches his desk. Donning personalized soccer jerseys and Real scarves, the group cheered.

"Soccer is here to stay," Huntsman said. "With a very solid foundation to move forward, Major League Soccer can now truly become the great unifier, bringing together our diverse cultures across multiple generations."

The governor championed the deal after Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon turned it down last week as too risky, and put plenty of pressure on lawmakers to pass the needed legislation. Huntsman even appeared before both the Democratic and Republican House caucuses just before Thursday's vote.

Team owner Dave Checketts has been entertaining offers from other cities to buy the team and build a soccer-specific stadium. St. Louis pitched the most lucrative deal, but Checketts wanted the stadium at his former stomping grounds.

"What an incredible journey this has been. I've always loved my hometown, and it has never let me down. But the last couple weeks have been very tough," he said, calling the process "draining."

"A week ago Monday, I truly thought soccer was dead and the project was dead," he added. "It was clear at that time that it was time to move on. But what has transpired since couldn't have been scripted."

Salt Lake County is no longer part of the negotiations. Corroon, a Real season ticket holder, was not invited to the celebration. He released a statement that said he plans to support the partnership between the team, state and Sandy.

"I made a decision based on a great deal of information and months of analysis, meetings and hearing; the Legislature has now made their decision as well," it read.

The deal's details

The new agreement with the state may end up looking very similar to the agreement the county originally reached with the team.