Will taxes fund a soccer stadium?

The same day Major League Soccer confirmed it is bringing a team to Utah, some Salt Lake leaders said tax money may be needed to pay for a new stadium to house it.

A handful of Salt Lake City Council members, as well as Salt Lake County officials, have met the investors — led by former Utah Jazz President Dave Checketts — who are bringing MLS to Utah and explored the possibility of using city and county taxpayer funds to build a soccer-only stadium.

City Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love said while there will be significant private contributions to the stadium, city, county and state funds likely will be needed as well.

"I expect that those bringing the soccer team to Utah will explore funding possibilities with the city, county and state," she said. "I don't think they will be able to do this entirely with private dollars."

Councilman Dave Buhler agrees, saying the investors were "exploring options of what participation there might be from public entities" during his meeting. Salt Lake County officials also confirmed that they met with the MLS group to discuss county funding options.

But convincing public officials to spend taxpayer money on what is perceived by some as a risky endeavor — are there enough soccer fans in Utah to support an MLS franchise? — might be easier said than done.

Buhler warned that there are many other expensive public-private projects in the works in Salt Lake City.

"There's a lot of people in line," he said. "You've got the aquarium, the Utah Theatre, the Leonardo."

Council vice chairman Dale Lambert, who has not met with the MLS advocates, said he is wary of allocating city funds for the project.

"I would be very reluctant to ask the taxpayers to help in financing," he said.

And such stadiums can be pricey. While no specific price tag has been suggested for a Salt Lake facility, the New York Metro Stars announced this month they will spend $100 million to build a 25,000-seat soccer-only stadium, while the Chicago Fire will break ground on a $70 million facility soon.

Such soccer-only stadiums, which are smaller than most football stadiums, are generally thought necessary for a successful MLS team, since drawing 20,000 fans to a half-empty 50,000-seat football stadium doesn't necessarily create a frenzied atmosphere that crowds and teams enjoy.

That said, Utah's MLS franchise will likely have to play in the 45,000-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah for a few years until a soccer-only stadium deal can be put together.