In a win for Mayor Jones, San Antonio this week said it secured a $2.56 million contractual obligation from the Spurs related to a deal from a decade ago.
SAN ANTONIO — Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones notched a win this week after Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SSE) paid heed to her ask for a roughly $2.56 million repayment as part of a failed bid to land a Major League Soccer team in San Antonio.
That obligation comes from a 2015 Toyota Field deal, which required the payment if SSE was unable to land an MLS team in San Antonio by 2021. The city and Bexar County each contributed $9 million to buy Toyota Field in 2015 (at that point the home of the San Antonio Scorpions) with the hopes of bringing MLS to the Alamo City.
That didn’t happen. A decade later, Jones – who has continued to say she wants to land the best deal possible for the city as it pertains to helping the Spurs’ downtown move – had been publicly pushing for repayment of the $2.56 million provision, per the stipulations outlined in a previous contract.
“I recognize, for whatever reason, that hasn’t necessarily been sought after by the city staff,” Jones said in her first State of the City address earlier this year. “But we’re in a budget crunch here. I think it’s really important that we go after the money that we’re owed.”
The city on Wednesday confirmed it has received that $2.56 million from the Spurs. Officials already know how the money will be used, too: It will cover funding for improvements to Toyota Field, including scoreboards, LED field boards, stadium lighting, updated seating and elevators improvements.
“We’re glad this issue is resolved and the commitment has been met,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a statement. “This agreement puts the money where it belongs—into improvements at Toyota Field.”
San Antonio FC, which now plays at Toyota Field on the northeast side, is part of the USL Championship league—a lower-tier organization than MLS. The team is operated by SSE.