🔒Football player takes over delayed Hartford stadium project

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A former college and arena football player has taken over control of the delayed $12 million Dillon Stadium project in Hartford, with plans to construct a new facility for his professional soccer team to play starting with the 2017 season.

James Duckett, CEO of Black Diamond Consulting, has merged his company with the previous contractor for the Dillon Stadium project — Hartford-based Premier Sports Management Group (PSMG) — which originally planned to have the redeveloped stadium complete for the 2016 outdoor soccer season.

Last week, Duckett's company announced a new pro soccer team, Hartford City FC, has joined the Major Arena Soccer League, and will play 10 indoor games at the XL Center starting this November. The goal is to eventually have Hartford City FC also join the North American Soccer League (NASL) to play outdoor games at Dillon Stadium.

“I am excited to bring the outdoor team here, too,” Duckett said. “This is just one piece of the pie here, and we are going to have a few more.”

Black Diamond plans to privately finance the new professional soccer stadium, Duckett said, but he did not disclose potential financiers.

The Dillon Stadium demolition originally was supposed to be completed by July 7 but has been beset by delays. The city of Hartford, which owns the stadium that sits in Colt Park, retained PSMG to oversee the demolition and construction of a new facility after terminating its tentative deal with the original developer.

The city set aside $12 million over three years in its budget for Dillon Stadium, a portion of which has been spent on environmental testing and initial demolition work.

If Black Diamond uses private financing for the new stadium, the city might not spend its entire $12 million, said Stephen Cole, Hartford's director of economic development, who added the city will lease the new stadium to Black Diamond after construction is complete.

Negotiations with the city and Black Diamond still are ongoing, but the lease could last as long as 48 years without renewal, Cole said.

The city's agreement with Black Diamond on Dillon Stadium's demolition has been finalized, and Massachusetts-based Wise Construction is set to begin demolition of the original stadium in the next couple of weeks.

The demolition will be finished in time for the construction of the new stadium to begin in mid-October, said Mitch Anderson, president of the former PSMG and now vice president of operations for Black Diamond.

“We have to destroy that thing,” Anderson said.

Legal limbo

Anderson took over the Dillon Stadium project in May 2014 after the city ended its deal with the project's original developer, Hartford consultant Civic Mind. Whereas Anderson's vision for the stadium centered on bringing a professional soccer team to the city, the Civic Mind proposal focused more on using it as a venue for local high school and community sports, as well as events, which is more in line with the historic use of Dillon.

In December, Civic Mind sued the city, Anderson and PSMG for at least $866,000 arguing, among other things, that its contract was wrongfully terminated. The city tried to have the suit dismissed, but that request was denied. The trial is scheduled to begin sometime in 2017 unless the sides decide to settle, said Peter Martin, attorney for law firm Hinckley Allen, who is representing Civic Mind.

“They refused to meet with us. As far as I know, we are working toward trial,” Martin said.

Anderson and the city's attorney, Lisa Silvestri, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Professional soccer

In addition to leasing the stadium from the city, Black Diamond will own the soccer team that plays there; Anderson will be the team's president and general manager and Duckett the majority owner.

Meantime, Hartford City FC will play 10 home games this fall at the XL Center in the Major Arena Soccer League, with a potential for one or two more playoff home games. Hartford will be an expansion team in the 23-team league.

“This gives us 10 extra events, and it brings a different dynamic, a different audience than our other events,” said Chris Lawrence, XL Center's general manager.

The team also is in negotiations with the North American Soccer League (NASL) for outdoor soccer games at Dillon Stadium in 2017, Anderson said, to create year-round professional soccer in Hartford. Although they will play under the same brand, the indoor and outdoor versions of Hartford City FC will have different coaches and different players, although a handful of athletes may play for both teams.

Duckett first came to New England in 2001 when he was playing arena league football, according to his bio on Black Diamond's website. Before that, he played for Millersville University in Pennsylvania and then spent five years competing for roster spots in the NFL. He is originally from Maryland but now resides in Somers.

Duckett said the soccer team is the beginning of what he wants to do to get Hartford youth more involved in sports, particularly during winter months that can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, which puts New England athletes at a disadvantage from those in the South who have warm weather year-round.

Editor's note: See how the Dillon Stadium deal finally played out.

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