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Board of County Commissioners
Todd Porcane Jeffrey Aluoteo
President Room 603, Administrator
Phone (513) 946-4401 County Administration Building Phone (513) 946-4420,
Fax (513) 946-4446 138 Bast Cour Stcce Fox (513) 946-4444
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Denise Drichaus Jacqueline Panioto
Vice President suschamilion-c.0rg (Clerk ofthe Board
Phone (513) 946-4405 Phi
Fax (513) 946-4404
1 (513) 946-4414
Fax (513) 946-4444
Chris Monet
Phone (513) 946-4409,
Fax (513) 946-4407
January 25, 2017
‘Mr. Don Garber, Commissioner
Major League Soccer
420 Fifth Avenue, 7° Floor
New York, NY 10018
Dear Commissioner Garber:
We are excited to learn that FC Cineinnati has been invited to apply for expansion into the highest level
of professional soccer in the United States, Major League Soccer. During your visit here, we hope that you
‘were able to experience some of what our great city and county has to offer and conclude as we do that
under the strong leadership and support for FC Cincinnati, the MLS will thrive in the Queen City.
Cincinnati is a pro-sports town with a history of strong support for the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. FC
Cincinnati showed this year that this support includes professional soccer in a manner and degree that
has exceeded original expectations, and that we know will be sustainable in the future,
‘The Board of Hamilton County Commissioners has long had a solid and collaborative working
relationship with the Reds and the Bengals, including working with the Lindner family when it was
majority owners of the Cincinnati Reds, and working with Jeff Berding when he was a corporate officer of
the Bengals. We are looking forward to working with Carl Lindner, IIL, Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati
to support bringing MLS to Cincinnati,
FC Cineinnati’s status as a Major League Soccer franchise is a perfect fit for our region. With 300
colleges and universities within a 200-mile radius, over 200,000 college graduates are entering the
workforce each year. Our commitment to the development of Over-The-Rhine, downtown and the
Banks, is destined to lead to many young professionals moving into these areas located less than six
ailes from Nippert Stadium, which is situated in our urban core,
‘You have the Board of Hamilton County Commissioners’ commitment that FC Cincinnati has our full
support and we will do whatever we ean do to support them in every way so that they can become one of
your leading MLS franchises,
Denise Driehaus, Chris Monzel
Vice President ‘Commissioner