MLS Fans Already Mugged In Chester

“My mental impression is it’s like Camden but without the glitter,” said Gray Safford, 54, a Process Engineering manager who lives in Abington. He’s taking “a wait-and-see attitude: What do I hear from other people who have gone [to games]? Because I don’t want to be the first one to go down there with my kids.”

That’s a quote in today’s Inquirer piece on the Chester redevelopment along the waterfront, the centerpiece of which is a new stadium for the Camden Riversharks of Chester. Jeff Gammage asks if people will go to the games, especially since the stadium is in, um, Chester. (”People who know nothing else about Chester know it’s somewhere they shouldn’t go at night.”)

All the soccer team needs to succeed, allegedly, is about 13,000 people a game and a couple sellouts when David Beckham comes to town. The mayor says people already go to the casino, but nothing can bring the allure like a slots parlor. Plus, is the Harrah’s demographic also likely to go to a soccer game?

But, uh, really: I think you might be okay safety-wise if you go to a soccer game in Chester. Are there routinely muggings at Kixx or Wings games? Or, for that matter, the Camden Riversharks? I think the team might also have security, too; plus the $50 million of state money is going to turn that waterfront into a new Garden of Eden, only with golden sidewalks and no forbidden trees. Your children will be safe!

Me, I care more about the train stop, which is eight blocks from the stadium, thus continuing the recent tradition of having the transit stops ridiculous distances from our sports arenas. I can barely do the four-block walk to Citizens Bank Park. There will be shuttle buses, but I don’t know if I’ll settle for anything else than shuttle Segways.

How will Chester play to MLS fans? [Inquirer]