The owner of the Ottawa Senators has launched a multi-million dollar bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Ottawa and build a world-class stadium across the road from Scotiabank Place.

"Our strong community will provide the critical basis support needed for Ottawa-Gatineau to put forward a strong expansion bid," Eugene Melnyk told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.

The 14-team league is set to expand by two teams with Seattle joining in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010.

Two more teams will be added the following year and MLS commissioner Don Garber announced in July that Ottawa was among nine cities in the running. Vancouver and Montreal are also in the mix.

Facility to create more soccer fields

In addition to fronting a US$40-million expansion fee, Melnyk's Senators Sports and Entertainment group unveiled plans to build a $100-million world-class soccer stadium that would seat up to 30,000 and serve as an entertainment venue. He said the facility would also offer five community soccer pitches in a city already starved for more fields.

"It's not just the soccer stadium, but if you take a look at what we're going to do for the community with the various practice pitches there, (they'll be) lit - you're going to be able to play there for seven or nine months of the year - that's substantial."

City support needed

The proposed site for the new facility currently sits on property owned by the City of Ottawa, which currently uses the land as a snow dump in the winter. In order to move forward with a successful bid, the Sens' owner is counting on support from the city.

"I think there's a chance that we can support them. I would be prepared to bring to council a proposal of that nature and have that debate in council," Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien told CTV Ottawa.

Possibility of including football in the plans

The proposal comes at the same time a group of Ottawa businessmen are trying to bring a CFL team back to Ottawa.

Although Lansdowne Park wasn't considered in Melnyk's bid for a soccer franchise, his group told reporters they haven't ruled football out of their plans.

"Our facility is not presently designed with football in mind, although if we get to it at the right time during the design stage, it could be designed to accommodate a football team," said Cyril Leeder, COO of the Ottawa Senators.

The possibility to include football in the design plans for the new stadium, however, comes as a surprise to Jeff Hunt, whose consortium is still proceeding with its plans to bring a CFL team to Lansdowne Park in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood.

"We're not just looking at a facility that would house football, soccer, sporting events, concerts - we're looking at completely revitalizing Lansdowne Park," Hunt told CTV Ottawa.

The final bid proposal must be submitted by Oct. 15 and Melnyk and his group are counting on thousands of fans to log on to their website to convince the MLS the capital deserves a franchise.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr and files from The Canadian Press

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