David Beckham has appealed for support for his plans for a Major League Soccer stadium in Miami, insisting that he doesn't want public money and will create "something special" for the city.
Beckham and his backers are currently negotiating for a waterfront site next to the Miami Heat's Arena in downtown Miami after plans for a venue at the port of Miami met local political resistance.
The second proposal, which involves filling in a large boat slip and placing the stadium in a new park area, has also come up against some opposition despite Beckham's team offering to pay for the arena entirely out of private funds.
That plan could go to a vote in a referendum in November and on Saturday Beckham fired up his campaign for support - visiting a downtown children's soccer center, as well as the heavily Hispanic Little Havana district, and posing for photographs with local residents.
Beckham's message to potential referendum voters, as well as the politicians he must convince to back his plan, is that his backers will be investing in the city and not arriving with the begging bowl.
