INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a 20-million-dollar renovation of I-U-P-U-I‘s Carroll Stadium for the Indy Eleven soccer team.

Avon Republican Pete Miller says the state has a chance to get ahead of the curve as soccer gains in popularity in the U-S. The Senate scaled back a House-passed plan to use a tax-recapture mechanism to help the team build a brand-new 80-million-dollar stadium.

Miller says by using Carroll Stadium instead, the state gets a double benefit by revitalizing an existing state asset which would otherwise be nearing the end of its life span.House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) says he‘ll have to consult with Fishers Representative Todd Huston (R), the author of the original bill, on whether to accept the scaled-down plan or seek further negotiations.

He says a key question will be whether the campus location just north of downtown is suitable for the kind of multipurpose stadium supporters envision.