RUMOR MILL: ROWDIES to sign Multi-Year Deal to stay at AL LANG STADIUM!

Discussion in 'Tampa Bay Rowdies' started by XaviusX, Jul 10, 2012.

  1. XaviusX

    XaviusX Member

    Mar 21, 2001
    Tampa, Florida
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    According to a reliable source of mine, the City of St. Petersburg and the Rowdies will soon announce that they have reached a Multi-Year Deal to have the club stay at Al Lang Stadium. The deal is considered to be a "Sweetheart" one for the Rowdies with the City picking up the tab for at least the majority of the stadium's operation costs, such as Lighting, Maintenance, etc. etc. It's assumed that the deal will be no different than what they have right now, only that it will be extended.
    Also, from my same source, the City has enjoyed the number of people it has attracted to the Downtown Area with local establishments reporting an increase in business during the Summer months since the club moved there early last year.
    From what I've been told as well, with the current stadium deal they have & will be having for the foreseeable future, if attendance stays at 3,000+ per game, the club is making $$$ or, at the very least, breaking even.
    Please note that this has not been officially announced, so it may or may not be entirely accurate. However, I'm confident enough in my source to post it. What this means for our club's future and pursuit of our own SSS is still questionable. I'll just leave it to you guys to discuss, but, for now, it looks like the Rowdies are here to stay.
     
    WhiteStar Warriors repped this.
  2. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, that would at least give everybody finality in terms of their plan.

    And I would imagine that what it means for the club's pursuit of an SSS is that it won't be happening anytime soon (multi-year is vague). So you put your resources into making it work in St. Pete. At least that uncertainty isn't hanging out there anymore.
     
  3. Jossed

    Jossed Member+

    Apr 23, 2011
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Is that even possible with a NASL player and team budget? NASL player budgets alone have to run $400k to 700k. I know I read the National Sports Center thought they could break even with the Stars if they drew 2500 back in 2010. Then that number got bumped up to 3500. And they ended up drawing around 1400 that year. And the NSC owned the stadium the Stars played in and were working with a shoestring budget to cut costs. They still couldn't make it work nor find other investors. Hence, the Stars are now leagued owned.

    It just doesn't seem possible that a NASL club could break even or make money drawing only 3000 in a stadium, even if they get a good deal, they do not own. Kenn would know better though.
     
  4. XaviusX

    XaviusX Member

    Mar 21, 2001
    Tampa, Florida
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If this does in fact come to fruition, at least there's a sense of closure for the time being and we can now concentrate on making the best of what we've got now. This deal in no way states that a Soccer Specific Stadium is out of the question down the road. If anything, it's been pushed back further. But people will miss the bigger picture here: Pro Soccer in Tampa Bay looks to be here for the long haul. So, at least we still have a Club to Support! :)
     
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  5. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Depends on the deal.

    The benefits of your own yard are (obviously) you're not paying rent (though you usually have debt service, as D2 soccer isn't likely to get a deal like Hamilton County, Ohio, where the local officials just build you a palace and hand you the keys and walk away) and you capture all the revenue that is generated there.

    I wonder if such a lease would be subject to an FOI request or fall under Florida's Sunshine Law. Then you could see.

    People always put a number on "average attendance needed to break even," which can vary from club to club depending on average ticket price. You have revenue goals, whether you sell 42,000 tickets over the course of a season or 56,000 tickets over the course of a season. Not every ticket sells for the same price, obviously.

    People who actually have the P&Ls know what their expenses are and know how much revenue they can generate. We can only guess. But if you were able to remove a major cost line item (rent) or knock it down considerably and you were able to enhance a couple of revenue line items (parking, concessions, etc.) that would obviously help the bottom line.

    I'm always skeptical of those "we only need to average x to make money" statements because it's always like building a house: you expect it to cost x, but then something inevitably happens and you end up spending a little more here and a little more there and before you know it you've spent a lot more than x. But only they would know for sure.
     
  6. greenroom

    greenroom BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 16, 2012
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ok have a question if they do stay at Al Lang Stadium. Do you think they make changes to make it more of a soccer stadium? I only look at the pictures online and went to a game that was played on a baseball field (FC Dallas vs Houston) , but it is not as attractive as even what the Scorpions have this year at the High School Field. Wonder if making it more soccer fan friendly would help the ticket sales?
     
  7. XaviusX

    XaviusX Member

    Mar 21, 2001
    Tampa, Florida
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No disrespect to San Antonio, 'cause I know it's only temporary, but I'd much rather we play on the field we have now, than play on Astroturf with Grid-Iron Lines on it.
     
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  8. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think he was including the possibility of going with fake grass.

    Personally, I think it would be great if St. Pete would abandon baseball and allow the Rowdies to customize Al Lang (or do it for them). That way they can get a more natural field dimension than the junior field they have now. Plus, even renovations to Al Lang should be good to attract more fans.
     
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  9. XaviusX

    XaviusX Member

    Mar 21, 2001
    Tampa, Florida
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We know for a fact that the St. Pete Baseball Commission has signed an extension with the city for control of Al Lang Stadium for about the same duration as this possible deal with the Rowdies. After that deal runs out for them, who's to say that the Rowdies won't attempt to purchase it and do what they please to make it a more "Soccer Friendly" venue? Still a long way though & anything can happen at this point.
     
  10. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're unlikely to change the curvature of the grandstand, though. And changing the angle of the seats (I assume they point slightly towards home plate, as in most parks) would require just ripping them out and putting them (or new ones) back in. You're still looking at a relatively small percentage of the actual field perimeter having seats facing it.
     
  11. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Since the old stadium wank thread appears to have been buried, I'll put my future idea here:

    [​IMG]

    Had some time on my hands.

    I actually scoped the width accidentally at 65 yards, but there's plenty of clearance in RF to take it to 70+ yards. The length is 110 yards. This design would leave the original grandstand untouched, and allow for the construction of a new press box and luxury suites in the new sideline stands.
     
  12. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    speeddude is going to blow a gasket! :D
     
  13. Bluesfan

    Bluesfan Member+

    DC United
    Aug 12, 2000
    Tampa
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    We are in a strange position. The Rowdies are looking more and more like the main tenant, but the baseball commision operates the stadium for five years. Baseball is going to be a fixture every spring, so the Rowdies can't do anything real crazy. At best temporary seating in the outfield and maybe removing the outfield wall to extend the pitch (I don't even know if that would be possible).

    As far as Portland style remodel? Dream on. I love the ALF site as far as ambiance goes. It is pretty darn cool to sit in the stands and see palm trees and the waterfront beyond the stadium. However, the graphic put together by Orlando Rays just isn't possible. It would impact the Mahaffey Theatre (which would be the smallest hurdle probably), it would require setbacks from roads to be relaxed, and most of all it would have a parking issue. The first two problems could be worked out by tearing down the existing stadium and orienting the pitch north-south. The final problem would be tough. The club would have to kiss parking revenue goodbye forever.
     
  14. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How much baseball is there now that the Rays train in Port Charlotte? There wasn't any baseball this spring, was there?
     
  15. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Awesome news. Thanks for posting Chris.


    St. Pete needs to realize that the baseball ship has sailed by. They should sell ALF to the rowdies, and let the rowdies modernize the stadium.
     
  16. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    You're right kenn. There is very little baseball there.
     
  17. Bluesfan

    Bluesfan Member+

    DC United
    Aug 12, 2000
    Tampa
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    More than you would think. None of it really draws a crowd I would think. At the end of the day it is still a baseball stadium, being administered by baseball people. However, the Rowdies could throw some weight around if they pulled some decent crowds.

    http://www.stpetebaseball.org/
     
  18. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Agreed. The pitch would have to be north-south. And do the rowdies really make that much in parking revenue? It's worth rebuilding the lot when you have parking garages nearby.
     
  19. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Much more of it than I would think considering they sodded the whole infield at some point this spring, correct? Are they going to take it back to baseball configuration (with dirt) every winter and sod it back for soccer every April?
     
  20. speedcake

    speedcake Member

    Dec 2, 1999
    Tampa
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The fact that St. Pete Baseball controls the property for the next five years is one of the larger points to keep in mind, for me anyway. They insist on having baseball in the spring. Some crap tournament that hardly anyone attends (I went to a game, briefly and for purposes other than baseball watching, and I talk to people who wen to other games. They are losing alot of money on that tournament).

    The Rowdies currently don't make squat in parking revenue. The city of St. Pete takes all parking receipts from cars parked at Al Lang for games, as far as I am aware. They charge $5 to park there. How many parking spaces are in that lot? How many parking spaces would there be if the Rowdies had a parking garage?

    As is, there are say 200 parking spots or so? I have no idea. But anyway, that's $14,000 a season on parking over 14 games. Give or take a couple of Gs depending on actual number of parking spaces and extra games for playoffs, friendlies etc.

    Not chump change, but no game changer either. A parking garage with more spaces and an assumed increase in attendance/parked cars in the future could mean a good deal more money in parking revenue for whoever controls that revenue. Certainly a quality player's salary worth.

    Regarding the 3k average tickets sold (I assume Nestor doesn't mean actual butts in seats, he just needs 3k tickets sold per game). Depends on the average ticket price of sold tickets, doesn't it.

    At a $12 average ticket price and 3,000 tickets SOLD on average per game you get:

    $504,000 in ticket revenue over a 14 game season.

    That is probably conservative, even with the Rowdies giving out a few comps per game. We have some of the higher priced tickets in this league.

    $13 average = $546,000

    $14 average = 588,000

    Every additional dollar in average ticket price brings in approximately another $42,000 in ticket revenue over a 14 game season.

    So the Rowdies are probably in the $500,000 to $550,000 range in ticket revenue. That's without any friendlies or playoff games, just based on a 14 game regular season. And again, that might be conservative considering General Admission at the gate is $16 per ticket.

    How much are they bringing in via sponsorship deals? Merchandise sales? They do have a decently large number of sponsors and some of them are giving significant money, but I'd assume most are small time for now with the hope of growing those accounts in the future.

    We know that the Rowdies are still doing well on merchandise, as they have since they began play in 2010.

    The sponsorship and partnership deal with Mainsail probably means they can get away with paying some of the players a little less, as many of them are provided room and board by Mainsail Suites. This is just an assumption.

    TL:DR

    While I'm skeptical that a 3k average would MAKE this team money, I don't doubt at all that they are at least not bleeding money. And if they can get attendance to rise, they very well could be making money even if they stay in St. Pete for the foreseeable future.

    But I still sigh on the inside at this news.
     
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  21. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Solid post Charles. :thumbsup
     
  22. WhiteStar Warriors

    Mar 25, 2007
    St.Pete/Krakow
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They can easily move the tournament/spring training to the other baseball field in St. Pete.
     
  23. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Good point. They have the warehouse where the rays play several blocks away.
     
  24. WhiteStar Warriors

    Mar 25, 2007
    St.Pete/Krakow
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  25. FNovoa

    FNovoa Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Redington Shores, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies

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