Honestly, no clue, and we won't find anything out likely until after the PDL season plays out. I know VSI, Boston Victory and FC Tucson were all connected to USL Pro efforts at some point. Actually, I do remember them talking about using USF's soccer stadium.
USF is their planned venue. Guess they are setting the attendance bar pretty low. Hoping to top the Dayton Dutch Lions I suppose but not much more.
Tried to dig up some info on the Tampa Flames, due to make their USL Pro debut in 2013. Not much out there still. We know they will play in a small stadium on the USF campus. Apparently, they are going to have tryouts sometime in early December. Their PDL team averaged 168 fans per game in 2012. Their starting goalkeeper Brentton Muhammad was called up by Antigua's national team for training in the most recent international break. He plays his college ball here in Florida at FIT. They have relationships with large youth soccer clubs on both sides of the bay. Will be interesting to see what kind of organization (or lack there of) develops at VSI.
I received this through my twitter account regarding info on the 2013 season @VSITampaFlames still working throu minor details! You all will be pleased!
Well that answers it doesn't it? My hunch is that they are going to be along the lines of a Dayton instead of an Orlando. I would love to be pleasantly surprised.
Agreed. So it seems that way. Now that you mention "professional", one thing about USL Pro is that their website doesn't represent a Pro league, its borderline cheesy with ads asking you to buy a franchise and things of that sort. Keep the selling of franchises separate! Look at the sites of NASL and MLS and see how its presented vs USL Pro. Sorry im a web developer so i get picky lol
to be honest I haven't been really following their progress but looked up the stadium and this photo makes it look much more appealing From behind one of the goals with the seating and press box to the right outside of this shot. whole Gallery here http://www.gousfbulls.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&PALBID=380114 I did find this funny though when looking at the USF website
The original Rowdies, though I didn't see that particular piece when I was over there for City's friendly with USF. This is honoring Cornelia Corbett, after all. I like Corbett Stadium myself. I think it would make a great D-3 stadium. With USF's soccer program growing, I'm willing to wager more stands will be added at some point.
Yep, nothing like "berm seating" to scream out we're big time. According to USF it has grandstands for 1,000. Sometimes "less is more" when you are just starting out. What's better - an empty cavern of a stadium that swallows up any size crowd or something intimate that is packed to build a loyal fanbase on?
Mikey, it looks appealing until you realize that all but on side is people parking it on the grass. I for one don't think grass seating is the best for a rainy Florida summer. In the future, the berms could be removed and additional seating installed, but it appears to me that they haven't exactly set their attendance goal very high.
good point. guess well have to see how they fare next season. and as someone who has traveled to matches in Charlotte, i would say this is a definite step up .At least the pitch is grass and not marked with grid iron lines or a pitchers mound!
On the plus side, it is a proper soccer stadium. No worries about fake grass or football lines. That enhances the product on the field. And frankly, they have no other options to play in. I could see them selling tickets in the stand for ten bucks and berm seats for five. That would probably work.
Charlotte has a small concrete seating "terrece" that sit about 600-700 I would guess. It sits from between the 35 yard lines. (easy to see with the lines on their artifical turf field) the rest is a steep berm on either side that I litterally slid from top to bottom when it was raining while visiting a couple years ago. try getting back up the berm(40% incline) while wearing old sambas with a worn sole!
Given how many teams have failed to reach their (overly optimistic) stated attendance goals over time, wouldn't you say this was kind of prudent?
Orlando City draws 2 or 3k more than the Rowdies do right now. I don't think anyone has corned any market based on these numbers in cities of millions of people.
Corbett Stadium might be small, but its a really nice venue and it is soccer only. The grand stands hold 1k, maybe a couple hundred more? And the berms can hold thousands more. USF Men's soccer games have been drawing nearly 4k, but yes that means three thousand people packing the grass berms. I don't think the stadium is amateur at all, it is just small. Apparently tickets will be going on sale very very soon and it'll be interesting to see what kind marketing they do, if any. Maybe they are going to rely primarily or solely on pushing tickets to their massive youth soccer mom database.
Except they haven't actually been drawing nearly 4k. 8/14/2012..Jacksonville.......420 (exhibition) 8/18/2012..Tampa..............842 (exhibition) 8/24/2012..Michigan.........3,076 9/06/2012..South Carolina...1,177 9/08/2012..Iona.............1,496 The season opener, the Fox Soccer game, that drew (officially) just over 3k. Their 1,916 average for regular-season games would probably put them in the top 15 nationwide (historically). But they're not drawing nearly 4k a game for multiple games. I do agree with you, though, that if it's a small stadium, fine, whatever. It appears to be nice, it's on the right side of the Bay and it's not a bad starting place. Too bad Al Lopez Field is no longer around, the Flames could play there.
Oh, I did word that incorrectly. I wasn't commenting on how many fans their team is drawing so much as just saying they can fit a few thousand people in Corbett Stadium, as they have for some big games since the stadium opened.
Three games, apparently. 3,029 vs. UCF in the NCAAs last year, 3,592 (a record) for New Mexico in the NCAAs last year and the 3,076 for the Michigan game this year. Last year they averaged 1,532 overall, up from 1,133 the year before. Still, I think it's a good starting place for a DIII team and I'll be curious to see how it goes.
and 3k makes that place looked stuffed. Although, as has been pointed out, having 2k of those people on berms in a rainstorm might be much fun I've been there during rainy games with the Goalmouths. It really isn't that bad. It isn't like the place turns to mud. It's just wet, and slippery on the grass.
Isn't college about getting drunk and muddy? You know, and midterms. And chicks. Getting drunk and muddy, midterms and chicks, basically?
Of course! Just at Corbett, from my experience, the berms don't get muddy during rain. Even heavy rain and with a couple thousand people trampling on them. The place is extremely well built and well maintained. All the rest is perfectly possible at Corbett Stadium, though. And those kids are loving it.