No, it really wouldn't. A free college exhibition game would not even remotely translate to the interest in a Division II professional team. If it did, there would be Division II teams in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo already.
Thanks for the link but there have been college spring games going on for a month now and they aren't well attended. I was at the CAL vs. SJSU game last month at Spartan Stadium in San Jose and hardly anyone was there. Don't think it will mean much to potential aspiring SF NASL fans. I hope they will come out but I doubt it.
Nice try by the NASL folks. but until they find a rich boob willing to lose millions they're just blowing smoke up everyone's backsides. But enjoy the meaningless spring friendly that even those college's own fans don't care about...
Apparently, Peterson isn't too concerned (yet) about MLS getting into NASL turf, if you believe this recent interview below. He is still targeting San Francisco and the West Coast in a deliberate fashion, according to him ...... http://soccer.si.com/2014/02/27/nasl-playoff-format-bill-peterson/ “Can somebody tell me, is [MLS commissioner Don Garber] going to have 32 teams or 42 teams?” Peterson asked. “How many is he going to have? Every day he announces another city. I’ve got to send him an update of where we’re going so he can announce that next.” Peterson said he remained confident that Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City would kick off in 2015 despite lingering ownership issues with each. The Jacksonville Armada also are scheduled to start next year, and Peterson claimed that there have been conversations with expansion interests in San Francisco, Orange County and Los Angeles, and San Diego, among others.
Peterson definitely sounds confident. Putting forth successful teams in SF is another story though. I do hope it materializes but it remains to be seen and I don't see it anytime soon or in 5 years time. The Warriors will be moving into Mission Bay in 2018 so that could drum up some interest in getting a soccer team out there but I have my doubts.
One thing that Peterson could do is to follow the NBA and NFL example of having existing teams play an exhibition with a local team in the targeted city, in order to properly gauge local interest, For example, the NY Cosmos could play a "friendly" with both the USF Dons or UC Berkeley Bears in San Francisco. That, I think, instead of tomorrow's USF-Berkeley "exhibition" game at Negoesco Stadium, would have been a better sell in San Francisco. NASL could have twice a year "friendlies" mirroring their split season format, to get the locals familiar with the concept, ahead of potential ownership stepping in and commit an NASL San Francisco expansion team.
Yeah he is trying to be a showboat. Glad that at least he thinks he can make in each town he mentions. Seeing is believing though.
Jacksonville Armada just partnered with Real Madrid (see link). Looks like NASL is getting serious about stability and moving up from D2 status. Now if a potential NASL SF team could do the same, all the better. http://www.nasl.com/article/uuid/1t...eal-madrid-foundation-and-publix#.U2B2W4FdVR8
"North American Soccer League team of Jacksonville Armada FC announced a partnership with the Real Madrid Foundation, RPM Sports and Publix to bring player development clinics to Northeast Florida this summer. The Real Madrid Foundation is the social and cultural awareness arm of Real Madrid C.F. and is charged with promoting the values inherent in soccer in Spain and around the world." They're not taking Real Madrid players on loan, so I'm pretty sure the MLS D1 status is safe for now. Nice for them to interact with Madrid though
These partnerships mean nothing. The Quakes partnered with the Spurs and all they got was Simon Dawkins for two seasons , 2 years ago and nothing else ever since.
MILB owns rights to the Seals name on merchandise. MILB generate the a ton revenue from those Seals retro jersey sales so I doubt they'll sell.
The names weren't trademarked, only the Surf, Sting logos. It's not an expansion ploy, it's a money-making scheme. They're licensing the logos to Toffs, etc to generate profits.
A ton? Really? Ebbets Field Flannels apparently offers a 1933 Seals jersey. For $195. But if you can find this supposed best-selling jersey in MiLB's official online store, let me know because I am still looking.
FCE was kind of out on an island. Still the furthest NASL team from any other club to the west the NASL is beginning to fill in some cities a bit closer and a Canadian rival in Ottawa. MLS pretty much has a nice west coast grouping of cities from Vancouver to LA with Seattle, Portland, San Jose nicely in between and a new SSS in San Jose finally
That's how they make their ton of money. Like the NASL does with the Surf, Sting they license it to companies like Ebbets Fied Flannels, etc. I don't know if they still have Seals jerseys at the MILB shop but I do know I've seen em before years ago before I stopped watching baseball.
I don't know if it helps but I found Seals caps on their site. The name is worthsomething to them. Remember when the Rowdies had trouble obtaining their name? Baseball merch is a bigger market than soccer merch so it will be more difficult to buy the Seals name than the Rowdies trouble to buy their name.
So, let me get this right, you are obsessing about how to purchase a name for a club that doesn't (and probably won't) exist? Ok.
That's how much I love the game. If you don't love the game, fine but don't criticize people that do.
I still want to know who the NASL Bay Area owner is and when will he/they come forward with their expansion bid?
Since Portland/Seattle is MLS, NASL knows California is critical to whatever they do coming out west, so they're probably being careful on next steps. I imagine they're keeping tabs on Sacramento situation to see where Repub FC comes out. NASL looking to lock in OKC and Tulsa; could SF and Sac be similar lock for NASL? If I'm NASL, I'd look at Spokane, Boise and Calgary to go with FCE up there.
Its been a year since this thread started and there still no news for an NASL team in SF or the Bay Area. I hope someone comes up with an ownership group but I still have doubt anyone will materialize in a years time .
I think it's going to happen in time. NASL is deliberately plotting a strategy of "highway rivalries" (my terminology) in their expansion plans. Examples: TB/FTL/JAX in Florida; ATL/CHL up the road; coming soon ... NYCosmos/Hartford by 2016 http://www.psmgroupllc.com/home NASL looking to lock up OKC/Tulsa in near future. Once they do that back east, it makes sense for NASL to look west in a similar way. SF/SAC in NorCal???