San Francisco Stompers would be a reference to that. There is a current NPSL team by that name with a SF Giants style orange-black color scheme and a badass crest: In reality I'm sure a new team would have a new identity since there's no strong purely SF one to throwback to. But the @NASL2SF guys would do well to support that NPSL team while they work up to their own NASL team. The closer ties between NPSL and NASL won't hurt there
I think Milan Mandaric's initial idea back in 1978 when he bought the Connecticut Bicentennials and moved them to Oakland calling them the Stompers was to honor the great vineyards and wine makers of Northern California and especially the East Bay and the Napa Valley. I think he thought of going into the wine business for a while and getting the local wineries to sponsor the team. Didn't last long though as in 1979 he sold the team to Peter Pocklington who moved the club the Edmonton calling them the Drillers. He then ended up repurchasing the Quakes from Tony Kovac (RIP) I believe before the 1980 season.
Yes, we aren't funding the club, we are a supporters group trying to bring a team to town. This is exactly how it works with 99.99% of clubs in the world including the Earthquakes. I would point you to Indianapolis and the effort the Brickyard Battalion started approximately 13 months ago as an example of recent success in the US if you doubt this can be done. Regardless, we hope you'll support our effort but given your comments, your location and loyalties to the Quakes it sounds like we will not have it. That's ok, that will not deter our efforts.
I'll support it and will be rooting for them but I won't believe it until I see it. Even then, I'm not so sure I'll believe it.
I don't often rep Beerking, but when I do he tends to have made short, sweet, and offensive comments such as this
What supporters group brought the Earthquakes to San Jose? I thought it was rich guys willing to spend money, like every other club in MLS.
Well, he misused "irony", which takes it down a notch. "A third level division team for a first-rate city" would be somewhat ironic. "A third level division team for a third-rate city" would be about "as expected" (and therefore not ironic).
May I ask why NASL? Have you thought of getting a USL Pro team? MLS is requiring all MLS teams to affiliate or field their own USL Pro team. First thing I would do is reach out to the Earthquakes.
Not to mention the two LA squads in USL Pro with the Galaxy Jr. and Blues. Currently NASL has no western teams with which to tango.
You're quite correct in saying that I misused the word ironic. Appropriate would have been a much more accurate word.
True, but they're not technically a Quakes supporters group so much as they're a general soccer advocacy group. I'd almost call SSV a Political Action Group. But even with SSV it still took a rich guy with sports ties and a vision for a private stadium to bring the team back. Any SF based team would need the same to be successful long term at any level.
no one is lazy, but we believe it isn't reasonable for the average fan to have to travel 50 miles to watch what we're told is our local team. A lot of us are Quakes supporters but ultimately the market is large enough to support another club. sure, understand everyone's perspective but our mission is not to be a minor league club team of an MLS squad. As I said a lot of us support the Quakes but we don't feel putting a 3rd division team in a city like SF is appropriate. If the Quakes put a team in SF it most likely will be owned and operated by them given the developments in Sacramento, that is bad news for SF. If it was likely to be a situation like Sacramento where it was an affiliate relationship and we thought we had an ownership group that would move us up to MLS, that would change things, but the reality is we see the writing on the wall. We either push now for an NASL squad or get stuck being a minor league affiliate to the Quakes forever. We know that means that will alienate some or many Quakes fans but it is ultimately the best for the city and the area in general. If we're not going to be in the 1st Division we want the highest level possible and that told is the NASL. Yes that is the case today and we're comfortable that will change soon.
Why is it not reasonable to drive the 45 miles to see your local team? South Bay fans have been doing it to see our baseball, basketball, and football teams for decades. And SF based hockey fans have been doing it for over two decades (and Niners fans will join them next season). What makes SF based soccer fans so special that they can't get in a car a few times a year to come down to sunnier San Jose to take in a game like the rest of us? Assuming your long term goal is to move up to MLS, which seems to be your assertion since you want SF to have the highest level possible, why wouldn't you want a USL team? Sure you'd be a minor league team of the Quakes for a while, but look at Orlando and Sacramento. Orlando is currently KC's minor league team but will be joining MLS in a couple of seasons. And Sacramento is going to be the Timbers minor league squad, but that's not stopping them from aiming for MLS in the near future. Seems to me you'd have more luck ultimately getting to the top level by playing ball in USL which has direct ties to MLS (as evidence by MLS making suggestions to the Sac Republic about where to play), rather than joining the antagonistic toward MLS, NASL. Nevermind the cost of entry being lower in USL for any would be owner and the stadium requirements being lower which would allow you to utilize existing stadia in SF while they work toward a SSS of their own. What makes you so comfortable? Other than some bluster from their president there has been no indication NASL will actually be making any western foray for the near future. Unlike USL which already has two California based teams with a third guaranteed to be on the way when Galaxy Jr. joins the league.
Yes, nearly all the NASL teams are in the east, with San Antonio and Minnesota being the closest to California. The travel costs alone are going to be huge for a San Francisco based team. They are going to need to find someone that doesn't mind losing money.