Tapping the latino market

[Freddy Garcia Lives]

To beat a dead horse in a new corral, what can MLS do to bring in the quated 20% Hispanic population to SLc MLS games? I believe it can be done, but it needs to be a real sincere effort. What will do it, and will having lots of local people of all backgrounds that speak spanish help or is that irrellevent?

[SoccerPrime]

I think the tons of return missionaries in SLC will help tremendously. These men and women who served in foreign spanish-speaking countries many times develop life long love for the people and cultures they worked in. I believe this can only help.

[Blitzz Boy]

Check out the press conference threads.

Dan Checketts, as it turns out, speaks Spanish.

Telemundo was there at the press conference, so someone there was thinking about the Latin American market.

-Seeing as the Blitzz play on recycled Sierra Mist bottles, they could have a Double Header with teams from the Liga Latinoamericana.

-I mentioned this on another thread, but Blitzz captain Fito Ovalle is nearing the end of his playing career. Maybe he could work in the Utah MLS front office?

-People make fun of Steve Sampson, but I was behind the West goal on Feb 10, 1998.....And Sampson speaks Spanish better than most MFL players.

-Name the team Santos Laguna or Atletico Minero! If there can be Rangers in Chile & Scotland & Arsenal in Argentina & England; why can't there be 2 Atletico Mineros?

[Brownswan]

After watching the league flub overtures to the Latino market in city after city since '96, I hope thing are done right in SLC. Instead of trying to 'tap' a Latino market, work to include the community. And certainly it will help to have competent Latino personnel in key positions in the office and on the field. Seek advice from the community -- from all the communities that make up SLC -- and give them a team they can be proud of and support.

It's clear, even from the suggested ticket prices, that Checkets & co. are preparing to get it right the first time.

[Freddy Garcia Lives]

I agree to avoid 'tapping" the market, much better put by Brownswan. I know that when I lived in Provo I went and played pickup all the time with a bunch of latino players. Whole thing in spanish. I seriously would go to games like that with a notebook and start talking to players there about what SLC should do. Send some reps from the team and get some grass roots ideas. I think Centroamericanos seem to be more succeptable to the league since coverage of their hometeams is less then in Mexico. But it is important to find players that fans of all backgrounds can get behind. I think that made Cienfuegos a hit in LA.