Other Essentials for an Atlanta MLS Team

[MPoole]

The team name thread is always packed full of posts saying that the team name is not enough to get the people of Atlanta behind a MLS team, so I decided to start a thread for us to discuss those other topics. This is for everything from what types of marketing they should focus on: public appereances, international friendlies, TV Ads, Newspapaer Ads, billboards, Marta buses, etc. No discussion about Players, Coaches, or Names though, that's all on other threads. :)

[BigKahuna]

I've always maintained that a team here needs to focus less on the kids and more on the college to mid 30 aged demographic. Offering college and military discounts would be a great move IMO. Also, get involved in adult soccer, not youth soccer. There is the ADASL, a Caribbean League, and numerous hispanics league in the city alone...that doesn't count all the adult leagues in Cobb, Gwinett, or Fayette County. Shit, there were over 2000 in attendance at the final of the Caribbean League just a few weeks ago at SW Dekalb Park. Those are the fans that need to be attracted if a team is going to thrive in Atlanta...not the U-11 Alpharetta Firecrackers.

Start with the fans base that will create the best atmosphere. That way, when casual fans, or young kids not yet into pro soccer see a game, they walk away amazed regardless of how well the team did.

[MPoole]

I don't know if discounting is the best way to attract that demographic though. They normally have the largest amount of disposable income. I don't think that $10 off would do very much. Perhaps better giveaways? I know that up in Athens a free t-shirt will get people to go anywhere. So maybe a free t-shirt night with the team name on the front and a big logo of the main sponsor on back? I'm not saying anything high quality (it would be free). I would think that that would draw more of the 20-30 crowd.

[BigKahuna]

I don't know if discounting is the best way to attract that demographic though. They normally have the largest amount of disposable income. I don't think that $10 off would do very much. Perhaps better giveaways? I know that up in Athens a free t-shirt will get people to go anywhere. So maybe a free t-shirt night with the team name on the front and a big logo of the main sponsor on back? I'm not saying anything high quality (it would be free). I would think that that would draw more of the 20-30 crowd.

I promise you...college students ALWAYS respond well to discounts :D

[Georgia Empire]

you want a guaranteed sell out week in and week out?






























FREE BEER!!!

[ATL_Iron]

Well for me the first thing is to play well. We need exciting, fast attacking football, so the people that do come to check it out, enjoy it and come back.

I agree with the free stuff idea, but i dont know about t-shirts, you want people to buy the shirts. But certainly other give aways, Sport bottles, footballs, posters etc.

Somthing that has been mentioned on a USL thread from the Silverbacks is to set up a promotion with say a fast food restaurant, for say a friday you get tickets for $12:99 with a combo meal or somthing

Work with the existing football fan base, where large groups of them congegate. Fados for instance during a big game has several hundred fans. Have a couple of girls doing the rounds to the football bars in town, giving out some promo stuff.

Work on the amenities of the stadium. Take a leaf out of Mark Cubans book, what he did with the Mavericks. He knew that where there are women then the men will show up. He would give out free tickets and insentives to groups of women, It was not long before word got about that some of the maverick bars were cool places to be, and so single men arrived in their droves.

When Blank took over ownership of the Falcons, he asked the team what the most important thing was that he could do for them. They all told him that they wanted the Dome to sell out every game. So he set up the $100 season ticket. Fantastic idea, he sold out every game, and the Falcons have sold out i believe every game since, while slowly rising ticket prices. Thats what the franchise should do. Offer a killer deal for a season ticket, so its a no brainer for a full summer of entertainment, get people in to the games and start to enjoy them, so they will be back next year.

Promote a strong football atmostphere from the crowd. Songs, chants etc. Give help in setting up a die hard group of fans that will work on this of their own accord, Like the 109 with the Silverbacks, access to discussion boards and so on.

And finally for the love of god, dont hire or fire the guy on the sound board with the stupid sound effects and music. This is a football game people not a baseball game :D :cool:

[El Guero Naco]

you want a guaranteed sell out week in and week out?

FREE BEER!!!

Didn't work for the Silverbacks. Free beer an hour before the game, and I couldn't get ANY of my friends to come out.

[jade1mls]

I promise you...college students ALWAYS respond well to discounts :D


And cheap beer. Portland Timbers FC shows the way for any MLS club looking to go after this demo. Thirsty Thursdays.

You basically make matches not just a game but an -event- one which people want to go to to see other people, hang out and drink a little.

DC United and Chicago Fire (under Peter Wilt) also have done well in this area.

[jade1mls]

Work on the amenities of the stadium. Take a leaf out of Mark Cubans book, what he did with the Mavericks. He knew that where there are women then the men will show up. He would give out free tickets and insentives to groups of women, It was not long before word got about that some of the maverick bars were cool places to be, and so single men arrived in their droves.


Promote a strong football atmostphere from the crowd. Songs, chants etc. Give help in setting up a die hard group of fans that will work on this of their own accord, Like the 109 with the Silverbacks, access to discussion boards and so on.

And finally for the love of god, dont hire or fire the guy on the sound board with the stupid sound effects and music. This is a football game people not a baseball game :D :cool:


AMEN and repped!

[jbeall]

Contract with Turner cable networks to broadcast all the games on tv. Eventually some of those people for whom soccer is an abstraction will accidentally fiip past a soccer game and realize there's a team in in the area.

I'm not even joking about this. I know plenty of people in the area where I live (approx. 20 miles from Giants Stadium) who don't even know that there's an MLS franchise in the area. Putting aside all the snide comments that I know everybody's thinking, it's strong evidence that there's no freaking media coverage of the team.

On the RBNY boards we've had discussions about this--sometimes the NY Times will carry the AP report of the game in either the print edition or the online edition, but not both. They get NO coverage on the local network affiliates.

Decent and frequent coverage of MLS games is a must, and a regular 4pm slot on "the Deuce" isn't going to cut it long term. Teams should be able to strike television deals with local networks, and Atlanta is in a prime position here to take advantage of the fact that one of the largest cable empires happens to be right in their backyard.

[Georgia Empire]

Marta!!!

[Georgia Empire]

Didn't work for the Silverbacks. Free beer an hour before the game, and I couldn't get ANY of my friends to come out.

well it is also USL though. It is kind of hard to get even the most extreme soccer fans out for USL.

[jade1mls]

well it is also USL though. It is kind of hard to get even the most extreme soccer fans out for USL.

Portland Timbers FC is USL-1 and has some of the most passionate fans in the USA and they have decent attendance (sometimes eclipsing MLS clubs like KC and Colorado)

take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-sc6TXkfY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I4LAd88nU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N89o9r-bjCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d6IQUNJzfw

Montreal Impact routinely gets around what RB New York gets in MLS (11,000) and they too are USL-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKGx2XIONTw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK4xdaXnNb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUYitRDB9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCuAZ81xCLw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02tr-FPgrD0


Silverbacks being in the USL-1 is no excuse. I chalk up their failure to attract fans like the above mentioned teams at the poor marketing, canned music, silly announcments and kiddie atmosphere.

I said it before and I'll say it again, letting kids name a soccer club is not a good idea.

Cheap beer = good idea.

[El Guero Naco]

I said it before and I'll say it again, letting kids name a soccer club is not a good idea.

What does this have to do with the Silverbacks? No kids named the team.

[Eleven Bravo]

a name like FC, Real, Chivas, etc... sounds a lot more kiddy than Silverbacks does. Anyone with a brain would say "hmm we don't use those words in this country so why would i name my team that?" only a kid would say "mommy, i want to be just like Real Madrid because they're cool."

[jade1mls]

a name like FC, Real, Chivas, etc... sounds a lot more kiddy than Silverbacks does. Anyone with a brain would say "hmm we don't use those words in this country so why would i name my team that?" only a kid would say "mommy, i want to be just like Real Madrid because they're cool."


Don't start soldier....The thread for that is -------------------This way------>

[jade1mls]

What does this have to do with the Silverbacks? No kids named the team.


My understanding was they named them the Silverbacks after a zoo animal popular with kids died. Or something along those lines.

[Earthshaker]

My understanding was they named them the Silverbacks after a zoo animal popular with kids died. Or something along those lines.


I guess it could have been worse, Fluffy the rabbit could have died before the gorilla.

[Eleven Bravo]

yeah, naming a team the goats in spanish is soooooooo much better than silverbacks.

[WarrenWallace]

if she posts again, let me know. there has been a stiff warning sent.

Thank you.