Stabbed in the heart (or back)!!!!!!

Months ago I had someone ftom the front office tell me that the "funding was pretty much in place". I guess that could mean everything was in place except the sponsorship money, which obviously is a big except.

 

No, they are not. You evidently didn't read my prior post in which I said that Lew's rant is something I have personally heard before and is not new. It predates by weeks and months the Candlestick doubleheader and summer Real Madrid American tour.

 

i remember waaaaaaaaaay back when we all first talked about building stadium that agood way to help fund or raise money was takeing the greenbay approach. if i am correct fans could purches a brck for $ and it will be placed in the stadium and have there name on it and everything. it would help pay for some of the stadium granted it probbaly wont be a majority but its a cool way to get even more support and have the city council even more involved and other ppl here help out to. if you think about it. a small section in a corner of the stadium filled with bricks (could be painted blue if you want) with over a 1,000 ppls names inscribed in every one of them.

 

Here are my thoughts on all this.

First to all of you who were offended by Lew`s comments, GET OVER IT!! I am glad Lew is not listening to the fans when it comes to coaching and GM decisions and it doesn´t bother me that he told the truth. This is a second year team that needs some stability.

The people on big soccer rarely agree on anything, are never satisfied as a group, and certainly aren`t the most patient bunch. As another poster said, if he´s not listening to fans about the type of hot dogs served in the stadium, or other issues of this type, than that would be a problem. I really don`t think we´d like the result if every time fans called for somebody to be fired the owner responded to the request.

As for what it will take for the quakes to be successful, I don`t think you can understate the impact of the current quality of play. Frankly they are just plain painful to watch and if I wasn`t such a die hard I probably would have stopped coming as well.

The first step to improving attendance has to be improving the quality of play.

I am also a big believer that building the `RIGHT` SSS will have a big impact on attendance. I think it would be a mistake to build a copy of the Dick, PHP, toyota park, or Rio Tinto. If you want to dramatically impact attendance you need to build a true Euro style stadium. I am a huge fan of Bessa (can someone post a pic) but there are other designs that would work as well.

The team could then market the `International Fan Experience´ in the new stadium and I believe people will come. Of course the team will need to be performing to keep them coming back.

Another way the team can help build attendance is to continue to improve the game day experience. I already think it is pretty good, but there are always ways to improve. The team should help the supporters groups market themselves so they can grow. Successful supporters groups improve game atmosphere which in turn will help attendance.

After the game in Seattle I also think it would be worth a try to hire a `New Crazy George`. Hold tryouts to find a local guy to lead cheers. It may not work but its worth a shot.

 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

- Margaret Mead

 

I'd love to look at the finances of this ..

Why do they NEED $5M/year?

If Wolff finances the whole $60M for 30 years at 7% that works out to about $5M/year in loan payments. Is Wolff paying for the entire stadium construction through naming rights?

Anybody know what Verizon is paying for the rights to the Coliseum?

 

Highly unlikely since naming rights deals don't typically last for 30 years. Maybe he just needs a big sum to cover the start of construction.

 

Hey yeah. Whatever happen to this idea?

 

A single deal doesn't, but modern stadiums almost always have a revenue stream from naming rights.

PacBell has always had a sponsor and Oakland is just about to sign their third.

 

Great idea!! 5000 fans * $1000 = $5M, right? This is MAX since 20% is already covered.

 

Good Post from Pitch Invasion, who invited Chicago Red Stars Prez (and former Fire GM) Peter Wilt to write an article. great stuff that everybody (hellooo, FO) should read and learn.

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/08/19/this-should-be-fun/

 

Here's a good article on naming rights -
49ers stadium naming rights could have big payoff

Wolff is quoted multiple times including this -

Other items -
Oracle is paying $3M/year for the Oakland Arena rights - so why does Wolff think he can get $4M/year for his stadium?

CitiGroup is paying $400M for the Mets stadium rights!?!?!

 

It's not $4M/year naming rights. They are looking for $4M/year in naming rights plus other sponsorships.

 

Actually, it is not uncommon for naming rights contracts to be for 30 years or even longer.

The very first named stadium in this country "Busch stadium" lasted until the stadium was demolished from 1966 to 2005

Names change primarily because of
scandal..."ENRON field",
mergers...."Pac Bell park",
Bankruptcy..."Adelphia stadium"

Naming rights contracts can and often to run for terms of 30 years or more. It mostly depends on the stability of the company buying the rights. In fact, the majority of 'named" stadiums, arenas and parks worldwide, are for long terms of decades or more.

The real key is that naming rights, is a relatively new phenomena with only a few examples older than 30 years. So it is highly likely that Wolff is seeking a long term contract of 30 years or more.

 

I like this guy...he seems to get it and makes a lot of sense. Sadly though, this highlights how far away we are from the mark, when it comes to building this organization successfully.

 

thanks for the article. Here's hoping that next year we'll be able to get that long awaited Quake's scarf

 

Dear Earthquakes Big Soccer fans,

Yesterday was a very tough day for not only the fans but for those of us in the front office as well. We have worked very hard in the last few years to keep our fans happy and to work with them to solve their issues or to take their suggestions and improve the overall game experience. We have also worked hard to improve our internal operations, i.e. adding a customer service department.

We also have an appreciation for Big Soccer. For the most part we have monitored the boards and taken some of the criticism to heart and in many cases have used your ideas to make a quick change of direction. While for the most part we let the discussions go their own direction, now and then I will jump on if I think I can clarify our position or do a “Mea Culpa” if required. We are not perfect here at the Quakes and when we screw up we try to correct it.

As far as the team goes there is not one person, especially John Doyle and Frank Yallop, that is not as frustrated with the team performance as you might be. Both of them are committed to the success of the team and are giving every ounce of their heart and energy to turning this around.

I did talk to Lew yesterday regarding the article. Lew was not trying to attack the fan base but instead he was defending two highly regarded people whom he employs. Not that anyone on this board cares but I thought it was very admirable of Lew to not just give the old “vote of confidence” line. I will let Lew speak for himself, but I can tell you that he does care very deeply for the fans. Do not let his backing of John and Frank change Lew’s desire for a winning team now and holding them accountable for this.

On September 19th, we will unveil some spectacular stadium designs at the Soccer Silicon Valley dinner. We will let the designs speak for themselves and hope that even the biggest stadium critics will agree that this is a place they would be proud of. We are all committed to making the stadium a reality in San Jose and San Jose only!

We chose this event because from day one SSV has been there giving us the fans side of the equation. They were instrumental in us launching the franchise early instead of our original 09 or 10 launch dates.

We will have a few other key announcements at the dinner that we think will prove to you that we have been listening! When we launched the Quakes again we knew that we would face extreme difficulties. Past ownership groups, which are some of the most successful sports owners in the country (Sharks, Krafts and AEG), dealt with significant losses year after year with this team. When you combine that with pulling a championship franchise away from San Jose it has made our task monumental. The fan anger was not all of our doing, but we have inherited it and now we must work twice as hard to gain your trust. While we accept the challenge, we cannot and will not succeed without you.

Thank you for reading this. If you have any personal comments that will help us all move forward or improve the franchise please email me @ dalioto@sjearthquakes.com

 

Thanks for posting it.

 

Class! This type of connection and communication is perfect! Let's see more of it.

Thanks David!

 

I am sure there are some who will bitch and moan, no matter what, but I have to say that I am glad Mr. Alioto posted here. Fingers can be pointed all day long, but in the end, the past cannot be changed, no matter what. All that can happen is to attempt to make the future better.

I am one who did not renew my tickets this year. Last season was a personal disaster for me (coronary bypass in August), and with the slowdown economically, I could not afford to be a season ticket holder living, and traveling, from the Fresno area. Maybe next season will be different.

In the meantime, the San Jose Earthquakes must live to fight another day, whatever it takes. I have no feeling of being stabbed in the back. Yeah, maybe things could have been done differently. That said, the alternatives were no team, ever, or no team until after the new stadium was built. I personally think the correct choice was made. At this point, it is heartening to know they are paying attention.

 

I'd love to see it broken down. What else could they sell sponsorships for - scoreboard, beer garden, ... and what kind of revenue would that little stuff generate?

 

1#. FANS ARE IN CHARGE. "While professional soccer teams have an ultimate fiduciary responsibility to the investors in the team, I believe two important factors steer decision making towards the premise that soccer executives should work for the fans. First, professional sports teams are a community asset that represents the community in a fashion unlike any traditional business. The investors are (usually temporary) caretakers of this asset for the fans. Secondly, what is good for the fans is usually good for the organization and investors. If the fans are happy, engaged and supportive of the team, they will spend more money, watch more game broadcasts and promote the team better themselves. Fans, and I am one also, ultimately cheer for the badge, the team it represents. They don’t cheer for the organization or the owners."

Peter Wilt for GM!

Hey Lew, read the above paragraph and commit it to memory.