[njndirish]

After watching the pitiful attendance (except for Nordecke) at the CC-RSL match, it made me wonder, of those fans who were in those stands what percentage of them were from 2 miles west?
2 miles west of Crew Stadium lies that University of Scarlet and Gray and the 4th largest student count of any 4 year college.

College students have a strong liking to soccer because we (me being a college student) are introduced to professional soccer because of studying abroad, international students, and greater access to a personal computer/tv. This I believe is where the Union and potentially MLS can make up some ground against the Big 4. We love cheap entertainment that requires involvement of the non-participant (see college football and basketball) and enjoy a beer or two. I look at the number of colleges in the Philly area that are connected to SEPTA and think of endless possiblities.

Now here comes the question to all, should SoB and the Union go after these students and get them in the stands?

[youngsonofben]

yea i mean like Drexel, U Philly, Saint Joes, Villanova dont really have any big football or sports teams (besides bball winter sport) and i no if i end up at one of those schools the Union would be my football team and tailgating college life style. Its def a good idea, but dont forget to take in account that mls is april-november only 3 1/2 months when college kids are at school

[chapka]

Philly will probably do better than many cities at drawing college students, just because so many people tend to stay local for college, as opposed to other areas where most of the college students are scattered around the country for the summer.

[JamesonSoB]

i think the demographic that has HUGE potential to be turned into hardcore followers of soccer in america are those in their early 20's right now. Most 21+ college kids i would think would be hugely interested in getting some drinks in then being ridiculous in the stands. My college friends and I would routinely knock off class at 2PM and go watch CCL games and drink all afternoon.

[buzzkiller23]

Yeah...let's market to the people who have little spare time and no money!!!

[ChicagoFC (FireClub)]

Originally Posted by buzzkiller23

Yeah...let's market to the people who have little spare time and no money!!!

I made the trek to Columbus to see games on multiple occasions with groups larger than 6 when I was in college. And I was going to school 2 hours away. A weekend sporting event that does not frown upon heavy drinking and loud abrasive derision of the opposing team, and is cheaper than football was always an attractive option.

Plus, college students will have expendable income, and sowing the seed early is a good way of ensuring they'll spend some of it on soccer.

[njndirish]

Originally Posted by buzzkiller23

Yeah...let's market to the people who have little spare time and no money!!!

The average College student has ridiculous ammounts of spare time (except engineers and archies and the real sciences) and most college students have money, they just use it on beer, food, and video games. Plus like CFC said, sow the seeds.

But aside, who does the Union market to? Soccer moms, see RBNY.

[onehandedtyr]

I'm a college student, and I'm looking forward to attending games. I'm rallying support for the Union here and trying to convince friends to become fans, also. Like the post above me says, we usually have spending money, but we blow it on food and alcohol.

First post on this site, btw.

[UnionPhilly]

I go to La Salle and i know that there is a pretty big intrest in the team here. i see shirts occasionally and just talking to people it seems there is somewhat of an excitement here. i want season tickets but cant afford them. i already have a group of about 7-10 kids that will all try to get to as many games as possible, a few of those even high schoolers.

[Z010 Union]

I think this is the market that the league should have been chasing since 1996. College students turn college basketball into memorable events through their passion. They fit perfectly into supporter culture because they have a sincere desire to support teams they find an affinity with. This is where it makes sense for the unsold seats in The River End to be single game. Most college kids can't afford season tix and don't have the schedule to even commit to a partial amidst a personal schedule that includes studies, beer, and dorm love, but their passionate support style fits perfectly with supporters and they are much closer to becoming self sufficient consumers than the 1996 model of chasing the youth league ticket.

Students who are interested in finding out about Union supporters groups that have 150+ members and have registered with the team, they are listed here - http://philadelphiaunion.com/Content1.aspx?cid=5.1_