Point A: The craft beer scene in Austin has been booming for several years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. See, for example, the first eleven episodes of The Beer Diaries, a web show started right here in the ATX. Point B: According to my calculations and extensive research, beer + soccer = YES Point C: Austin is home to the inimitable and beloved Free Beer Movement, who themselves are already partnering with local providers of frest & tasty brews, e.g., this event. Point D: The PDL equivalent team in frickin' Detroit (!) has an official craft beer partner. How? Are? We? Behind? DETROIT?! Point E: The Tavern seems to have a decent selection of local brews on tap. That is, if we got a local brewery to make up some Aztex beer, it doesn't seem impossible that we could get the Tavern to serve it. Resolved: This has to happen! Further resolved: How has this not already happened?! Seriously: someone's gotta know someone, let's make this happen! I bet the Aztex org would give their blessing to use their name, logo, "official"ness, etc. just in exchange for the coolness & PR of it.
That'd be great. I like Namaste's brews, and Black Star does some pretty unique stuff, but one of the "big" breweries like Independence would be just as swell.
Until we are able to get a formal brewery to do this, there is work on resurrecting the Aztex beer, this time it'll be a Blonde called "Austin Aztex GOAL-den Ale". Details later.
Homebrew by fans is awesome, and that name is fantastic. And that project is certainly easier to get going on with fewer barriers. But really, it's almost entirely unrelated to what I'm hoping for. Homebrew isn't going to be able to be served at The Tavern (or Tramps, or Gingerman, etc.), and it's not going to be promoted via any brewery's own website or brewpub, and it's not going to make an interesting partnership press release, and it's not going to feature in any ads in the Aztex gameday programs. Those things aren't just cool in and of themselves, they're also good advertising and getting the word out beyond current fans. Here's hoping for the bigtime (and that I can still get a pint of Goalden Ale in the meantime).
BEER AND SOCCER = NO NO !! Believe me I was around in the UK 70s and 80s and am still ashamed to be British by whats goes on now on occasion. Isn't this team trying to promote a family atmosphere? Wonder how David Markley views this?
The Aztex games are a family atmosphere, unless you sit too close to Eberly's Army in which case your kids may hear one or two adult words (that they probably already know). As long as the Aztex play at an AISD facility we won't see beer advertising on-site. But I'll presume you are having a bit of a laugh with the NO NO comment. No beer in soccer? Better mention that to the professional and youth teams sponsored by Newcastle, Chang, Carlsberg, Anheuser-Busch, Heineken, Guinness, Corona, etc. etc. all around the world then. And I guess that rules out the U.S. National Team's Official U.S. Soccer Bar Program too. And as long as we're ruling out categories of sponsors how about if we also include fast food and sugary drink companies?
There's a big difference between soccer in the UK in the 70's and 80' and soccer in the US (and the UK as well) now. You having been there then, I can understand your reluctance to mix the two, but I think it's different time and place, and it wouldn't be a worry.
Hooliganism has been declining over the past decades, and as Soccer Pete put it, AISD has a strict no alcohol policy for their properties. Football without beer is like baseball without hot dogs.
That's the one thing I WISH that OKC FC had; beer. I have no idea what they are going to do if the team truly takes off. i can't see them playing at Stars Field for very long. But then where would they go? Every other option in OKC is a school-owned property. So, no beer. Unless...Brad Lund can ply his sports wiles and somehow get into the Bricktown Ballpark. 1.) Downtown 2.)Right in the middle of the entertainment district 3.) Holds 13K 4.) Last, but not least, BEER!!!!
I used to live in Oklahoma, I hope Bricktown/Riverwalk has improved. The ballpark was nice, but when I moved from there the Riverwalk was just being built and half of it looked good and there was nothing on the other half. In Austin we have no fields near downtown that aren't associated with a school of some sort... So we have to deal with, no beer, am. football/lacrosse/soccer lines on the pitch, and artificial turf.
Bricktown/Riverwalk has grown tremendously since you left. There are currently two hotels in Bricktown, and they are working on 3 new ones right now. We passed another MAPS Project, and in the next few years there will be a "Central Park" just west of Bricktown, a light rail system, and a new convention center. I know it's just my opinion, but I have thought for a long time that the Bricktown Ballpark would be an excellent place for a USL/NASL team