Mark Frisch has narrowed down to two choices for a stadium in 2015. Where would you like to see the team play and why?
I voted for EverBank because I think the location is supreme and that's the most important factor into this. Although it won't fill up, Orlando has made the Citrus Bowl work just great for them and I think EverBank can do just as well. Most people know that a crowd of 8-10k would be great for NASL soccer. It also has benefits to having endline seating for supporters as well as multiple viewing angles compared to Hodges.
I am a proponent of Hodges Stadium, personally. I think it's a very solid location for an NASL club initially, as a large portion of the young people in Jacksonville either live around the JTB/95 area or spend a large amount of their time there already. With the St. Johns Town Center nearby, it will be an easy in and out for a supporters club to pregame and postgame. And of course, it's actually the right size for an NASL team.
I really don't know. They both have their pros and cons. The sightlines in Everbank will be much better, and it will be great to have endline seating, but will it be too empty? 8,000 fans in that place will be pretty thin. Any chance they could add bleachers to the endline of Hodges? Even temporary ones? Also, what about costs? I anticipate opening Everbank for 15 games a year will be more than Hodges.
I would hope for some endline bleachers at UNF for First Coast Elite. I think the city would work out a great deal for Mark at EverBank. They were involved with the bid and presentation and would make it worthwhile to Mark to put the team there.
As I had posted in our previous unofficial thread . . . Maybe something could be worked out where the home opener is at Everbank (hopefully along with 15-20k fans) and then they settle into Hodges, which has a 9400k capacity. As the city becomes soccer aware then Everbank could be used for special games (like say, the Cosmos, or friendly's against International teams, maybe Fulham included in that group). The turnout for season 1 can give the owners an idea of what capacity the SSS should be in '17.
Now, to expound on that a bit . . . I'm basically parroting somebody elses earlier comments, but Everbank will look cavernous and give casual fans the impression that nobody cares, but Hodges may give fans the impression that we are very much a "minor" league franchise (which at the end of the day, is technically true). I feel like Hodges is the best answer for season one, but I love the idea of bringing in some additional bleachers for sight-lines and/or the SG. I'm just not sure how feasible that is. Now if promotion is rampant and we draw like 30k for game one, then of course I'm not ready to jump to Hodges anytime soon, but I doubt we are going to jump into the league setting (Modern) NASL records. Keep in mind, the Teaman drew around 9.5k in '81, then just over 7k in '82 (at the Gator Bowl) and that was at the top level of soccer in this country then. Granted, the popularity of the game now is at an all-time high in the area, and we have more informed fans, but even many of those fans will still look at the club as second tier. I'd be remiss if I also didn't point out that the city's population level didn't also far exceed that of the '81-'82 seasons. Now, on a sidenote . . . I was in Charleston earlier today and got a chance to take a tour (with a lovely young lady named Lindsey ) . . . Obviously we do not want to duplicate them exactly, but that place is class. Maybe I'm still amped up from seeing the country's first privately funded SSS today, but I loved it. I know they are not talking about an SSS till '17 at the earliest (I'd be happy if we just broke ground on one then), but still I loved the Pub and Club seating (Reasonably priced at $540 for the 15-game regular season and that includes any home Open Cup games, as well as the preseason tourney with the Battery and 3 MLS teams). There are no coverings, but most of the stadium has chairbacks. Clearly Jax is a bigger city than Charleston, and being in the NASL we should have a bigger stadium than a 3rd division team (Blackbaud only holds 5100). . . but if our owners were gracious enough to take some notes on what has been done there, it would be tremendous.
Good points all around CDN! Did you get any pictures of Blackbaud? If so, I think we'd all like to see them.
Ha, yes I did . . . but of course by the time we pulled up my phone was dead and I had to take them on my buddy's ancient iPhone (The thing is probably first edition). So he says he'll email them to me but I can't promise I'll be posting them anytime soon, but I do promise they will get posted.
Everbank is just too big, Hodges would be the right choice and create the best atmosphere for a few years. Hopefully a SSS gets built for them to move into after that.
Glad you got a chance to get a tour. Someone as good looking as Lindsay shouldn't be that nice throws the balance of the world off somehow! I think if our owners would have build now instead of 14-15 years ago they would have made some changes (having a party deck outside the pub would have been awesome) and with as much rain as we see here some sort of roofing would have been great. But overall it really is a great place to watch a game and even the most Euro-snobbish still appreciate the stadium and the pub and what the club has done since it was founded in 1993. glad you got a chance to check it out
I won't even lie . . . When I got back in the car with my cousin (who is 45, and I'm 35) it was pointed out that she is an attractive young woman and he said something to the affect that not only does he love attractive young women, but that one's that are that nice make the world a better place!
Hodges would be so convenient to my house. Use everbank maybe for the first game and any special games
Me personally, I'd said Hodges, purely for keeping the stands looking full rather than empty, even if there are 8,000+ fans in the stands. Both locations are the same distance from my place, so no big deal for me to drive to either stadiums. Ultimately, it would go down to how much it would cost the team to lease each place. If its cheaper at Everbank, then so be it, play there.
Better to play in a smaller venue like Hodges Stadium and keep an intimate, fan-friendly feel than in an oversized place like EverBank field.
What about Milne Field at JU? They're installing 5,500 permanent seats on one sidelines, and the other has berm seating for 2,500 more. Looks like field turf from Google Maps though... http://www.news4jax.com/sports/ju-s...-fall/-/475646/21116424/-/ty67vq/-/index.html
Someone brought up on another board that the problem with on-campus stadiums is that alcohol-sales will be prohibited. I'm thinking that could cause a big hit for attendance with the soccer crowd (Not to imply that soccer fans drink more than other sports fans). Still, it could serve as a deterrent for some. I'm sure they could go through the school board and try to work out a deal but that could be a lengthy and pricy ordeal. The school would likely already be getting a portion of the gate, so maybe they'd be open to receiving a portion of the alcohol sales too? Still, I feel it's unlikely that alcohol would be available at Hodges. If I'm incorrect on this, someone who is better informed can feel free to fill me in. Btw, got some pics from my Blackbaud Stadium tour. I'll post them up in a bit.
Yes, I'm a Bolton fan. No I am not a Revs fan . . . it's just a jersey (kit). Blackbaud was great . . . an incredible amount of swag in that joint. If I lived in Charleston I'd gladly pay the club/pub season membership.
Wasn't a big fan of driving to JU from Orange Park when FC Jax Destroyers (I still can't say that with a straight face) played there. Not sure if I could do that again.
I can't roll with you on that one . . . I'm in the opposite corner of Clay County as Orange Park (SW as opposed to NE). It's every bit of a solid 45 minutes before I hit 295 in Orange Park. If I'm willing to do that, then who knows how far into Jax, (if it's JU, then so be it), then people in your area should be willing to as well. Don't get me wrong. I realize it's a personal preference. I just assume that those of us that are already here posting in this forum are hardcore Soccer fans, much less hardcore Jacksonville Soccer fans. I'd just hate to see some of us end up not showing up to the support the team because they would have preferred a more convenient location. With the FC Jax Destroyers . . . I see the relation to the Navy ship, so I don't mind the name too much but I hear the team wasn't run well. I unfortunately never made it to one of their games, but I did go to a Jacksonville United Open Cup game when they hosted the Rowdies. I enjoyed the experience.