Not at all. I hope that they will do this bc I have questions to ask as a season ticket holder, a fan, and as someone who wants the rowdies to prosper. I just need the forum, as well as other people I imagine who are as vocal and opinionated as I am.
You're welcome Charles. I know how hard you, and the rest of the top brass in the mob work and continue to be a successful, premier supporters group in the NASL. I do also realize how hard it is. (on a personal note I also wish I hadn't quit the VP post in 2010) but I am glad and thankful that the mob has grown with people that are passionate and dedicated to the mob and this team just like yourself Charles. We need people like you, and the brass to run this machine. I gave up bc I thought it was too much back for me then. I cant even imagine how harder it is now with so many more members that we started with in 2010. ( I am also wiling to help out anyway i can.) I can't imagine how much time, patience and etc you and the brass have done to make this beast a beast. It's been a lot of hard work, effort and tenacity. It is appreciated, and I thank you (and the rest of the brass) for doing it. We all have one love in common, and that is the Tampa Bay Rowdies. I am glad we are passionate, and are like minded with this team, and the support. I've mentioned this before, and since our inception, is that I felt that we in Ralph's mob have marketed ourselves and the team better than the team markets itself. While its a source our pride in the mob bc we did it ourselves, it's embarrassing on the flip side bc this is a professional franchise with resources and a lot more money than all of us in the mob combined. We continue to do so much with so little. They have so much more than us, and it feels they do less. I want the expectations and accountability to be raised with the FO. I feel we deserve it. It's not a faux sense of entitlement, but I pour my own money into the team and I feel they should go above and beyond, not settle with the mediocrity in terms of promoting a brand we so passionately care about. Why does it have to be this hard? Again, it is I Francis asking loads of logical questions with few answers from the FO. I am thankful, and feel extremely lucky we have soccer back in Tampa Bay, I am also thankful and appreciative of our 2012 NASL Championship. I want long term stability. In a perfect world we'd have 5000+ in attendance, a new stadium or a redone ALF, the Rowdies would be aggressively marketed on tv, billboards, commercials, and the like. I realize the world isn't perfect, I also realize that if not done effectively in the future we could lose this team. I don't want that to happen. For my confidence to change I feel I need certain assurances from the FO, instead of silence. I want to know why we arent marketing to EVERY demographic conceivable in the Tampa Bay area? I want to know why the stadium issue is still the pink elephant in the room since 2008? (Why has an expansion team a secound year in have new stadia before us?) and i want to know what is the long term vision and dedication to this brand, to its fans and to this area? Am I expecting too much guys? /rant
This is America, where our sense of entitlement means we can demand what ever the fuck we want and then be upset when it is not delivered right away.
The Mob is the strongest thing that the Rowdies have going. What you and the Mob have accomplished is impressive. Hold your heads high and enjoy the on-field action, understanding that there is little else you can do. The bottom line is: things really aren't going to be able to improve much (beyond current levels) until the team moves back to Hillsborough and into a better venue.
Not bad suggestions, but the desired response to those efforts would still be significantly muted by the fact that many potential Rowdie's ticket purchasers don't want to go Al Lang Field - for reasons of location, poor venue or both. Relative to the minor league baseball analogy, one cannot avoid the simple truth: none of the Tampa area's minor league baseball teams choose to play at Al Lang Field. It's not a good location for them either - for reasons of location, poor venue or both.
They did, for years, though. Until 2000. The rest of the teams in the league have better stadia (at spring training facilities their parent clubs control). The FSL isn't really a traditional business where teams seek out the best deals for themselves. It's more about player development.
Yes, they're currently still serving hot dogs and peanuts left over from that last minor league baseball game at Al Lang, 13 years ago.
Nope, got your point. It didn't make sense to continue to debate whether or not the FSL baseball business model is different than that of second division soccer. It is. No further discussion needed. Instead, I thought a quip about the poor game day experience at ALF, summarized in a single-sentence example about the horrible food quality, would humorously hit home to anyone who has purchased the petrified food at ALF... not sure if you've been able to enjoy that experience on any of your trips back to the Bay area. My predeceasing point was that ALF is a poor venue. I feel that promotions or ticket giveaways cannot compensate for that. It's on topic. This is a thread about Al Lang Field. Next.
Okay, how about a hint? Is it a crumbling stadium in an older downtown area far from the geographic population center, with bad food, a bad view, a small field and PA speakers that look like they're going to fall from the roof due to rusting and corrosion? I'm guessing that the description above will fit the "future venue" due to the lack of other/better options in the entire Tampa Bay area. I find it hard to believe (despite wishful thinking) that we'll see anything better being built specifically for this team in the near future... that doesn't seem to be in the cards.
Three more years, right? If there IS an escape clause due which can be executed with poor attendance, the Rowdies don't appear to be interested in executing that... the reported attendance has been on the "generous" side of things, so there doesn't appear to be a "low attendance escape clause" strategy in the works. Perhaps there's another way to escape, but it doesn't seem to be the plan.
I've heard the same rumor, and all I can give in reply is "nope" regarding location and condition. Not going to divulge what we've heard, for now. But hopefully something comes of it and we can all talk.
Thanks. Very interesting. If true, I'm not hoping for "the best" scenario, as that may include elements beyond the Rowdie's financial reach. I AM hoping for something better that could provide a place where more filled seats is a possibility... something NOT in strong contention for the worst venue in the NASL. Please share further news when you can.
Ok, I will bite. It is Tropicana Field. The Rays are leaving for Venezuela after this season since Hugo Chavez has croaked and the Rowdies are going to move to the Trop where they will play outdoor soccer (indoors) in the summer and indoor soccer in the MISL in the winter. Speed, the guesses will just keep getting wilder until you PM what you know. BTW, the Rowdies drew about 1,000 more than I thought they would for tonight's match. Sixth largest crowd since moving to ALF. Half of the twelve games that saw 4K plus in attendance in club history have been in St. Pete. Too bad that the Round Four match isn't at home, with the media hype and the extra couple weeks, we might have seen close to a sell out.
Oh look, this garbage again. What better venue is there in Hillsborough? Was a new stadium constructed in the past few months that I missed? Want to share Plant City Stadium with VSI?
Pretty sure he means they should build in Tampa. I agree with him. But I'd also agree that the Rowdies have not even come close to maximizing the potential in St. Pete.
This is a good point. Crappy stadium aside, the whole downtown bar and restaurant scene/walk to the match is a great bonus. I really enjoy it and hate the idea of driving to a stadium, going to the game, driving home all because the stadium is in some dumpy area with nothing around it. Game day experience in Orlando sucks because of this. It's a nice perk.
It was the same when we played at George Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa. Tailgating in the parking lot and then basically going home right after was poo. We have a great time hitting bars before and after Rowdies games now and of course making noise during a march to the stadium gets plenty of attention ever home game.
Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks. If he had just gone 6 posts prior and read, he probably wouldn't have popped his wig.
I only want the team to change grounds when they are moving into their own newly built stadium. No reason for us to leave. I understand the rumor, but that would be 3 places in our short history. Insane.
Since the options in the area are limited and they just signed a four year deal to stay at ALF, I would guess it is going to stay a rumor. What could possibly have changed to give them a compelling reason to move since they signed the deal with St. Pete last September?