Lockhart in Jeopardy THIS MONTH

Discussion in 'Fort Lauderdale Strikers' started by nbace, Jun 7, 2011.

  1. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Everything I've heard about the situation has me believing the city commission is absolutely 1000% behind the Schlitterbahn deal. They're not asking for any tax dollars to build, and they'll be providing not only jobs for the local community and big tax $$$$ for the city and county, but they'll also be an attraction that is very marketable for the area's tourist industry. I think as long as Schlitterbahn is as committed as they appear to be about wanting to do this, we'll see the deal get done, and maybe even before this lease extension is up.

    It seems likely that the Strikers will have to find a temporary home for part or all of next season. Let me go on record as saying I am not for the cricket stadium. My reasoning on this is twofold.

    First, is location. Sunrise and 441 isn't exactly the finest area in South Florida, and although the turnpike isn't too far away, it's well west of 95. Also, what sort of facilities would there be right there for the Strikers to use for training, for their offices? Is there even a locker room? I've never actually been to this stadium, so take my opinion for what it's worth given that. But I'm familiar with the area, and I just don't think this is the best choice, all other things being equal.

    Second is size. Call me an optimist. Tell me I'm crazy. But I firmly believe that this team is in the midst of a run right now, a run that is going to result ultimately in them finishing in the top four in the league. I would fully expect them to make it at least to the semi-finals of the playoffs as well. I think this team has the talent for sure, and if they can overcome some injuries and continue to gel, I think the potential is there for them. All that leads me to my point on size. Given a strong finish to the year, I think we'll see attendance grow, and I want to be able to say, you know what, the 5,000 seat cricket stadium is not going to be big enough. I want to believe that we are going to build on year one, and the legions of Striker Likers we have next year will need someplace bigger.

    All that leads me to what I believe is a much better option, the new FAU stadium. Now it would have to be worked out with the school of course, but considering they called Lockhart home for a number of years, I don't see why they wouldn't be amenable to allowing the Strikers to play part or all of next season in their place. It's not but 15 minutes further up 95, and for those who prefer the turnpike, there is an exit for Glades as well.
     
  2. celeste4life

    celeste4life Member

    Dec 16, 2007
    United States
    Club:
    CA Peñarol
    Nat'l Team:
    Uruguay
    FAU is too up north. A solution would be to build temporary stands at the Cricket Stadium, which is very possible as there is plenty of space
     
  3. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    FAU is only 10 - 15 minutes from Lockhart. Too far north? If it means playing in a more accessible, larger, nicer, newer facility, is 15 minutes really too big a price to pay? I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one celeste.
     
  4. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree. Both FAU & FIU are not the answer. The Cricket Stadium is not perfect but it could serve a 1 year emergency better than the other 2 options.
     
  5. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Absolutely.

    The Cricket Stadium has locker rooms(MLS has held several preseason exhibitions there and the last 2 Combines). There are plenty of surrounding fields which I imagine the team could use for training.

    They could very easily add bleacher seating to the sideline opposite the main stand and to the ends to add to the capacity, similar to what the Whitecaps did when they played at 5K capacity Swangard Stadium in USL:

    [​IMG]

    It's closer to the Turnpike but it's still only like 5 minutes from 95. The team offices issue will be tricky, they'll have to move out of FTL Stadium and find some temporary office space.

    Best neighborhood? Not really, but an advantage is that it's in an area that has a lot of Caribbean people(why they chose to build a cricket stadium there in the first place), and the team could tap that market.

    FAU would not be horrible, but like Lockhart it would make even the great crowds look bad. I think the Cricket Stadium offers the team a chance to create demand for the tickets, and they can also claim sellouts which is good for marketing purposes. Sell out for a year or two at the cricket stadium and then move back to a renovated Lockhart and sell even more tickets.

    And then there is the name thing, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers playing in Boca. Sure, that's better than Miami playing in Fort Lauderdale but when they can move to a nice, new facility that you can see downtown FTL from, why go up to PBC?

    And FIU should not even be on the radar. After all the goodwill and increased credibility they gained by becoming the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, there is no way they can go back to Dade County and expect their new found support to follow them in any large numbers. And if they kept the FTL Strikers name down there, good luck getting anyone from Dade to show up, as they wouldn't even come out for MIAMI FC before.
     
  6. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FAU is newer, but it's not any more accessible than the Cricket Stadium(in fact it's worse since it's further north), and as outlined in my post above larger is not necessarily a good thing. They can bump up the seating to probably around 7K at the Cricket ground which is plenty IMO.

    And I'd wager to bet that the Cricket Stadium is nicer. As you can see below, FAU is going to be like Lockhart on steroids. Aluminum everywhere and no shelter from the elements during the game. The Cricket stadium has individual seats(not bleachers) and a roof that covers all of them. That's great for keeping in the sound and improving the atmosphere, and it keeps the weather out. My biggest issue with the cricket stadium is the actual cricket pitch in the middle which has to be covered up.

    I've seen RSL vs. Colorado, Miami FC vs. Central Florida Kraze and the 2010 MLS Combine at the place. Is it the best layout? No. But it works and is a fine venue for a D2 club, especially on a temporary basis until they can move back to Lockhart.

    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  7. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FAU Stadium actually looks like it's going to be a good one, but it is too far north. Eventually the Strikers must get Miami-Dade fans involved. They are already PO's with the Strikers playing at Lockhart in central Broward. Move it much further north into PB county and we'll lose them for years. I honestly don't think that would be a good thing.
     
  8. LuckyStriker

    LuckyStriker Member+

    Favorite club? a German one..........
    Apr 14, 2010
    in exile-Statute of Limitations yet to expire
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I took a few notes after listening to Robbie on the preceeding "Ultras live" and while not feeling the necessity of regurgitating all of them in this thread-a couple of them perhaps need to be posted:

    1). The Strikers have NO-I REPEAT: NO interest in relocating back to miami-dade even temporarily.

    2). Cricket Stadium was fall back option IF the FAA kicked them out after June, 2011.

    3). As (as he expected) that did not happen.......FAU becomes the temporary home of the team "should" construction occur around the Lockhart site in 2012.

    4). If Schlitter is truly a go-I *at least will await a refurb on the current grounds that when completed all Striker fans will be proud of.

    5). If the bid goes "Bahn-voyage".......the Traffickers "would consider" a SSS ( pay attention) in a WORKING PARTNERSHIP with a community central to the tri-county area.

    oh, and the kicker:

    Traffic (FWIW) is "committed to the NASL"-and the Strikers are "Their baby & flagship".

    Ponder that awhile.................................:confused:
     
  9. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FAU is Palm Beach County. That would diminish MDC fans greatly. And CBRP has four practice fields in addition to the cricket stadium itself.
     
  10. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Frankly I don't see that as a must, in fact it would be a waste of effort and resources, especially at the D2 level. Broward County is big enough to support the team by itself. It's bigger or similar in size to the metro areas of several MLS markets(including Portland and Vancouver). Throw in PBC and you've got a metro area of over 3 million people.

    They will never pull any meaningful numbers from Miami-Dade unless they go to MLS. Any support they get from MDC at this point should be considered a bonus. To put forth any significant effort to reach out to a population that did not care for the team when it was playing in Miami and branded as such would be a waste IMO.
     
  11. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pretty much the same thing I got out of it, too. I agree that the Strikers won't, and shouldn't, move to M-D. They can be South Florida's team located in Broward. They'd be much less so if located in PB county.

    The FAU Stadium looks nice and if the Strikers FO thinks that would be the place to go for a temporary relocation, so be it. But, if they do want a SSS in a central location I think the Cricket Stadium is a better temp to retain some continuity.

    As for the SSS, my question is: what community would help them locate there? Sunrise near the Sawgrass Mills area where the Panthers play? Miramar? By I-75, or is there an eastern location? Ft Lauderdale? Downtown is beguiling, but the cost of land and construction could be prohibitive. Anywhere else? Remember, Broward County is built out. There's no new land available.

    I disagree. Especially if you want MLS. If D2 is all you want then write off M-D, but if MLS is your eventual goal/dream M-D participation is required. Anything else is as short sighted and self defeating as the nonsense from M-D that they alone can support MLS. All they can do is support the rest of us in the Tri-county to obtain & retain a franchise. That franchise should be located in Broward.

    Hopefully the Strikers do have M-D in their plans eventually even if D2 is all they want. I feel they'd be terribly short sighted if they don't.
     
  12. LuckyStriker

    LuckyStriker Member+

    Favorite club? a German one..........
    Apr 14, 2010
    in exile-Statute of Limitations yet to expire
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    That's just it.
    If I take Tim at his word,.....especially the tone of what he said......they don't.

    Didn't say enough to declare D-2 is "all they want"-but it seemed pretty clear to me that MLS was something Traffic isn't thinking about at all.
    I don't think FtL is headed to MLS short or Pro/Rel.

    Your guess is as good as mine if it means they want to develop NASL as a league to rival/overtake it.
     
  13. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That may be the plan. I do not see pro/rel ever happening to MLS. Who wants to ante up $100,000,000 to drop to a lower tier? Possibly he wants an eventual merger between MLS & NASL. League mergers are something that does happened in pro sports in the USA.

    It's amusing to think that the folks in M-D could get an MLS team there with Claure or someone like him while we have the Strikers in Broward in NASL. Especially if any success the Strikers may have influences MLS to come back to South Florida. How many would support both teams? Very few, IMO....;)
     
  14. LuckyStriker

    LuckyStriker Member+

    Favorite club? a German one..........
    Apr 14, 2010
    in exile-Statute of Limitations yet to expire
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    I already have an MLS side.:cool: Right now, I have the best of all worlds.
    If Strikers go MLS, I'd have a "new pecking order" because as an American, my attendance history lies here-With Banks, Hudson, Mueller, Cubillas Van Beveren and friends. Here, as in FtLaud. Here, as in Lockhart.

    Your path to D-1 is Claure......I mean clear. Good luck to the 305 if D-1 is attainable via another route. I am with the NASL as long as it operates-and as long as the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers remain true to "our" history.

    Nothing (and I do mean NOTHING) else in the world of South Florida sports matters to me an iota............
     
  15. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I guess I'll just agree to disagree with all of you guys about the temp stadium situation. I'll of course have my season seats next year no matter what. I certainly hope that once the renovations to Lockhart are done, I'll be able to get back the seats I have this year though!

    The other thought that seems to have infiltrated this thread based on Mr. Robbie's interview is in regards of the possibility of Traffic taking the Strikers to MLS at some point. A few points about this idea:
    • If you're the owner of a pro soccer team in the US, and you are able to afford the cost of a move to MLS, why on earth would you say, thanks but no thanks? That isn't smart, and people can characterize Traffic and their methods all they want, but ultimately I don't think dumb would be a fair label. It's simple, they either could afford it if the opportunity came up, or they can't. Until a high-ranking Traffic employee says one way or the other, I think this is simply a question mark.
    • As the main driving force behind the NASL, an organization who saved two teams from going under, and who is actively looking to find new investors for those teams, and also wants to be part of the core group of owners showing they are committed to this league in the hopes of attracting more teams to join, would you really be stupid enough to go around openly touting yourself as looking to jump ship to the MLS the millisecond the opportunity should present itself? Or would you try to position yourself as the flagship franchise of the league, building on the legacy of the brand they just adopted to continue the Strikers tradition?
    • Mr. Robbie is a tell it like it is kind of guy. Hell he slipped and revealed the Ottawa business, just telling the truth. He was very careful to state Traffic's commitment to the NASL without really speculating on the future of the organization's possible thoughts of MLS. I don't think there's really any way to solidly take that as they never intend to aspire above D2 and the NASL.
     

Share This Page