MASL News

It's kind of a chicken and egg thing. If an indoor soccer team is losing it's usually a sign that they can't afford to operate. And teams like that also can't afford staffing so they don't sell any tickets anyway. I can't think of a single team that invested more in staffing than in players. I have seen teams spend a lot on players and very little on staffing and they don't stick around long either even if they win more than they lose.

 

Agreed - teams need staff and resources to market and advertise, and chase down ticket sales (particularly group sales). As a recent example of your last sentence, Cedar Rapids paid for a decent team but their attendance was lousy for their last two seasons there (don't get me started on the awful broadcasts). Now the same owner took the team to Orlando (yeah, technically a 'new' team but looking like Cedar Rapids 2.0 at this point). Will the owners actually pay for the front office staff in Orlando for sales and marketing?

Then, you ultimately have to field a team that is at least winning half their games (or at least most of the home games) and putting on a good show so the paying fans have a reason to show up. The MASL was smart to create the 2nd level league. Frankly, MASL teams which struggle to win games year over year and/or struggle with attendance should just move to MASL2. Even if an owner could afford a competitive MASL roster, some markets just don't have strong enough attendance to financially support a MASL team payroll. I can forsee a time not far in the future where MASL2 has a lot more teams than the MASL.

 

To be honest I have heard absolutely nothing about Toronto's apparent expansion team in the MASL for the upcoming season. There is nothing out there which is somewhat surprising since they are playing at a legitimate arena, the former Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Wonder if we will see a last minute move to a rec centre LOL

 

I think Toronto will last for three seasons.





Fall, winter and spring.

 

They've already been around for two MASL seasons. Almost as long as the PFL.

 

Those Milwaukee vs. Orlando games will be worth the price of admission. Those two teams will battle it out for the South Central division crown. Baltimore and Utica will get to sweep the new team from Canada. The newest version of the Dallas Sidekicks will try to stay out of the Southwest division basement (good luck). The alignment makes geographic sense, though the MASL needs a couple more teams in the southeast US to make travel easier for the Florida teams.

 

There was a guy on Tom Higginson's old indoor forum who went by the handle "Hector" who said he believed that winning was 95% of the attendance equation.

Of course, "Hector" never tried to sell a ticket in his life. He was wrong.

If winning really were 95% of the equation, teams would spend 95% of their resources on winning. They do not.

If winning really were 95% of the equation, winning teams would draw well 95% of the time. They do not.

If winning really were 95% of the equation, losing teams would draw poorly 95% of the time. They do not.

Syd's right in that a truly horrendous team is usually a sign of a franchise that has few resources to bring to bear in any part of the equation. They're not likely to draw because, in addition to being terrible to watch, they usually have no people actually trying to sell tickets.

And that - and dates - is really the thing that's the biggest part of the equation. You have to devote manpower (and womanpower) to selling groups,attract hardcores to get season tickets, spend money to advertise and promote, ingrain yourself in the community, put on a good face, do things in a professional manner...and be competitive (or at least entertaining).

You don't have to win your division every year. A great many people will leave your game not basing their rating of the experience on whether you won or lost, but whether they had a good time. Purists may think that only the players matter, but this sport has never been just a game. Ever. It's always been a gimmick. That's the genesis of the sport itself.

There aren't a lot of teams that stick around long-term without having some success, but there aren't a lot of indoor teams that stick around long-term anyway. The forces that cause their demise or keep them around for a while are far more complicated than simply who scores more goals.

 

Agree completely with Ken. No one on this board has said that winning is the 'only thing' that matters. Cedar Rapids was winning games the last two seasons but were drawing flies. Marketing, having enough sales people to sell tickets and sponsorships, promote the team in the community, making the game day experience entertaining (beyond the game itself) are all necessary to keep enough revenue coming in to continue operating. At some point, though, a team at least needs to win a decent number of their home games, even if their overall record is mediocre. While the soccer parents who only bring their rug rats for a couple group-ticket games a year likely don't care much about the won/loss record, a team won't build its season ticket and sponsor base very much if its losing most of its games. I would never recommend to any owner to buy an 'all-star' roster, but an owner who wants to survive more than a few years needs to at least field an 'average' team that can win 8 or 10 games a season. Even committed fans don't expect playoffs every season, but you have to win some games at some point. Its better for the sport if more of the games are close and competitive. If an owner can't afford to at least field an 'average' roster in the MASL, they should just drop to MASL2 and exist at the level they can afford.

 

I didn't say anybody here did.

Hence, "competitive or at least entertaining."

Or get out altogether.

I do not necessarily see MASL2 as a panacea.

 

Meanwhile, both Pat and Kevin Healey have gone from the Blast to Harrisburg. The Blast and Heat held a joint press conference today announcing that Kevin Healey will be Heat president and minority owner, with Pat Healey earlier on being made coach.

 

Welcome Mississauga MetroStars.

Join us in welcoming the Mississauga MetroStars to the #MASL pic.twitter.com/xg6dF64Aq6

— MASL (@MASLarena) September 12, 2018

 

Does this mean Red Bull will eventually buy the team?

 

So I probably shouldn't wear my old NY/NJ Metrostars jersey when I see them play Utica City FC.

 

Chris Kokalis is great at building teams that can compete. The Titans were regulars in the IFL Conference Finals and the Rampage were an MASL playoff team. However, his lack of marketing ability, poor head for game day presentation (broadcasts were a notable part of that), or ability to find ways to keep the team visible, ultimately doomed both team's attendances. The one exception was the annual NYE kid's day game, which drew about many more fans than their average.

 

Obviously Kokalis can build competitive teams. If Kokalis is allowed to solely focus on roster management and contracts in Orlando, he can be very successful. Was Kokalis trying to be a one-man operation in Cedar Rapids? Hate to see any city lose a team, but its a lesson that all the game day stuff (having a good DJ, broadcast quality, entertainment during game, decent merchandise selection, etc) matters a lot, even moreso than the game itself for many fans. At least some marketing is needed, and community involvement by staff and players continously. Everything has to work together to get sponsors and butts in the seats.

 

Steveco, Love your passion! Certainly do. We need thousands of more like you. And that's the problem. There is not enough of us. Please pay attention to this statement. You can have the best DJ's, broadcast quality, halftime entertainment, merch galore...it doesn't mean anything if no one is interested in the real sport itself. That's the real problem! The sport itself! Even when it was at it's height, it was barely breaking wind in most cities-did well for sure in some. Take your fandom away just for a minute and pretend this is Arena Football. Look at the peak and the low valley it sets in in American sports by large. That sport also made some hay for a brief moment. I just don't think you will see anything near the mid 80's again for our sport ever again. I am sad to say it...and i will be at several sidekicks games this year including a suite night watching what I hope will be 3-4 thousand of us. Keep Rocking Steve...

 

Give us this year our annual drama involving the possible return of the Lancers.

I can only presume at this point, given the MASL schedule is to be released this coming week, that they're talking about M2. Trying to shoehorn them into the MASL framework at this point (or at a later point, given the Lancers' drama always seems to drag on and on until finally coming to a conclusion with no return) would seem to be a fool's errand.

 

Recognizing the massive interest in pro soccer start-ups (MLS expansion, USL teams in every AA baseball park [exaggeration for effect], regional amateur leagues drawing thousands per game, alternatives to current pro divisions model, etc.) and the perception that pro soccer franchises will only increase in value... when (if ever) might we see one more round of deep-pocketed non-soccer investors taking a real shot at starting up a new professional indoor soccer league?

One can continue to dream... until then, I will secure the copyright and web address to my Chicago Power. Who's with me?

 

So according to the new rules, goalkeepers cannot cross the midfield line with the ball until the 4th quarter. Does this mean that they can pass the ball to another player, cross over the midfield line themselves, and then get the ball? It doesn't say they can't possess the ball on the other half of the field. What is the justification for this rule? It seems really dumb.