What do you think the realistic next steps are for Detroit soccer. We know the owners of the silverdome want a team and MLS has made it more than clear that NY2 is the priority. What would you like to see as a next step? Involvement in the youth soccer community sponsoring teams / tournaments? Get into a lower division of soccer NASL or USL Pro? Host random games with big name clubs? Start trying to market a non existent team to generate buzz? How would you do it?!?
What I would do is start by going through the grassroots. What I mean by this is using the example of the "Sons of Ben." This is probably one of the most successful supporters group that managed to raise awareness for an MLS franchise in Philadelphia. Their numbers grew within a period of 3-4 years. For this reason I would recommend to the Detroit supporters group to start recruiting members big time. Get the message out there. Set-up a website strategy, and work closely with the ownership group of the Silverdome.
Who owns the rights to the Detroit Express name? The Cosmos are some mythical creature of a shell of a team, in my opinion, but they have name recognition and they don't even have a ballboy signed to the team. I wonder if the Dome owners have considered getting the Express name and declaring that would be the team that wants in? That would create some buzz, as the Express name has respect among soccer circles. Next is the toughie...I think they need to start renovating the Silverdome right now. Show the league that they're dead serious about getting a team in 2013 and that they are putting the money up to prove their resolve. Until they break ground and start the renovations, it's just going to be people saying that the Dome owners can talk a good game but doubt that they have the finances and the cojones to see it through. They need to show they do have the cojones to put together an incredible stadium complex. Also, what are their plans with the amphitheater and the basketball/hockey arena portion? Are they going to lure another tenant in, say, a minor league hockey team, an arena football team or make it a home for a NBDL team? Having that in place will also show that they're serious. If they start building and teams say they'll be playing there, that will show MLS that this isn't just a pipe dream. Finally, continue what you're doing on the grassroots by recruiting members (through MCS and AO Detroit), reaching out to the colleges and high schools. Having merchandise to sell and having it everywhere...stickers with the MCS logo and the website, getting the petition out. Those are a lot of steps, but I think all are good ones to get more buzz generated. It will take a helluva lot of buzz to get MLS's hands out of the Cosmos cookie jar...so give it to them.
I'm sorry, but this is crazy talk. The whole Silverdome renovation plan is ambitious bordering on lunacy already, but doing it on spec pushes it across the border. It has nothing to do with "cojones," unless that's some sort of synonym for "idiocy." Come to think of it, it usually is.... I think that the best thing that MCS can do is to commit itself to bringing as many people as they can to as many soccer events as they can, and boost the brand by example. Remember the story of the Sons of Ben going to MLS games in New Jersey, and chanting something like "We have as many trophies as you, and we don't have a team!"? That's the kind of passion that got people's attention back then, and would now. If there was a large, consistent, conspicuous MCS presence at college games in the fall and Bucks games in the spring, that would go a long way toward SOB-type recognition, and a huge step forward for the effort to get MLS here.
I told you it was a toughie, but it's not crazy. Is it realistic? Admittedly, no, but it's not impossible. Again, if they get tenants for the basketball/hockey portion, maybe they figure that to be enough to start the renovations. Then again, the type of team that would be attracted to it may not be large enough to justify renovating the whole place. I think the crux of my argument is that very few people outside of Detroit and Triple Sports really believes that they can do what they say they can do for the cost they think they can do it in. And until they do, they won't take any bid for a team seriously (that and the gleam of Cosmos dancing in Garber's head). Is it an outside the box idea? Sure. But, maybe with the right tenants in place, starting the renovations to show that they're ready may help. Now, the question that's been bugging me for months is: if for some reason the Cosmos get their act together and they get accepted as #20 and Garber says MLS is done expanding for a while, what happens to these plans? Will Triple Sports just keep the Silverdome as is? If the answer is no, then why wait to start renovating?
NASL owns the name and the rights to use the name for soccer and promoting however the trademark on the logo has lapsed and is available if anyone is interested in filing for it.
Well, the answer isn't no. Because it would cost so much that they would never get back more than a tiny fraction of it without the top level bringing in anything. Also, Garber and MLS has not, is not and will not place an artificial limit on the number of expansion teams, aside from possibly keeping the number of teams even. They won't "stop at 20" or any other number; if someone has the money and stadium plan in place, MLS will not turn up their noses at anyone who wants to buy in in a major market.
I doubt that anything will happen to the stadium without MLS, there is just no need to do that right now. What is going in there that needs 40k seats? It is perfectly functional for the events they are holding now. Forget the stadium, what happens before that? Personally I want a team first and a place to play second. Give me something to build off of and FORCE the owners to build us a stadium or renovate.
I'm with you, it was just a question. Part of me still thinks Garber has been open because he wants the Cosmos in that bad and doesn't want to shut them out if they do reach 20 w/o them. I think we can all live with that!
TSE settling their lawsuit over the AC Milan match would be a good step, maybe then we could host another
Detroit ownership doesn't have to just randomly start building a soccer stadium to show MLS they are serious. To become a partner of MLS, they have to show the committment and financial wherewithall to support 5-10 years of losses without batting an eye. If there is a reasonable stadium solution in place, and funding for the stadium is set, then the other MLS owners will choose to admit their newest peer. One of the things that held up the Cosmos (not necessarily NYC2) is that the MLS owners didn't want to be in business with Paul Kelmsley.
Hello, everyone. Time we got back to talking about progress or next-steps. I would like to set up some kind of live forum / discussion / "summit" on the Saturday (February 4) of the Silverdome games. Meet that morning (first match time is 2:00) at the Ult or somewhere else. We could meet between matches (still don't understand a two-hour break between matches) but that sounds too up-in-the-air (could be other stuff going on?). Let's get an updated from someone of the Bucks on getting a pro team. Let's discuss if we want an MLS team only; or get an NASL or USL-Pro team. (Rumors of a women's team have emerged online, also.) Let's get some support going for the Bucks in the Open Cup (which may be before the first game of the season; I'm still waiting for an OFFICIAL announcement). And just other how-to-support-soccer-in-town discussion. P.S. Please, please, no "free beer" promotion to get people to games http://www.motorcitysupporters.com/forum/index.php?topic=334.0
Just asking again, anybody want to have a forum / discussion meeting on the status of getting a pro team(s) in town, on the Saturday of the Silverdome games?
This is a good start to getting a team http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/sil..._hope_to_lure_pro_soccer_franchise_to_pontiac
USL Q-and-A with Dan Duggan. He repeats the goal of getting a USL Pro team in town. http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/726450.html And as I have mentioned, he had said in the past that part of the path of getting a pro team... was the announced expansion of the Ultimate.
Detroit USL-Pro expansion thread: http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/is-detroit-about-to-get-a-usl-pro-team.1993587/
$1B investment in Detroit to include MLS stadium Key figures in the effort to bring Major League Soccer to Detroit outlined their plans for the team and stadium.
The proposed #MLSxDetroit stadium will serve as an entertainment district that will continue to transform the city.
Wayne Co. Exec Warren Evans said#MLSxDETROIT plans are nice, but @cavsdan and others will have to pay up: http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2016/04/jail_site_for_soccer_stadium_w.html