The Deltas hosted a friendly against SRFC tonight. I heard (but I don't know if it's true) that this was a season ticket holders only event. It was a pretty sparse crowd by all appearances. But it seems like there were a whole lot of kids there too, and I'm thinking they weren't season ticket holders. Special promotion, maybe? Final of our first ever home game at Kezar Stadium #sfdeltas 0 - @SacRepublicFC 0. #SFDvsSAC pic.twitter.com/3963SI2voD— San Francisco Deltas (@sfdeltas) March 19, 2017 So I don't know how to judge the crowd. But for reasons noted before, I don't think the kid heavy presence bodes well.
This is interesting too: http://hoodline.com/2017/03/as-sf-deltas-prepare-for-tonight-s-game-team-talks-parking-security They might have hit that target. Hard to say. But then there's this: Eventually? Eventually? I was thinking 6,000 would be their opening weekend minimum. But the impression I get is that it's going much lower than that. How can they survive if Kezar is half empty?
A little update on the numbers above ... The Deltas said they wanted 3,500 last night. They only got 1,685. Tickets, both sales and comps, were exclusively for "season ticket holders, youth soccer clubs, and their guests." See: http://blog.sfgate.com/soccer/2017/03/19/sf-deltas-tie-sacramento-republic-0-0-in-kezar-tuneup/
They also let Sac Republic fans buy tickets. I was there. ~ 15-1600 was about right. I enjoyed Kezar (nostalgia factor), but the Deltas have some work to do promoting their team. The Deltas supporter group was non-existent (Do they have one?). Small TBB contingent sounded good. Game itself was "meh".
Way too many kids running around for my taste. I really hope the regular season games are more adult oriented. But the Paella was good.
So, contrary to the media reports, some SRFC supporters got tickets and were there, and in line with media reports, there were tons and tons of youth club little kids in the stands. These factors make me more curious than ever to see what sort of crowd turns up on the 25th. Yeah, it's just tea leaves and you can't always judge by friendlies. But the signs aren't that positive to my eye.
Agreed. There is zero marketing presence outside of soccer pubs. If done correctly this operation could succeed, but the general awareness of the brand is seriously lacking.
I agree with you guys. They need more marketing. Billboard and newspaper ads. Social media. And a affiliation with the Earthquakes.
Yes, because Earthquakes fans have been so supportive of this effort and San Francisco is swarming with people in Earthquakes jerseys.
Well, it's not clear that the soccer fans in San Francisco have been particularly supportive either. So maybe the Deltas need all the help they can get. -- Meanwhile, remember that terrible broadcast on Twitter's Periscope service that the Deltas had for the SRFC friendly? The one that featured floating heart bubbles and a chat box that took over a portion of the screen? Well, that's how it's gonna be for every home game: http://www.soctakes.com/2017/03/20/indy-eleven-v-sf-deltas-to-be-broadcast-on-twitter/
They can't. I'd be surprised if they top out at 6,000 for opening day. And as with most crowds that will dwindle down at subsequent games. Their average will likely be where most Kezar based teams have been in recent years, the proverbial toilet. No amount of marketing is going to change the fact they're a minor league outfit in a high school stadium in a city that prides itself on being top notch (ie: not minor league). And we haven't even moved into baseball season yet when they're going to run up against trendier options for the SF sporting dollar, namely the Giants.
The neighborhood sure has been supportive. Here's the community meeting in advance of this most recent game talking game day logistics...
6000 is a very good number. If they maintain half that for the season average, it'll be a success. However, I think they can step it up with the marketing especially on social media. My friend who loves soccer didn't even know about this team until I told him and he watches more soccer than me.
Not really. I'd said they won't even get 6000. So half of that is 2500 or so. Which would be good enough for second to last in the NASL last year. That league averages 4700 a game. And that was with stinkers like the departed Strikers and RayoOKC pulling their average down.
I don't think having WC Qualifiers at the same time and date as the opener will help either. I was planning on going but Mexico plays at the same time. I will try to make the next one.
In terms of building local San Francisco and Bay Area following -- and eventually stadium attendance -- SF Deltas are using the social media/new media approach. They have Eventbrite[1] now as official jersey sponsor, and live broadcasting ALL home games by Twitter Periscope[2]. Looks like they are taking a measured innovative (by Silicon Valley standards) approach to building grassroots support. We'll see at the end of the season how that worked out. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Soccer_League#Sponsorship [2] http://www.soctakes.com/2017/03/20/indy-eleven-v-sf-deltas-to-be-broadcast-on-twitter/
I checked with Brian Helmick and Wikipedia is incorrect - the Deltas have no shirt sponsor at this time.
Unless they're tech employees who work in SJ, hockey fans, soccer fans, etc... It's over-simplistic to say people in SF don't identify with SJ.
I said "generally." I can tell you about my girlfriends Italian family, which has roots in San Francisco for more than 100 years. Her family doesn't give a shit about anything that happens in San Jose.
San Francisco roots don't have to be that deep for that to be true. And it is generally true, contrary to @athletics68's suggestion, that 415 area code people don't care much about San Jose. Or even think about it. This may be changing slowly. But when I grew up in the Bay Area, it was absolute.