Questions For Peter Wilt - M1

Discussion in 'Milwaukee' started by olderandwiser, Apr 16, 2007.

  1. olderandwiser

    olderandwiser New Member

    Jul 13, 2005
    Milwaukee
    Please keep the thread title in mind when posting - OK with you, Peter? After all, shouldn't Milwaukee be where you belong?
     
  2. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    :)

    Happy to do it. For those who aren't aware, after many years, I recently closed the long time "Ask PW" thread in the Fire BS forum. The closure was inspired by many breaks in the long standing policy asking posters to limit their posts to questions for me. So I ask again, for this not to turn into a debate thread and I ask others not to answer questions for me, even if it takes a few days for me to respond. If a topic evolves out of this that warrants further discussion, please start a new thread for those purposes. There are certain topics that I can not discuss currently including lead investor candidates and stadium site location. I will try to answer all questions, but there may be some that I will need to pass on.

    The underlying reason I asked the other thread to close is, because I believed it was past time that I stop representing the Fire even in that indirect fashion, so in addition to the above requested restrictions, please do not ask questions that pertain to the Fire.

    Fire away...errr, I mean, ASK away!

    ;)

    peter
     
  3. Dadinho

    Dadinho Member

    Feb 19, 2005
    San Diego
    Club:
    Vitoria Salvador
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ok, Peter, answer me this; What is Milwaukee's chance (percentage) of having an MLS team by 2011?
     
  4. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    The answer to this question is extremely dynamic. Couple months ago it was down to about 10%. Lately it's been around 30% (IMHO).

    Tomorrow, who knows!

    I tend to think it will kick off in 2009 or never.

    peter
     
  5. illwauk

    illwauk Member

    Mar 27, 2007
    Milwaukee
    I read somewhere that the site being proposed for the stadium was at 6th & Canal near the Harley-Davidson museum. But in another thread you said the stadium might not be in the city limits. So what sites are being considered?
     
  6. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    Are you trying to trick me or do you have a hard time reading?

    ;)

    peter
     
  7. olderandwiser

    olderandwiser New Member

    Jul 13, 2005
    Milwaukee
    Peter, if this can be answered in general terms (or specific if you so desire), what area has been the most frustrating in trying to get a foothold for the MLS project in Milwaukee and/or an outlying district?
     
  8. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    There are several, but i think the most frustrating thing has been the difficulty getting people to understand how big this can be for the area. Unfortunately, most people think it's another version of the Wave or Rampage and don't realize that this would attract 15k to 20k fans on a regular basis, generate tens of millions of dollars in annual revenues for the area and would shine a spotlight on Milwaukee nationally and internationally.

    Site selection and investor chasing are two others, but much of that frustraion is tied into the point above.

    peter
     
  9. conquerant

    conquerant New Member

    Sep 22, 2000
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Peter, I think this was touched on before awhile ago, but I was wondering, under the current situation, without revealing your sites, is there some consideration being made for access to public transit? This was a problem for me when I was a carless soccer fan and the Rampage were playing in Franklin. I know there are probably many soccer fans in Milwaukee now without cars, and and I know if Milwaukee gets a team I will want to see them when I'm back home, and I may not have access to a car, or may prefer to drink and not drive.

    Edit: let me reword this so you don't have to possibly indicate a site in or out of the city...how important is access to public transit when you are talking about one site or another?
     
  10. conquerant

    conquerant New Member

    Sep 22, 2000
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Peter, is there any chance that Milwaukee MLS would be like the Rampage and offer the same ticket + all-the-beer-you-can-drink package they used to offer? :D
     
  11. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    Public transportation is certainly one of many considerations in site selection. In general, however, PT in SE Wisconsin is awful compared to other major US cities and funding is becoming a huge issue in terms of maintaining what we currently have and the desire to upgrade using previously committed federal funds. In addition to being bad for the environment, congestion of the highway system and depletion of fossil fuels, the lack of light rail really limits the practicality of moving large numbers of fans via PT.

    Most of the sites we have looked at are directly accessible by county bus, but we're not counting on PT alleviating significant numbers of vehicles from the site.

    peter
     
  12. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    i'm old enough to remember the Brewers nickel beer nights!!! Damn liability laws.

    cheers!

    peter
     
  13. Pygmalion

    Pygmalion New Member

    Jul 23, 2001
    Bay View, WI
    Peter,

    Thank you again for keeping the hope alive on this project and for taking some questions.

    Hopefully this doesn't violate the lead investor stipulation above, but can you give us a sense of how much a lead investor would ideally be able to bring to the table?

    Thanks again,

    Chris
     
  14. conquerant

    conquerant New Member

    Sep 22, 2000
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Agreed, PT in SE Wisconsin sucks, and it's one of the things I like about Boston; as unreliable as the "T" is at times, at least it's thorough.

    That said, hopefully your site will be easily accessible, but if not, have you considered talking (or even talked) with bars like the Highbury on working together to do buses? Would this even be viable?
     
  15. mcnaulty21

    mcnaulty21 Member

    Feb 6, 2007
    Wisconsin
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It works pretty well for the Brewers and the Bucks (even my Warriors have some good shuttles).
     
  16. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    Yes, we've already spoken to The Highbury Pub about buses. They're on board with the idea.

    peter
     
  17. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    There are a number of variables still in play that prevent a firm number being floated at this time. Variables include the League investment (which has gone up considerably in the last two years), the necessary infrastructure and real estate investment and the amount invested by minority shareholders.

    That being said, to put the scope of the project in perspective, the lead investor should be prepared to invest tens of millions of dollars into the overall project.

    peter
     
  18. Brian in Boston

    Brian in Boston Member+

    Jun 17, 2004
    MA & CA, USA
    Peter, I beg your indulgence on a series of branding questions...

    1) How much importance do you place upon the branding of the proposed Milwaukee MLS franchise, including the development of a team name, logo, kits, color palette, etc.?

    2) Do you anticipate the Milwaukee MLS franchise assigning branding responsibilities to a nationally-known firm (SME Branding, Studio Simon, The Joe Bosack Design Co., Plan B. Branding, Rickabaugh Graphics, etc.), a local firm (Thiel Design, Versant, bRandnew, etc.), in-house MLS design and marketing professionals, or some combination of all three?

    3) Do you foresee a Name the Team promotion playing a crucial role in actually generating Milwaukee MLS brand possibilities... or serving as more of a publicity-generating "stunt", with actual fan input limited to focus group participation once branding professionals have generated concepts?

    4) In your personal opinion, which current MLS franchise's team name, logo, kit design and colors combine to comprise the best overall brand? Short of that, which franchises would you say excel in each of these categories?

    Thanks for taking the time to engage in an endeavor of this kind.
     
  19. Zak1FCK

    Zak1FCK Member+

    Aug 23, 2005
    Milwaukee
    Club:
    FC Kaiserslautern
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Can we bring in Zandi as the DP slot?
     
  20. ChedarDog

    ChedarDog Member

    Apr 17, 2006
    IA corn fields
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Peter,

    What can we do to help the effort?

    Do you need us to show up with shovels to start landscaping?;)

    Put deposits down on the luxury condos (or time shares for us out of staters)?

    Will you be going the Tim Krause route and seeking fan funding for advance season ticket license reservations? (Whatever happed to Milwaukee Loves Soccer);)
     
  21. balatonsurfer

    balatonsurfer BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Jun 21, 2005
    Galbitown

    Actually, that's not outlandish. Back in old Europe, it was common for the fans to come out en masse to help on construction of stadiums.

    ...which gives me an idea. How about calling "Extreme Makeover" and getting those guys to build our stadium?

    Now for my question:

    Pete, when you speak of _lead investor_--are you referring to individuals, or investor groups?
     
  22. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    The identity of a team....or any consumer product...is its most valuable asset.

    In Chicago we used a national firm (Adrenalin) to design the primary and secondary logo and local firms handled the creative for advertising and collateral pieces. i would envision a similar approach in Milwaukee.
    A "name the team" advisory promotion would be a good way to get the word out about the team. The ultimate choice will be made by ownership based on surveys and focus groups with key constituencies including fans, media and sponsors. i believe a team name should reflect the character and history of the community it represents as well as a desirable image for the team.

    DC United and Chicago Fire.

    you're welcome.

    peter
     
  23. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    The League insists on an individual Lead investor controlling 35% or more of the team. The rest can come in the form of an investor group.

    peter
     
  24. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    Early on in the process, we needed the public to be vocal to media, soccer leaders and government officials. They were effective and it helped move the project along and gain the landmark agreement with the Wisconsin Youth SoccerAssociation.

    At this time, we need the public to be patient and wait. There may come a time when public support is needed again, but now is not the time.

    Season ticket reservations won't be taken until a team is secured. The WYSA partnership assures us of 8,000 season ticket equivalents, so advance deposits for more season tickets are not needed to assure MLS that a team in Wisconsin would be successful.

    Thanks,

    peter
     
  25. Peter Wilt

    Peter Wilt Member

    Jun 11, 1999
    Whitefish Bay, WI
    Six goals in 41 games at Kaiserslautern is enough for you to recommend the DP slot? He's playing in Cypress now. i would think by 2009, we could sign him to a standard contract. ;-)

    peter
     

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