Hey Strikers fans, I know we'll all be interested in just how much of an improvement we'll see in the stands this year at Lockhart. We already know it's going to be huge, but just how high can it go? Wanted to start a thread for us to talk about attendance during the course of the season. Let's start things off with everyone's predictions for Saturday's opener vs. Edmonton. I'm going to say 6,100.
Re: Attendance I think a better question is what is the capacity that they are going to be making available for the games. I have no idea what the answer is, maybe someone from one of the supporters groups might?
Re: Attendance 18,000+....Wiki gives the capacity as 20,450. I don't expect us to fill it to capacity. If the north stands are sold out I expect the end zones to be sold next. I doubt very much that any seats in the south stands will be used this year.
Re: Attendance The north stand is basically sold out for Saturday which holds 4,000 people. That's already better than ANY Miami FC crowd since I believe the very first game they played in 2006 with Zinho and Romario. They will be selling GA seats in the end zones in the northern half of those sections(from the goals up to the north stand). So roughly half the stadium. That would make Strikers capacity at somewhere around 9-10,000. I think for Saturday AT LEAST 6,000 is a a good guess. For the season, if they can average 4,000 or above that is a MASSIVE improvement over the MFC years and that will be a great success.
Re: Attendance Massive pretty much says it. We averaged 1,250 last year w/season ticket sales way under what we have this year. I wonder if the season ticket sales for this year equal that 1,250? Tim Robbie told me at the uniform unveiling that that is a very good number for the sales staff to shoot for. 1,250 season tickets and a 4,000+ average would be incredible, all things considered.... And a hell of a target to exceed next year....
Re: Attendance I agree, I think (+/-) 6G is a good number. The first game isn't the problem, its when we get deep in the season will be the true test.......
Re: Attendance Two things can make it an easily passable test: Game day experience - make it a fun and relatively inexpensive evening of entertainment, and people will come back. Win
Re: Attendance That 4,000 is not counting the open air suites at the top right? Not sure how you count those into the figures, or if they've even sold enough of them to matter. I was guessing along the same lines as you as far as capacity as it currently stands. From the ticket sales site it seems they've opened 5 GA sections, 1 for you supporters, and 4 others. I wanted to guess more, I actually think it will be higher, but the conservative in me won't let me get too far ahead of myself. LOL The weather report indicates a great evening on Saturday, so who knows how high the walk-up crowd could get pushed! I started out thinking 4,000 would be a good number to shoot for. My predictions all along were that we would top the Miami FC numbers for the last three years combined which would be a little over 3,900. But with the overwhelming success in ticket sales already for the opener, and adding the fact that I think the organization has done it's best job ever in putting together a solid team that can, and should win a lot of games, I think 5,000+ is achievable. But there I go getting a bit ahead of myself even though I was trying hard not to......LOL
Re: Attendance I agree. A good time for both the family crowd and the hardcore supporters, plus a winning(qualify for the playoffs) team, equals great attendance all year long. And from there, the sky is the limit.
Re: Attendance Considering that we've already sold 4,000 tickets, and that Latin Americans usually dont buy season tickets or advanced tickets, I expect a huge walkup crowd
Re: Attendance If you run the numbers they should be in for quite a year at the gates. They had somewhere in the area of 40 season ticket holders last season and averaged 1200 fans. That means season ticket holders made up 3% of the crowd. If the season ticket holders for this year(I'll use 600, last count I heard weeks ago) end up being 3% of the total crowd, that would mean an average announced attendance of 18,000. Now I don't expect that kind of crowd all year(which would be waaaaaay better than the Fusion and better than most MLS teams) but 6-10K is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
Re: Attendance I was told it is over 1,000 by a couple people at the uniform unveiling. They were pushing for 1,250 to equal or exceed last seasons average game attendance. They might just make it....
Re: Attendance If they're still selling them for $100, I think there's a very good chance of hitting the 1,250. Then even if season ticket holders make up 25% of the crowd, you're right at 5,000 for your average. But I really think a winning team, especially one that is competing for one of the top two spots, can push that even higher. This is going to be one hell of a season!
Re: Attendance I'm amazed and very encouraged by the positive energy coming out of Strikers camp. I hope the team can live up to the expectations. This is a great sign for NASL and south Fla. soccer.
Re: Attendance I'm gonna guess 6,850... but I'd be happy with anything above 5,000. It's gonna be a blast regardless of how many fans are there... sooo excited.
Re: Attendance If they start off on the right foot with a good atmosphere and a fun night out for the family, I think that this season will be a success. Take into account that the popularity of soccer is always on a high the season after a world cup, I think that everything is there for a season of high attendances.
Re: Attendance I hope so, but this is an extremely fickle market. The Marlins had well over 40,000 fans attending opening day. Last night they had @ 10K in attendance (10K would be fantastic for the Strikers, It's a horror for the Marlins). They'll get less than that as the season goes on. Much less if they have a really bad W-L record. This is for a well established, national sport at the highest level in a major market. The Strikers are in a fringe sport that has a decades long history of struggle and failure in the USA. Traditionally South Florida will only support a winning team in any sport. That's why I think that a winning team is essential. Without it the whole season, and possibly the Strikers, could tank. Not nice to contemplate, but this is a sad reality for South Florida. Despite all that....GO STRIKERS!!!!!......Let's make believers out of everyone, everywhere. Let's become the Man U/Barcelona of this sport in North America......And for those that don't understand that, let's try to win more championships in this sport than the Yankees or Canadiens in theirs....
Re: Attendance Agreed! I have to respectfully (I am new on the board and don't want to offend anyone) disagree with the comparison to the Marlins, however. The Marlins play in a sport where games come fast and furious with multiple games a week. The week of the 18th, they have five home games in a row. On top of that, the location of where they play is not the most convenient for season ticket holders to go to this often. Living in Boca, there is really no way I would consider buying ST if I have to drive down there everyday. Now there are teams like the Red Sox or the Braves where there stadium is located in the middle of the city making access to the games for a larger population. Now comparing the Strikers to the Dolphins, I think, would be a better comparison. Making it out to whatever-that-place-is-called-this-week once a week is much more feasible for fans and ST. According to ESPN, the avg. attendance for the dolphins in 2010 was 67,744. Of course, the Strikers wouldn't hit those numbers (I can dream though) but the fact that the stadium is centrally located, the games are once a week, the tickets being affordable, and that there is a tradition already established in the brand; there is no reason why we couldn't become a steady frachise with loyal support. anyways, my two penneth.
Re: Attendance I like the "steady franchise with steady support"... AmericanMag...Nice...That to me is the goal as well. MlS will be great, but that is down the road. We should just focus on supporting our local team and having a blast, the rest will come eventually, maybe even the Titles......See you all Saturday.
Re: Attendance That will be amazing. Some of the Striker fans don't realize what a great deal we have going. I checked season ticket prices around the NASL. Some were as high as $450 (Canadian) per season + parking. I think old Don may even take notice to a crowd of 6K plus. Go Strikers!
Re: Attendance As I drove past the lights of Lockhart on my way to work this morning, I couldn't help but reminisce about the long ago past-and how all things sporting in this specific culture always seem to come around full circle. I don't think folks fully appreciate the value of the above quote-particularly in this economy and particularly with the history involved. I have long maintained that the biggest reason Dolphin crowds dwarf the other majors consistently is that the team was "unique" in the sense that it was first in the area-and fans (particularly transients) had the longest amount of time to transition allegiances. Winning fairly early on only acted as the glue that bound the region to them in ways the Marlins, Panthers and Heat can only dream of. The analogy is not lost on me when it comes to this soccer club. When the Toros moved north, they became UNIQUELY Ft.Lauderdale/Broward in terms of ownership (figuratively) and identity. They did so at the height of soccer prominence in N. America. I follow MLS, but you can't tell me RSL would touch the NASL dynasties of the day. As previously stated, the winning right from the gun didn't hurt....... That's why the re-brand was so important. I hope the powers that be don't make the same mistake with the grand old dame of futbol in s. Florida that their Dade forbears did with the Orange Bowl. History and mystique still mean something in these parts, & I would love to see Lockhart rock at capacity once again like it once did in a Striker/Cosmos 2nd playoff leg ! A committed ownership with the ability to partner with the county could spend far less on needed upgrades (paved parking/Improved locker rooms & concession stands/restrooms/ covered walkway for players from dressing room to field/ partial roof over sideline stands) that could morph the place into as good a facsimile of SSS as you'd need to get back to D-1 once on-field product matched community interest. What once was "could" be again. It takes the belief of the right people in charge, and I don't know enough to say whether we have that. I do know whatever the level of play, I am excited more than these words can explain that the one team in S.Florida I could ever call MINE is back in business.......and at a place of great convenience , accessibility and history to boot. My prayer is that all 3 counties in the region find a way to get behind this, for the soccer-good of all concerned, as well as the last, best chance to grow the game here. Until Saturday friends.............
Re: Attendance There is a big buzz out there, and its not coming from those bumble bee uniforms. I am going to say it.....8,000!....and it will average 5,000 for the season. See you on Saturday. I am still referring everyone I know for season tix!
Re: Attendance It's going to be a great season. The crowds will be awesome, but they could be even better if a few backwards-thinking clowns from Miami would swallow their pride and admit that the fastest, surest way for South Florida to return to MLS is through the Strikers. There is actually a group who are organizing a watch party for RBNY-Union Saturday night instead of attending the Strikers game because "Traffic will never bring us MLS". The group includes a few long time former Ultras who stuck with MFC through the worst times but have abandoned local soccer now, when it promises to be at it's best level in years. This counter-productive effort is just foolish and it's really sad to see. I for one can't wait to see them come crawling back to Lockhart when the Strikers are winning in front of great crowds.