Hammerheads announce new ownership.

Discussion in 'Wilmington Hammerheads' started by mbsc, Sep 17, 2013.

  1. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  2. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Me, too. Love Bill. If the new guy has financial clout, that can only help.
     
  3. Sam U El

    Sam U El Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 31, 2013
    Seoul Korea
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's always good to see clubs regardless of Division or League gain improved financial stability. It bodes well for Soccer in America.
     
    brentgoulet and kenntomasch repped this.
  4. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.starnewsonline.com/artic...Title=Hammers-sale-moved-quickly-to-new-owner

    More information about the sale is included in this interview with Mr. Rudisll. It appears the four secondary investors (Dr. Clyde Harris, his wife Cindy, Dr. Mario Basegoda and Dr. Sara Borcherding) have sold their shares and that only George Altiers and Rudisill are in ownership positions.

    First and most importantly- Mr. Rudisill mentions he wanted "to make sure the franchise continued to exist and stayed in town." Mr. Altiers has not discussed this, but from the placement in the article I assume that remaining in Wilmington was a major factor in the sale.

    As for some of the high points - Rudisill will remain on for one, maybe two years to oversee the transition. The new ownership expects to raise the budget, enlarge the front office and secure a longer term (five years) deal with the city for the use of Legion Stadium.

    Still awaiting Mr. Altiers statement.
     
  5. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Do you guys believe that Legion is a long-term solution? (I understand the problems the baseball team had trying to get a ballpark, so it may be a non-starter.)

    As lower-level stadiums go, Legion certainly is not the worst (I quite liked it, actually), but it is still a football stadium and when Pittsburgh and some other clubs either have built or likely will, they may be passed by fairly quickly.
     
  6. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It may be our only solution for quite a while - especially after the baseball stadium sturm und drang . I think the best we can hope for is occasional upgrades that benefit not only the Hammers (who have some pull with the City Council due to their success) but also New Hanover High School athletics (who have a LOT of pull . ) From what I understand, the Hammers get it on a for-game basis at an extremely reasonable cost (last I heard was about $800 per game.) And you're right- Gabriel/Jurgensen Field at Legion Stadium is not terrible - I love the place and all it's idiosyncrasies- but something nice and shiny might bring a few more people in.

    When we talk about a nice 5,000 seat SSS on the Cape Fear River, we know the city wouldn't put dime one towards the project. Now if the new owner wants a tour of the city, I can show him this nice spot right near the battleship...
     
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  7. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, that's what I figured. It would be expensive, it's still a fairly small town and you might not suddenly get 5k a night with a multi-million-dollar place.

    Can't beat the price, especially given how important every dollar is to a low-level team in a small market.
     
  8. Mikey mouse

    Mikey mouse Member

    Jul 27, 1999
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    with a deal like that it would be hard to convince a owner to invest into a stadium without help from the City or County. Still the new owner does own an indoor facility and a youth complex so maybe it is something he is willing to explore.
     
  9. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think at the last negotiation the City also got 50% of revenue from game day concessions. Still a pretty good deal.
     
  10. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    More information on the new owner and his vision for the team...

    "Our first vision is to make Wilmington fans happy," Altirs said. "We want to create an environment for Wilmington people to be happy and excited and feel like they have something that belongs to them. We want to make them excited to go to games and the social environment.

    http://www.starnewsonline.com/artic...ammerheads-owner-fulfilling-a-lifelong-dream-
     
    Hararea repped this.
  11. drt2k3

    drt2k3 Member

    Jul 1, 2005
    Wilmington, NC
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    I would absolutely love a downtown SSS by the river. When the whole baseball debate was going on I wondered why the city of Wilmington was not throwing its weight behind something that already is successful (Hammerheads) instead of an unproven commodity (Braves Minor league). Especially when you look at the track record of baseball teams extorting cities once their lease runs out.
     
  12. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Especially when you realize the Hammerheads have outlasted TWO different minor league baseball franchises in the city (The Double A Port City Roosters and the South Atlantic League Wilmington Waves.)
     
  13. drt2k3

    drt2k3 Member

    Jul 1, 2005
    Wilmington, NC
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Exactly. Charleston built a sss and since Wilmington always wants what charleston has why not.

    On a said note do you think the new owner will help us get an affiliation agreement with the red bulls??
     
  14. mbsc

    mbsc Member

    Aug 6, 2009
    Club:
    Wilmington H.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    NYRB seems to be the betting favorite (due to the Corey Hertzog loan and the new owners ties to the Red Bulls) although the Hammerheads are saying nothing. With nothing to support my opinion I think it will be someone else. And probably not until 2015.
     
  15. msilverstein47

    msilverstein47 Member+

    Jan 11, 1999
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.socceramerica.com/article/62939/george-altirs-boosts-new-jersey-area-youth-ball.html

    in 2013 Altirs bought the majority share of USL club Wilmington Hammerheads.

    “I didn’t know where Wilmington, North Carolina, was when I got the call,” he says. “But I flew down for the weekend. It’s a nice beach town and it was making an impact in the community. And by Tuesday we made a deal.”

    Altirs’ purchase of the Hammerheads also meant supporting its 2,000-player youth program -- and creates a link to his New Jersey clubs.
     

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