"Erik Stover has resigned as New York Red Bulls Managing Director. Long time NBA exec Chris Heck named team president." from SBI Twitter
If this is true I hope Erik left on his own terms. He was the best GM for the Metros/Bulls! Gave major stability to the club and built the damn cathedral of the East Coast!! Will miss him..he was always nice when I talked to him.
Erik Stover steps down as Red Bulls' managing director; Chris Heck is hired http://www.nj.com/redbulls/index.ss...ls_managing_director_chris_heck_is_hired.html After much consideration, I’ve decided to start a new chapter in my professional career and resign from Red Bull New York following the completion of the MLS All-Star Game,” Stover said in a statement. “It has been more than three years of great experiences and I’m very proud of what we have accomplished as an organization in that period. “Currently I’m reviewing several opportunities inside and outside of the soccer world and expect to make a decision in the near future.”
From NBA.com http://www.nba.com/careers/executives/heck.html From a business standpoint this seems like a really good move. He seems to be a beast when it comes to growing business and revenue streams. Stover was great when it was about getting the stadium deal done and bring stability to the team. But I have to think that Austria is bringing this guy into to take them to the next level. I would say this is a good move. And there are a lot of teams that could use someone like Stover. He did all he could and it was time for him to move on.
He was pretty damn good.. Sucks for him to leave but I guess this is good news for the fans who complain about lack of marketing. I'm sure a former NBA guy will market the team better.... I don't like this at all..
WTF?!? Stover did everything right...except improve attendance. I'm really sad to see him go. We're reverting back to the business guy as GM and soccer guy as coach model that failed before Stover/Backe.
You're forgetting about Soler. It's been Soler/Backe on the soccer side and Stover was the stadium operations guy. I'm guessing that Heck will also report to Soler even if Stover didn't.
I don't know why everyone says he hasn't improved attendance. Granted we don't sell out every match but our growth has been steady. Last night may have been the best atmosphere in the whole RBA era. A bunch of crowds over 20k...think of the years of mismanagement and BS and look at where we are now! That's improvement with even more to prove. I live in Western Mass and come to every match and there were times I couldn't give a ticket away. Now I have to order more the week of the match and swing down to new haven to pick up more people!
Stover was a stadium management guy. Stadium's built and operational for over a year now. Thank you. The next issue is Red Bull needing to grow corporate sponsorships (since when they originally came into the league they did a bang-up job of destroying that particular line.) Ergo, stadium guy out, sponsorship guy in. And since Soler is still calling the shots on the player side, no problem
Stover seemed like a really good guy and it seems like he did his job and its time to move on. Big thanks to him and hopefully this next guy can excel at his job.
Anyone who believes that Stover actually resigned, please PM me so that I may sell you the Jackson Street Bridge. Since his replacement is not one of their usual cronies and a guy with an NBA resume, it's safe to say that the Red Bulls felt they were patient enough to wait a season and a half and have yet to sell out Red Bull Arena. In Stover's defense, if the Red Bull marketing budget was severly slashed as rumored, I'm not sure what they expected him to do, especially when the Portugese and Brazilian community in the surrounding areas have given the team a big F-U.
Yep, you're right. I mistook Stover for Soler . Glad that Soler is still here, couldn't care less about Stover.
This is a good move. I don't care what a nice guy Stover is, there simply is no excuse why a major league professional soccer team, playing at that beautiful stadium, in the middle of a soccer hotbed, 20 minutes from Manhattan via mass transit, next door to NJ's biggest city, close to I-280, with two stars of the caliber of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, leading its division, is not selling out that stadium, if not for every game, at least much more frequently. Heck, even the Metrostars, with a rotten team, no stars, playing at Giants Stadium, from time to time had more than 25,000 in attendance. There simply is no excuse. PS. And while I'm it, there's no excuse for a year and half later, the efficiency of the concessions process being as crappy as it still is.
Erik's a great guy. I can see how this makes sense for him at this point in his career. He oversaw us moving out of the Meadowlands and into our Cathedral and for that I'll always be grateful. He'll be missed.
Yeah, he did a good job getting the stadium opened. I applaud him for that. Not by me, he won't. I never met him, and the Red Bull marketing was pretty much invisible to me. Not that I don't wish him well.