Just a technical note. I was planning to leave this stuck over the weekend, to capture a full pre/in/post game cycle of readers/posters. Beyond that, or possibly sooner if there is significant thread drift, we'll unpin it.
I am from and live in Richmond, so this has always been the case hah These days, with all the soccer fans sprouting up everywhere.. it is heartbreaking to watch DC United act so indifferent to their own future, at a point where they should be trying to swallow up all these soccer fans. Drop the ticket price, more access to concessions, use shithole rfk to your advantage and make it a party. try to make it cool to go to rfk. do anything. jesus. I am glad this thread brought up the issue of online marketing. It is cringe-worthy.
The match preview has some pretty vile stuff in the comments section: "http://www.dcunited.com/news/2015/04/black-and-red-basics-dc-united-vs-vancouver-whitecaps" Anyone driving this thing? It's been there for four hours.
I'm going to make a change.gov petition to put me in charge of DC United. I'll forward you all the link shortly.
For we had to say about Kevin Payne, I think he did. I also think Kasper seems to as well. I think he and Ben have a good relationship. I hope the owners do, but so far the data on that have been mixed. Will Chang seems like he'd be into it more if he were in DC. When he's here, he's into the team, but he's just an absent parent. Levien seems less interested in that part of it for himself, although he seems to intellectually get that it's a part of it for us fans. Thorir get's a low grade or an incomplete at best on this scale.
Natty, I am all for trying again with a group of mixed SGs and STHs, but unless something has changed with Tom and all, I think it will be all fluff and nothing of substance will come out of it.
I am a STH and have been for some time. I would love to have the opportunity to talk to the FO about growing the fan base in advance of the new stadium. I think a meeting that included members of the SGs and non-SG STH's would be the best format. If such a meeting were to occur, I don't think it would be helpful if it morphed into simply a discussion about improving the game-day experience, although that is certainly an important part of bringing in new fans. But the discussion should also cover ways to connect with potential new attendees who know little about the team or even the sport but potentially could become fans if they were identified and approached in a meaningful way.
This has mostly been done over the past year. Those are the interactions many people have alluded to. The interactions that have gone for naught.
Man, reading this thread makes me so sad. I could tell it was getting bad, just from the names I never see around this forum anymore, but I didn't know how alienating the FO had been. From the online content side: That absolutely burns me up. As a pro in that field, I can tell you that anyone in charge of content who can't produce ten pieces, minimum, in a week, especially with the amount of access a club employee would have, simply isn't trying. It's AMAZING how bad DCU is at that. I've never worked for a place where I'd keep my job doing that poorly - and I've worked for some places with really absentee editors/bosses.
I've been coming to DCU games for many years but this is the very first time I am a STH; I did it because - differently than previous years - this year it was a good deal. I got the season tickets through DU, but had to deal with a DCU rep who was actually nice and patient (I had a lot of questions). So, I have really nothing to complain about; but I have also noticed that there is less marketing about the team, even inside the stadium; small things, like no magnets with the season calendar, not even those small wallet foldable season calendars; I am not a soda drinker generally speaking, but I noticed that at the food stands there are not even the souvenir cups; I asked them about that, and they told me they have no idea, "perhaps in the summer"... WTF??? Even if I am a casual fan, I'll probably buy a soda with a souvenir cup, take the cup home, keep using it and somehow I'll be reminded that I may want to go see a game again one of these days... So, there's a problem of trying to get new fans to come, but there's also a problem of having the casual fan return
About every six months I get a call from a Chicago Fire rep. I haven't been to a Fire away game since 2010. I've been to two away Timbers games. They still email me all the time. Never has someone from DC United called me.
Great thread, great reading. There is a preponderance of evidence pointing to this ownership group dealing in a business transaction, that happens to be a sports team. They have no desire to do anything other than get the stadium built, sell the team and turn a profit. Every single thing they do or don't do backs this up. It is business, nothing more. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US AND NEVER WILL! Just be thankful there is still a team and (fingers crossed) there will be a new stadium to play in. The next owners will buy the team because they want to own a sports team and care about all the fun stuff that goes with it. We will have to bide our time until then.
Yeah, this pretty much sums it up for me. For the current owners ( excluding Will Chang - who is now merely a silent partner), it's just an investment and nothing more. They'll be looking to put the team on the market with a big mark-up within a year or two after the new stadium opens. For me, United's failure to work out a youth player loan arrangement with A.C. Milan speaks volumes about Thorir's longterm priorities. We've got Academy kids who might benefit from their training methods and they've no doubt have "no ready for prime-time players" who might benefit from an overseas loan to United. The mere fact that nothing of the sort has happened (aside from getting Enzo Cochino as an assistant coach for a year)