So Evanston, high school stadium a mile from the L, Naperville, or Lisle. Those are all pretty bad options. Short of building a new stadium in Cabrini Green or in the huge vacant space on the river at Roosevelt, I don't see how any options presented are better than what the Fire have. And, if that's the case, then what's the point?
Because among the hundreds of people who are still around who went to Sting games THIRTY FIVE YEARS AGO are people who really have to have that brand back. Also, of all MLS teams, Chicago is probably the most vulnerable. I do not believe an NASL team can put them out of business, but I think they could land some blows.
Based on what they have said I am pretty sure the team shares that opinion. If they can't get a better location than the Fire there is no point to launching the team.
I remember that now. Then again, Minnesota was not going to be United, either. And "Sounders" was not one of the original choices for Seattle MLS. Point being: the necrophilia for a brand relatively few gave a damn about the first time (and the relatively short length of time a decent number of people DID care) was disconcerting.
This is true - many Chicago folk are either 1) fed up with the Fire ...or 2) don't even know of their existence (still) ....or 3) know of them and don't care to go to Bridgeview Chicago NASL does have an opportunity to at least offer a different product and land some gut punches. 1) has to be in Chicago proper near transportation (where exactly? the eff if I know) 2) probably a hip counter culture type team with a downtown-esque delivery 3) Needs to have a respectable supporters group, so far Ultras Third Coast: (https://twitter.com/UltrasTC) - seem to be a decent start. 4) Can express this enough, 2017 is probably the most important year in terms of creating buzz - team must make a presence in crowded Chicago sports market. Obviously as D2 soccer team, you can only do so much, but you must make something of it.
I don't understand why the team has to be in the city of Chicago. Why not make access to public transportation the top priority? To me, Rosemont is the perfect location. Near highways and CTA access. Plenty of restaurants and bars located near by. How about the land around Arlington Park? Open land for a small stadium, plenty of parking, highway access and a Metra stop. Perhaps some of the bars at the track could be opened for match day. Soldier Field would be a total disaster. Not the easiest place to get to and definitely no convenient eating or drinking establishments near by. Low Interest Rate stadium. Forget it. Even Sox fans don't go there. Wrigley Field? I can't see the Cubs agreeing to that.
It's sort of the same theory as there was for NYCFC. If the team isn't in the city proper, then why bother? FWIW, Rosemont isn't really any faster to get to than Toyota Park. From Lincoln Park (which would seem to be a target area for a new team, demographically), Google Maps has it taking 1h 19m to get to Rosemont and 1h 25m to get to Toyota Park via public transit.
Both require over an hours worth of travel time. What puts Rosemont ahead, is the pre game and post game options that are available. Naperville was for me a complete pain to get to. But once there, the location more than made up for the travel time. It will be very difficult to find a perfect spot for everybody. I think that access to public transportation is key. I also think that the surrounding area plays a big part as well. That is a big reason the Sears Centre is failing. Hard to get to and very little options within walking distance,
Why do people with years of soccer experience have no understanding of basic marketing? Promoting a sports team is all about building a brand. Borrowing an existing brand with some equity is much easier than building a brand from ground zero. The Chicago Sting is a brand with success that can be built around. It doesn't matter if you are aware of them or not. Two NASL championships would be a hook to attract awareness. It also can be positioned as a retro brand, an approach that has worked for many CPG companies. The equity is not based on hundreds of people who remember the Sting. That statement defies marketing logic. You create awareness by building off of previous success. You attract new customers by presenting a brand that has had success in the past. It is the least expensive way of creating brand traction. Why not capitalize on an equity that has potential value? Good luck starting from scratch! The marketing budget that would be required is not sustainable for a second division team.
Yeah, because the Cosmos are a huge ********ing hit. Nestled right there in the attendance rankings behind such storied names as Puerto Rico FC and the Jacksonville Armada.
I think part of the reason why the Cosmos aren't a hit is because their entire identity in the original NASL was the huge massive stars they had, which obviously can't be replicated now. These Cosmos are a cheap knockoff by comparison. The Rowdies reboot by contrast, wasn't weighted by that sort of baggage, even though they had a few stars of their own back in the day. Of course they also had the cachet of being the area's first pro sports team and championship, period. I don't know where the Sting fit into the picture of Chicago's vast sports landscape. Do people really remember them that fondly if at all? And if so, was it more about the stars they had (a la Cosmos) or the actual team?
Dude, don't make good points in response to Kenn's simplistic rants, he doesn't much care for it. You must not be aware of his status around here, know-it-all-grand-soccer-poobah and such.
That is not true, when International level players came to town in the America vs. Leon game, the place was jumping.
I don't think Rosemont would work, but it may be the only choice (or not do it). The Blue line takes you to Rosemont, getting to the stadium would not be to bad if they had busses (depending on where the Mafia (er. I mean the mayor) wants to give up land to build the stadium. Getting to TP is a bit more difficult with the Orange line and longer Bus rides (there is a shuttle straight to TP from Midway airport (end of the Orange line) on weekend games and other special events. Rosemont should not be plan A or B, maybe plan P right above fold. (for me it would be actually kind of great since I live right off the blue line).
If Rosemont wants the team, they will get you there. I have taken public transportation to see more than a few Wolves game. Even as a teen, I figured out how to get to Rosemont to see the Horizon play. That was more than a few years ago.
... but NASL expansion fees do seem to be going up. The rumored expansion fee for Chicago is $10 million. Previous to that, NASL expansion fees have been reported in the $3 million region http://midfieldpress.com/2016/09/06...-bring-promotion-and-relegation-to-us-soccer/
I saw an article a while back talking about Chicago saying that the expansion fee is variable depending on the market. So a market like Chicago or LA would have a higher expansion fee than a market like Memphis.
I would think that a Chicago team would be much more valuable to the league than a team in Memphis. A $10 million expansion fee is ludicrous. What kind of ROI can be expected from that fee? Put the $10 million in the building of the franchise.
Well they need to charge a fee so they can compensate the other owners who will lose a share of the money from the CBS Sports and BeIn Sports TV deals!
I haven't followed this too closely but I have a question, this club is going to be supporter/membership owned right?
I think there's going to be an opportunity for supporters to participate in investment, but there still has to be on primary owner according to USSF regs: