The headline here is that the Fire are writing a $15 million check up front and $3.5 million every year for 17 years not to play in Bridgeview. That implies a very rosy revenue projection for...whatever comes next.
You hit the nail on the head. The big news is not that Fire won't play in Bridgeview, it's that there is already a large investment in making changes to the team happening. Gotta think there are more to come.
Well considering the alternative is paying Bridgeview on the lease that compounds 6% every year with limited revenue generating options in the current facility, doing so may end up as the better option financially even if the city cleans them out until they can get their own facility.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/07/09/chicago-fire-village-bridgeview-agree-amended-lease I love how Andi is taking the credit for this, paying $60.5 to get out of SeatGeek Stadium. When's the last time we heard from him before this?
It was on NBC News @ 4:00pm and WGN News @ 4:00pm (With more @ 6:00pm) ABC News @ 4:00pm had nothing.
So here is a really, really crazy thought. As the Fire are on the hook for millions of dollars to Bridgeview as well as stadium upgrades and is still committed to keeping training facilities and the academy team based in Bridgeview, do you think that the Fire would consider a USL team playing at Seat Geek? From a business and sporting perspective, that may make a lot of sense. If the Fire are actually aspiring to move into the modern day MLS, such a plan may not be so far-fetched. If Andy gives up his stake in the team, I could see that being a real possibility. Just sky in the pie thoughts for a Tuesday evening.
i was thinking the same thing. there is a stadium there, available to use, that you are paying for. why not put a usl team there? chicago sparks sc!
That definitely crossed my mind with the way everything was phrased. Not sure a B team for the local market MLS franchise is the world's best USL business plan though.
It would make a lot of sense. Plus for the few of us, that don't mind the trek to Bridgeview, it keeps a real connection to the team.
Same, and it's not like teams like North Texas or Steel FC have been big draws at the gate. Their main purpose is a talent development pathway (though unlike FCD or the Union, the Fire haven't given much of a crap about that). Though my ultimate galaxy brain idea has been for the Fire to come to an agreement with UIC where they replace their NCAA soccer program with the Fire's USL team. The Flames nickname is already perfect.
Can't imagine the Fire bar/pitch could fetch over $1M in a sale. While I applaud the Fire for leaving Bridgeview, the terms are heavily tilted in Bridgeview's favor. But there again, I think Bridgeview are believing their own BS if they think they can draw steady crowds out there to "other" events. You can't put tits on a bull. And I can only imagine the size of the nut/rent check the Fire will be paying the Park District in addition to Bridgeview. Bottom line is the sad fact that the Fire still need their own financed/paid for stadium but we all said that back 12 years ago and everybody thought our wish had came true. Little did we know.
Dan Roan from WGN nailed it. If you win the fans will show up, they haven't done that the last few years.
You been out to that outdoor venue in Tinley Park? 20k seats to major concerts like Iron Maiden for $20 or so. They must be bringing in the dough. Now imagine something similar but, closer to the airport. They already had that open air show there. Maybe they could arrange more? I don't know exactly what's stopping them from hosting more events there. PS is it only north siders complaining about bridgeview? Because you can't please everyone all the time but, not too far off a major 4 lane highway isn't that bad of a location. Will take me almost 25 minutes to drive to the closest metra station for games at SF. Not that I'm gonna complain too much about that. Rather give metra my money than pay to park in a gravel lot. Think I'll start taking the flossmoor metra so I can drink beer at the train station
Well, a big part of what's stopping them is that Live Nation controls most of the acts, and they own the Tinley venue.
Aside from questioning whether or not returning to SF is a step backward, putting a USL team in Bridgeview was my first thought as well. With Chicago's size and the market for the Wolves in the AHL, it seems like there would be enough interest in a minor league team replacing the Fire in Bridgeview. Family-friendly ticket prices would be a great way to bring in fans that maybe couldn't afford MLS games.
Yep. Fans are fickle with their time and money. The Bears had plenty of no shows during the John Fox era, same with the Cubs before Theo came to town. The Fire have had a mediocre (at best) on field product for a decade. The other part is a toxic fan experience. They're at Bill Wertz Blackhawks level, and at least the Hawks could blame a dying old man. Slapping a New Old Timey FC sticker on everything and changing addresses won't magically draw 60k soccer fans out of the ether. That's a consultant's con job. They need a John McDonough type to fix the customer relations disaster as well as a winning GM and coach combo.
I pointed this out in my remarks to Mansueto. When you hire a consulting firm to evaluate the brand, they will NEVER come back and say: the name, colors and badge are great! Change nothing! Something has to change now that this ball is rolling. I just hope that it is super minimal. Badges get updates...sometimes...I guess. So if something HAS to change, I guess let it be that. Anything like Sporting Chicago United FC can go die in a Fire.
I'm with you. Maybe tweak the color scheme a bit. Obviously keep the red, but maybe change the navy to royal or black, if anything. Dropping the Fire name - one of the few great MLS 1.0 era names - to a generic Euro-poser name would be a disaster. Likewise for taking the unique crest and giving us another shield or roundel.