After a lot of thought, I have decided not to renew and I have had STs since 96. This is just not the same DC United club I strongly supported. All the original folks are gone that set the standard for what an MLS club should be. We were promised so many things in the move to a new stadium. We renewed year after year to support the club through its difficult times and the total lack of support from the DC government. We were told hang on - we were told we are not spending on players because we can't make money at RFK. All we had to do was keep the faith. We waited, year after year, poor season after bad season. Some seasons set records for futility and still, nothing changed with the team the Sporting Director or the Coach. Again, we were told hold on. Well, the new stadium came. It was far, far short of what was expected. It did not have the roof around the entire fan base, it did not have parking lots for tailgating and the accessibility to the stadium was significantly worse than RFK. Prices went way up, services went down, supporter's groups were kept distant, local tv was essentially blacked out, long term podcasts were dropped, promises on closing in what roofs were provided were not kept, and front office policies were amateurish at best, incompetent at worst. Add the ridiculous scheduling of so many midweek games, pointless friendlies, compressed schedule of games followed by weeks of open dates and you can get some idea why renewing was just not going to happen.
I am there with you. I dumped my tickets after last year. I bought the 4 game pack and added 1 game on my Birthday. Everything you have said above is true and among the reasons I got rid of my season tickets last year.
I've renewed my two tickets thru 2021. At super-duper grandfather prices. Saturday evening games are a thing of the past. That was about 10 years ago. Sunday games at night, midweek games, etc: thats TV money. You want a professional sports team in a professional sports league, you need TV money. And you play whenever they tell you. Meaningless friendlies are good for players needing conditioning and Loudoun players. And now there may be true International competition, which could help us in scouting and recruiting. Audi Field is a sports stadium. Its fine. I'm not expecting a 5 star hotel. I wish there was another set of elevators, but they at least have opened up the other stairwells. The food is so-so depending on what you get, the beer is only OK and everything is expensive. But its a sports stadium. And considering the lack of support from DC govt, its a pretty good and unique one and not some sterile cookie-cutter. [btw - Nats fans have the same and even worse complaints about the baseball stadium. But its better because they're closer to Metro, parking lots, and its just so easy to get food/drinks and not miss any of the action, because there never is any.] As far as the team goes, its pretty obvious that only recently has management decided to test the waters of aging Euro stars. Rooney has been a mixed bag - mostly good, but leaving too early. So we'll try another throw of the dice and see what happens. They still operate like they're cash-strapped, so progress will be only incremental. But I'm all good with that. Things are finally improving. And you're leaving.
You expected an urban stadium in DC with parking lots for tailgating? Accessibility is fine at the new site. No, it isn't RFK, but RFK from a different era and will never be recreated.
Accessibility is not fine. It is a major pain in the @#$%. Yes I expected them to be smart enough to plan for parking on site. That expectation is my fault. Despite the revenue they could have gotten, since money only seems to drive them I am a little shocked. There are several parcels they could have bought for parking but didn't. Too short sighted. As I have said before their target market is fools gold.
Huh? $150 million of taxpayer funds sunk into a private business constitutes "lack of support?" Amazing perspective you have.
Parking isn't particularly profitable or sustainable is an urban neighborhood like Buzzards Point. All those parcels you think they could just scoop up are likely already in the hands of developers looking to build mixed use spaces in the near future. It's not like the city would likely allow it anyways. I mean, it took over a decade to find a site suitable for a stadium after talking with multiple jurisdictions. Gee, if only they had just picked up a few more barren lots to use for parking along the way, so simple! Also, a quick check for SpotHero suggests there's plenty of parking available in the neighborhood.
Meh - going to the open practice today just re-enforced my decision to not renew (I'm also a '96er). Even if my wife is hemming about just learning last night it's the 25th year - which I guess I didn't use as an argument as to why to keep them, but there are sooo many reasons not to, I just never made it that far before giving up The stadium is just too much of a pain in the ass to get to, aside from being a dump and them not caring whether you show up or not. I think we already have this thread somewhere
That's going to be my approach in the future. I will spring for ESPN+ and the Flo sports package. That total of around $180 will allow me to see all the games. And I will pick and chose a few games to go in person when I fancy the matchup or it suits my schedule. Last year for one season ticket my cost was $880 plus 1/3 of a $30 parking for each home game ($600/3 or $200). That's $1080 for the season and I haven't had a beer, something to eat or purchased a shirt or some other team item. I think my new approach is far more effective. I can see all the games on TV and pick the games that meet my schedule. And no more mid-week games that are impossible to get to or these meaningless friendlies.
I guess like everything else with DC United these days we set the bar so low and are expected to be so happy with the result.
I re-upped on the grandfather package. I enjoy the live matches (hell I went to all but one home game in 2013) and it's a chance for the whole family to get together (we usually go out to eat before or after the match). Also, I'm retired and have nothing else better to do with my time or money.
You talk out of both sides of your mouth here. "Parking isn't particularly profitable or sustainable is an urban neighborhood like Buzzards Point." "Also, a quick check for SpotHero suggests there's plenty of parking available in the neighborhood." So if it is not profitable why are there so many parking options as you cite? Spot hero is just a remind of this lying FO. "We have over XXXX parking spots. Oh you will need to use a DC area parking app to find your parking."
I'm not sure what you mean by "accessibility" here so I'm going to skip that part. Maybe you're right or wrong -- I dunno because I don't know what you mean. Everything else you say is of course correct. We were never going to get new bigass parking lots for tailgating, and anyone that thinks DCU dropped the ball on that is just being silly. There *are* surface lots in the general area: they're on the other side of South Capitol Street and are used for both Nats and DCU games. But they're not owned by the teams, and for insurance reasons their actual owners were never going to allow tailgating (of the kind we had at RFK, anyway). DCU could try to buy them, of course, and take the risk of allowing tailgating there; but that's a stupendously enormous amount of money they'd have to come up with (that land is even more valuable than the land Audi Field was built on), just so people could tailgate. That was never going to happen, and anyone that blames DCU for this is stone cold bugfsck nuts. However . . . Just because what you say above is true doesn't mean it matters, when someone is describing why they've lost the desire to go. If the Lot 8 experience was a major factor in someone's enjoyment of attending DCU games, then it's hardly surprising that they're not enjoying themselves as much now. And if they're not enjoying themselves as much now, then that's all that matters, isn't it? Answering back that it was silly to expect DCU to provide otherwise is irrelevant. This isn't a blame game. This is simply assessing whether or not one is enjoying oneself enough to pony up for season tickets.
Bootsy -- really good points. I used to park in Lot 8 way back when when my son was little. He and I would go and enjoy the anarchic chaos in the lot. We didn't participate, but the carrying on by others added "something" to the experience of going to the match. At AF, it's more like going to the theater. You approach the venue -- a few people may be hanging out in Lot H/I (I'm looking at you @fatbastard ) but most folks are just walking towards the stadium or hanging out at the Salt Line or the pizza joint next door. It's a different vibe, more commercial and those hanging out in the commercial establishments seem younger and more affluent than the crowd at RFK back in the day. In other words, stuff changes and it may change in ways that you don't like. That's fine, I respect those who no longer enjoy springing for the full package, it's their money and they get to spend it how they want. All of us here -- for reasons only a really good credentialed psychiatrist could figure out -- have some form of attachment to this team and this area. It's a community, not a borg, and I understand and appreciate how some folks feel alienated by the stadium experience. I just hope they keep showing up here to keep up the community -- some of us have been bloviating here for over a decade -- that's got to be some sort of record.
Going to a match at AF feels like a chore. A task that I must complete. Despite the supporters section the stadium atmosphere is sterile, lacking real passion. At RFK all parts of the stadium had heart. You could feel the passion. Now too many have their faces shoved in their phones (the same phones they used to access the stadium ). As @griffin1108 says outside the stadium is all abut walkers coming in. Again no passion, ala Lot 8. I have talked before about my feelings on concessions. Too many poor choices, and payment methods that don't fit my needs. The team store seems to be better than RFK. Bigger more room to roam. At the end of it all I no longer look forward to attending a match. It is something I must only survive.
Aside from many other issues, this is right up at the top as a reason I did not renew after many years as a STH. I found myself trading back almost every Wednesday night/Sunday night match. Just can't do an 8pm kickoff on a Wednesday or a Sunday and there is 0% chance my family will ever attend those matches. (One thing I thoroughly enjoy is the walk from Barracks Row to the stadium or, most often, the short bike ride when I park up there. Watching the area revitalize has been pretty fun.)
We have since moved 1,000 miles away, so it's a moot point now (or is that a moat point?), but we decided not to get full season tickets for last year for much the same reason. I just added up how much money we spent on a typical game - tickets, parking, food for the tailgate, drinks for 2 or 3 people, midnight snack on the way home - and the number was shockingly high, especially when multiplied by 18. It didn't look like AF would be any cheaper. So we just decided there were better things to do with all of that money. The decision was easier than it might have been - I started to detach from the team emotionally when they were talking about moving to Baltimore, and then they started doing everything possible to alienate supporters. So I pay $60 a year for ESPN+, see pretty much all the games I want to.
I'm keeping my season tickets but most of the things people are complaining about aren't things I've really cared about. I'm still shocked at how incompetently the FO has managed the 1st year and a half of the new stadium. You had the original brain dead plans to how to sell tickets to supporters, the no bag, clear bag rule, standing water in the concourse, lengthy lines for food and bathrooms that look like they have never seen a plumber. As I said most of these things never affected me but I don't see how they were going to get people to return with these things going on and you'd think this a new stadium you'd think returns are a priority.
Just got a call from my rep confirming my tickets for the next 2 seasons and shipping address for next season's gift (at least we don't have to pick that up ourselves next year) - I've been going to games for 24 years (20 as a STM - I'm not a '96er :-( ) - none of the reasons espoused on this board for dropping tickets make any sense to me . Each to his own I guess. I'll miss you @nick!
My rep said that the schedule should be better next year. this year was a combination of a lot of nationally televised Sunday games and a little pay back from the league from the previous year. (all the home games at the end of the season)
For whatever it's worth related to 2020 - I was told that next year, while the full season price for most seats aren't changing, the games will probably have tiered pricing within the season plan. So in theory the LA and NYRB games would have higher value in your account while others (I imagine friendlies and maybe Wednesday games) would have a lower value. This was pitched as a benefit for renewing when I said I didn't want to pay full price to see Loudon United get rocked. If this does happen it means there would be less return to use on other games or food for those who dump the weaker games of the season for FAM.
Shell game. Just moving $ around so people will bitch less about full price Wednesday games that the team doesn't give an F about. Its one thing to say LAG on a Saturday is worth more than Borussia Cincygladbach on a Wednesday, but its still cock shit that we're forced to buy mid-season friendlies where the best players don't even dress and there are guys with no names on their shirts. This switch to "variable" pricing only benefits the team at ticket return time. No other team/sport does anything like mid-season friendlies which are not analogous with preseason games. Its not like they're bringing in marquee opponents to make it worth showing up. There's nothing compelling about the teams we played in those friendlies this year. A relegation contender in Mexico, a mid-table team in the 3 team Spanish League and a semi-compelling Marseilles team who blew out Loudon. They choose to play their preseason some place other than the stadium STMs buy tickets to. Anyone looking forward to a February game and perhaps an extra March game versus past years?