Respectfully, you're a bit off base. Read the longer version posted in the WPS cuts thread. And know that Antonucci put in 6 very long years trying to get a league started after WUSA folded. 6 years before launch. Without her there would be no league at all. Look at how other pro sports leagues are structured. League office & commissioner separate from ownership & owner's various committees. Personally, I'm concerned about this new model the owners are choosing. But it is their money....
http://www.democratandchronicle.com...pro-soccer-team-could-play-games-in-Rochester Don't know if it adds anything new, but I found the article and thought it worth posting.
Mrad thats a good point "how much money did Antonucci put in?" I never heard you say anything bad about her until now?? Lets ask this question, "How much time did she put in before she made a dime?" How much time did the owners put in before all the plans were in place? Mrad they are owners to take the risk to make money at the end or feed their egos. I should feel sorry for owners who can throw away a couple of million a year? Sorry buddy not going to happen. They made a choice to own a women;s soccer team. You think they did it out of charity? HAHA yeah right! They all thought the train was moving fast and there was money to be made. Hey they found out it wasn't that easy. i was never a fan of Antunucci because she was too old school and thought social networking was going to sell this league. But some of these owners are just big egos.
how much was it Antonucci et al at the league office throwing too much optimism onto social media vs Antonucci et al at the league office living (and dying) by the local control mantra where each team was left to do its own marketing/etc (and them not having success)? You are right that Antonucci put in many years b/f launch knocking on doors trying to get the league re-started. Without her there would be no WPS for us to argue about.
Thanks for the link. It does add a bit that I didn't know. This seems to be a family business. Which may or may not be problematic down the line. The president of the team (who is the daughter of the owner) is married to the head coach. I think that might be a bit too friendly & cozy at some point.
There is also a new york times article, apparently Buffalo is supposed to be 2011 while Seattle, Orange County, and Dallas are all possibles for '12
I've thought about it some more. How will that family business situation end up being ok? The coach being married to the owner's daughter (who is the team president). If the coaching goes awry, is the president going to say "honey, I still love you but you're fired."?
Kool- they will have a very low start up cost compared to the rest of the owners. I agree with you that family business is very hard when it comes to making the hard decisions. i don't know the area but i just can't believe they are going to come up with 4,000-5,000 fans a game.
wuhoooooo!!! Buffalo expected to announce the WPS team this week http://equalizersoccer.com/WebPages/blog.aspx?postid=e83abddc-0017-4c8d-8157-69a983a6a05f
I know, but there hasn't been anything posted in a while and was wondering if there was anything new to report.
There was a recent article that a new investers group had expressed interest in getting LA for the 2011 season, I think it's the link I posted about the Buffalo expansion team being announced.
Rochester/Buffalo to be awarded women's pro soccer team Breaking news: Women’s Pro Soccer will make Flash official on Friday
Multiple tweets from reliable sources (Brian Straus, Jacqueline Purdy, Steven Goff) saying it's official, but I haven't been able to find a press release yet.
Jeff Kassouf also says sources say it is official. I do hope they avoid the "New York" branding. But getting both cities covered (or neither) might be a bit of a challenge.
From the Buffalo News: Buffalo slated to receive WPS team WPS team will split games between Niagara and Rochester Rhinos Stadium. Goal.com: WPS Will Have An Eighth Club In 2011
Would Abby Wambach be allowed to go back home and play in front of home town fans as a member of Bufallo's team?
I believe her contract is up as of the end of this season which would make her a free agent. She'd be free to accept an offer from any team.
kool-aide: I am not sure what "New York branding" is, but Buffalo and Rochester are about as connected to the Big Apple as Cleveland is. The branding won't be derived from or use anything NYC-connected. I AM buying season tickets (both stadiums) and can't wait until next year. The Buffalo Bills draw a huge chunk of fans from Rochester, as do the Buffalo Sabres, so it won't be hard for us to embrace a team based in Buffalo. I don't expect most fans to drive from one city to the other, but I believe having fewer games in one location will help increase average attendance.
From the washington Post: As we told you two weeks ago, WPS has approved western New York as a 2011 expansion team, increasing the number of clubs to eight (assuming all others return next year). The league made it official today. The club, which has been competing in the second-tier W-League as the Buffalo Flash, will use stadiums in Rochester (home of the Rhinos) and at Niagara University outside of Buffalo. Its marquee roster target might be Washington Freedom and U.S. national team striker Abby Wambach, who is from the Rochester area. She is a free agent. The other day, when I asked Wambach about next season and the possibility of moving to the expansion club, she said: "I'm not thinking about that yet. It's too early to tell. Moving forward right now, my focus is to recover and get into national team camp and prepare for World Cup qualification [next month]. It's an exciting time and it's been a long season." http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/09/espn_hires_ian_darke_wps_adds.html