Chivas Did Not Sell Out

I'm guessing the answer is "both". The real question is whether or not they've doubled the market, not that they need to.

 

According to posts over on the LARS boards, the Galaxy have already sold more tickets for next weeks match than showed up for the Goats.

 

Is this glass half full or half empty?

1. CDCUSA failed to sell out their inaugural game in a great venue.
2. CDCUSA leads the league in attendence after one game.

 

But why do we expect a sellout this year? last year's opener didn't sell out, why should this year's? 25,000 will more then satisfy me.

 

The Chivas didn't sell out because of ticket prices...or so I say. I elaborated in a post on the Chivas board somewhere else. If you're Galaxy fans, you know because we're in a similar boat. The tickets are too expensive by like, I don't know, 30% or so. I really think you'd see full center sections (the sections you see on TV...which were half empty this weekend) if they didn't cost 42 bucks!

I know, there are family packs and group deals but everyone says Latino fans are more apt to buy walk up tickets. Well, what casual walk up fan has 200 bucks for his family to watch a soccer game? I'm just sayin.

The Galaxy, I'm confident will have a better crowd this weekend. The Chivas are GREAT for the city but it's not going to kill L.A.'s 10-year-old team. No way.

BUT , Chivas will be FINE and the Galaxy will be FINE. This city is where soccer fans will WISH they lived. The Chivas are why I bought season tickets this year! Well, that and it's a bargain if you want to go to games all season

I can't wait for opening day...I wouldn't be surprised to see a near sell-out. and I can't wait to go to a Galaxy game and actually cheer for the home team!

 

2004 we were coming off our worst season in history. we lost two very big players in cien and lalas, and we hadn't really brought in any players of note. also we had a fairly disgruntled fan base because sigi was still in charge. not to mention game 2 (i think) was "freddy mania".

this season we've got (for casual fans at least) a new coach, a vastly different team and the baby jesus. had we not been so royally spanked on saturday a sellout wouldn't have surprised me, but i think you're right 25K would be a good number.

 

This is no indictment whatsoever of pretty much anyone on these boards, nor especially my favorite group, the Riot Squad. But, I've never heard 18,000-plus louder than I did Saturday at the Chivas USA opener.

An unreal crowd.

Let's not be too quick to rip on their new fans.

Maybe I'm just in no mood to rip on anyone except us after that debacle in Columbus.

 

All the fans were on the ends, no one was in the middle.

Does Chivas set ticket prices or does AEG/HDC?

 

And we critisize AEG for the fact that they can't sell out the ground at these prices, but maybe they are maximizing profits this way...

 

Yes they have...
Perhaps, it has to do with the fact that in order for Chivas fans to get tickets to the first game Vs the Galaxy. They have to buy a package that includes the home opener.

hehe, nah!!! don't mind me... I am sure the Galaxy would be able to sell out the HDC without any promotion tactics to get Chivas fans to buy this tickets. afterall... isn't the Galaxy coming home from a nice 3 - 0 game? or was it 0 - 3

 

If you set ticket prices too high you can maximise profits for one game but risk the long term. You want fans to come back again and again. And when you think of a team like Chivas you want legacy fans, where the kids and grandkids are eventually your fans. Where it becomes a part of a tradition. They don't need to give away tickets, but they should keep them affordable. The Mexican fan in LA is likely not to have a huge disposable income, but will spend the $$ if the quality is there and they perceive the game as a good value. Since I don't expect Chivas to get off to a really fast start, it may be that they've set initial ticket prices a little too high.

Those initial numbers are not bad, but a good team and affordable prices will keep them coming for years to come, not just a short term curiosity.

 

That crowd looked pretty rambunctious on the toob, sellout or not. (Crookeddy, are you paying attention here?) I didn't see children running up and down the aisles eating candy, and disinterested adults sitting around drinking coffee-based drinks....

Also, these are two different audiences, so they're building the pie, not splitting it up....

 

I didn't say that Chivas fans will be typical MLS fans I was playing Devil's advocate and just entertaining the idea. Of course you got really pissed off, but you know what, it's going to be ok.

 

I think what you saw for CHIVAS on opening day will be the norm- end zones and maybe corners/upper deck goes first. If the team struggles, the side lines will stay pretty empty. If the team takes off, because of the size of the stadium, people who buy late or try walk up, will end up having to pay the higher side line seats.. The Galaxy always had large walk up at the ROSE. The walk up at HDC is much smaller to fill the end zones. Thus, if the GOATS struggle this year, next year they will to either lower some ticket prices or bring in better talent etc. I think the GALAXY will not really be affected by the GOATS directly.. The GALAXY has had 2 mediocre seasons, attend. pretty much the same.. I think this year gets spiked by 2 Goat games, SJ should still draw well as a rival, opening day, 4th july, and DCU should all draw well. Whilel the GALAXY sucked in Columbus, the talent is there, LD may draw more casual fans, if the GALAXY takes off, they could break the average of the last 2 years and push the 27,000 level.. I think that would approach the first year at the ROSE and that would be quite an accomplishment.

 

Who cares!!!. Go to chivas forum this is LA's forum..............

 

Again, for comparison, those seats are $16 for the Earthquakes.

The prices might rise a smaller percentage next year, but they won't come down, IMO.

 

I do. They pay our team rent!

 

They pay their owner rent?

 

Those $16 seats in the middle of a CRAPPY stadium is probably the main reason San Jose will not have a team soon enough.

When I buy tickets to Galaxy games ( I am not a season ticx holder), I pay a premium to have an unreal stadium, and pretty much an assurance of a team for years to come. I'm more than willing.

 

[Warning - the following is probably very boring]

Actually, it makes good sense. What it is is this: one AEG company (Galaxy) is paying rent to another AEG company (HDC). Why do that? Because HDC is involved in lots of different businesses (soccer, concerts, tennis, boxing, track & field, lacrosse, etc. etc.) If you want to know if HDC is making money, you have to track its revenues and expenses. Since revenue comes from different sources, you need to figure out which businesses are worth being involved in and which ones aren't, so you have to ascribe some revenue to inter-company transfers.

From the standpoint of AEG figuring out if GaLAxy is a money maker, you need to recognize Galaxy's costs. One of the costs of operating a soccer club is renting a venue - if the team were a free standing operation it would have that expense and if you looked at them as having income but free rent it would misstate the value of the business. So, in order to not have a set of misleading books showing artificial profits, you set up rent as an expense and an intercompany transfer.

The place where this gets dicey is setting the amount of the rent, because its not a true arms-length transaction. The people on both sides of the deal report to the same ultimate interest. If set artificially high, LAG looks bad but HDC looks good. If set artificially low, the reverse. So, within some reasonable range, the rent ought to reflect the real economic value of renting a venue such as the HDC stadium. Now that there is a Chivas team there is some basis for comparison. That rent negotiation was a true arms-length deal. Whatever they set on as the rent reflects the shared perception of the market between landlord (HDC) and Tennnant (Chivas) - or between AEG and Vergara. Now an accountant can look at the LAG rent and get a sense of whether or not it is "in the ballpark" of reasonable rents - because there is a measuring stick in Chivas.