What will it take for Chivas USA to really start drawing big crowds at the HDC? When I say big, I am thinking of consistent crowds of 20k or higher. I am puzzled as to why the attendance is about the same as last year (possibly even lower, I don't have the statistics in front of me). The goats are playing exciting, attractive soccer; they are winning (or drawing) regularly and in the middle of a heated race for the Western Conference title. After such a great turnout for the season opener (20,700), its a little sad to see all of the empty seats. There was speculation that Chivas Guadalajara fans would turn out to support the team in Los Angeles and in other MLS cities but this does not seem to be the case, except in Chicago, where they turned out in big numbers against the Fire on August 12th. It seems that Chivas USA fans are a separate entity from Chivas Guadalajara fans. I teach and coach in southwest Detroit, a heavily-populated Mexican-American community. Most of my players are big Guadalajara fans but barely even acknowledge the existence of Chivas USA or MLS for that matter. Much of this has to do with the accessibility of the Mexican league's games on American TV these days. But regarding Los Angeles, I assumed that more would come out to the live games, especially with Paco and Ramon Ramirez on the team. What is the real story behind this?
IMO there are many reasons......... initially they come out because they were in every paper and TV show in LA for 3 monthes leading up to the game. They were new adn fresh. Alot of Galaxy supporters who were unhappy with the way things were going or fed up with the higher ticket prices found a new home. We know how the results were. Now we need to win to lure them back.I am already starting to notice people are paying attention to Chivas now. I am being asked about them more and more ticket requests from the friends. IMOthey also need a clearly direction in the Sales Dept. They kinda sit back adn try to sell tix to people who have come to Galaxy games or Chivas games. They need to think outside the box and try different things to sell tix.Not too sure the motivation is there however. The also need to get more media to come out to the games. We used to see 20-30 photogs for a Galaxy game(2-3 yrs ago) Last night we had maybe 5. It was pathetic. the media Dept also needs to find ways to get them out. They focus way too much on the Mexican media not enough on the mainstream media.This isn't that ahrd to do. if you treat them right, feed them and a few trinckets they are happy adn will return. finally guerilla marketing, hit up every AYSO, CYA, every local soccer field/clinic in LA and surrounding areas. work out trades you doante X amount of tickets for the opportunity to set up a booth at their event to sell tix/team adn the experience. Real basic sales stuff which sounds easy but its harder to do when you're in a rut. They could just hire me as the asst GM with complete power, I will turn it around adn double attendence by seasons end. The 1st step would be 2 for 1 coupens for the loyal customers.
How much of it has to do with ticket prices? Are they as high as they are for Galaxy games? How much community outreach is Chivas USA doing? ...I'm puzzled over this, too. Hell, they're the most enjoyable team in the league to watch, and they're winning. What do these fans want?
I have attended 4 games for chivas USA so far this season and I have enjoyed each game with the on field action as well as in the stands with the fans. Before Chivas USA I did attend a couple of galaxy games but the play on the field seems to get boring on a regular basis. Also the galaxy crowd does not get into it very much other than when the players score. Sitting next to the galaxians was cool did make the game upbeat but I choose chivas usa. But I seriously think they should show some of the games on TV as its hard to get out there every home game. Last year channel 54 showed their games on a regular basis... what happened.
To the extent that you can believe attendance figures released by MLS, they are not doing worse than last year. They are currently averaging 21,174, compared to 17,080 for 2005 as a whole. Yes, this year’s figure includes the big double-header, but then last year’s also included a big double-header (derby with the Galaxy plus America/Chivas - unless that was counted as a Galaxy home game). The way I see it, the horrible results throughout last year played a certain role in dampening the intitial interest. Right now the team is averaging over 14,000 at the HDC and the numbers from recent games have been solid. You can’t expect the team to start selling out the HCD over night after their horrible run in 2005. I get the feeling things are gradually picking up.
In regards to the Bracelona double header I truly believe the MLS droped the ball in that game. Full capacity stadium, sold out, there was electricity in the air and then the Chivas-Wiz, was it the Wiz?, see not even I can remember who the oppents were, just produced ninety minutes of kick & rush that bored the crowd into submission. I doubt many of the people that had to buy a Chivas season tix to get a Barca-Chivas match tix even showed up for the season game. I say MLS because I believe they should pressure teams to go balls out in this type of games with many potential new fans in the stands, which wont return to an MLS game if theres only three goal scoring oportunity chances produced in fourty five minutes. Anyways, once the team reaches the playoffs there should be some buzz and more people should get interested and come out to the games. I have been lucky that the times that I have invited people to Chivas USA games, the team has won and the games have been quite entertaining.
Chivas USA has betrayed the "mexican only" nature of the franchise, which is the very reason that Mexicans who are not from the Guadalajara area are fervent about the true Chivas. Lacking that important detail, Chivas USA is a non-entity to most Chivas fans. Not only that, but Mexicans living in the US who aren't Chivas fans aren't about to embrace them just because they are owned by a Mexican, especially when that Mexican is a loudmouth like Vergara.
I think a big factor is ticket prices. They are not offering much the tickets that i normally get range form 50-65 dollars each and thats just usually me and someone else. Usually where i sit is just familys and friends of the team tho cuz theres no one willing to pay that for tickets. The cheapest ticket i've ever gotten is $30. Theres not too many people who can take a family for $30 a ticket. Another factor is the don't interact with the community that much. My team won a tournament a few weekends back and got free tickets to a galaxy game (of course i refused to go) but the point is i rarely hear of chivas seeking out people in the community. It feels like they expect everyone to just flock to them. And we have more money to throw around then Galaxy, or so i think
Actually the cheapest tickets go for 12 to 15 dlls, thats on the general section, right behind the goalis, why more people doesnt take advantage is beyond me.
I just could not have written it better myself, add that to the fact that we that well L.A. is L.A. there's about 10-20 other interesting events happening every weekend to be so dedicated for a team that plays in the other side of town.
Mmmhhh....if there was a new stadium like the Home Depot Center built at the Coliseum's grounds perhaps...but the Coliseum is a hollow, old building. However the location is great (albeit too "urban" for some people) is centric, more access to public transportation, more to do around the area, etc,etc. But is Chivas USA would play at the Coliseum they would definitely become just another MLS team....playing a semi-empty football stadium on a grass marked with the "football" grid. Originally the HDC was built in the South Bay as part of the MLS ongoing effort to appeal to suburban, middle to upper class segment of the population. Which is in contrast to the rest of the AEG properties in L.A. that were (and are) being built in the urban core of L.A. Staples Center in Downtown L.A., Kodak Theater in the middle of Hollywood. Also, they got a great deal on the land from one of the poorest universities of the Cal State system(Cal State Dominguez Hills). So South Bay is the perfect location for the Galaxy and its efforts to appeal to the suburban soccer constituency but not for Chivas USA. There's not pre-game ambience at the levels you see around the Coliseum when a game takes place, not there are the commercial establishments that could foster this (not taquerias, cantinas, street vendors, heck even convenience stores worth their salt). Before the "Super Clasicos" games I have seen some Galaxy fans do some "tailgating" at the Tony Roma's at the Carson Mall, but they seem more excited about the rib options on the menu than the upcoming game. I was reading an account of a trip to the Estadio Jaliscon in La Aficion, and even though the writer was describing an Atlas game, you can see that the whole "going to the stadium" ritual, is more about the long festive process than actually watching the game. One of the biggest disappointments in attending MLS games is that is a very suburban thus isolating experience. You drive dozens of miles, get there barely on time for the game, park in an empty parking lot (or a over-policed one) about 3 miles from the gate, run to the stadium, get over-priced food and drinks, watch an uninspired game, go to the merch stand at half time, look at the over priced sourvenirs, sit down for the second half, teams tie, snore...game ends, go back to your car, wait for 30 minutes to get out of the parking lot and then to the freeway.
If "Mexican only" is what Chivas USA is about, then maybe they should get rid of Razov, Kjlistan, Burpo, Marsch, Bornstein, Vaughn, Taylor, Perez, and all the rest of the non-Mexicans, and build a team according to the "Mexican only" formula. Then the fans will support the team?
no then we would be right backnto where we were last year ha. You are so right.... the "Mexican only" talk is absurd. Why create a team under those guidelines when you have extremely capable non-mexican players. We all watched last year and di not like what we saw under the "Mexican only" policy. So why start again?
Dude, you're an ignorant bastard! Your mentality and your way of thinking just shows how low class and uneducated you are. Your 3rd world-country type of thinking doesn't work here in the USA - in case you forgot where you live. In the USA of no one is banned from anything because of their national origin.
That wont work, were in the US. we would have hippies, jesse jackson, maybe even feminist on our a*s for discriminating.
Not to be too pedantic, but...last year Chivas USA was hardly "Mexican-only". I think Vergara has to continue to find that spot or that marketing for Chivas USA that has to be distinct from what is CG Chivas, the mexicano only philosophy.
Chivas USA is a Mexican brand, and the front office is selling it as a Mexican team, piggybacking it on the great tradition of Chivas Guadalajara. That has done the trick of eliminating the team as an option for gringo fans. Then they destroyed the key ingredient on which Guadalajara built its fan base - no non-Mexicans on the pitch. They're automatically not getting the non-Chivas fan who is Mexican or Mexican-American (I don't think the America fans in LA are too fond of Chivas USA). So they're basically painted into a corner - a real brilliant job of marketing the team. They either need to go back to all Mexican all the time, or ditch the Chivas branding of the team.
Right, so exclusionary organizations like Chivas have no place in American sports. They started offending people from the very beginning with Chivas USA, and they will continue to be offensive as long as they continue their "Mexicans only" policy in Mexico. And consequently they'll just kind of blunder their way along in the Mexican League, since the best players down there are from South America.
He's in a tough position, if he tries to appeal to the gringo, what's the use of that? LA already has Galaxy. If he wants to sell it as a Mexican experience at the stadium, he's lost all Mexican fans except Chivas fans. And the Chivas fans are pissed because a bunch of Americans are runnning around wearing the colors of what has always been a Mexican-only institution as far as players are concerned.
Well. I don't think any mexicans finds a "mexican only" policy offensive nor do I do I think US soccer fans care about that policy in Mexico. It's like saying an MLS team's policy of hiring only US soccer born and bred players would be offensive to US soccer fans. Indeed, it's their policy that has made them unique and have a strong following in Mexico. It's coin toss really to say either Club America or Chivas have the most fans. BTW, it sure hasn't hurt a lot in Copa Libertadores