This could go in the Expansion Forum. not sure. I was wondering because witht he potential of MLS in SA, how did the Alamodome look and feel during a soccer game? How was the field? Would the Alamodome do okay should there only be 15K that show up instead of the 30K+ for the game? Just looking for some first hand observations on the facility.
I was watching Republica Deportiva and they said MLS/SA officials where happy with the fan support in the area, but MLS did not want to play in the Alamo Dome and want their own 30K, natural grass, SSS. The mayor is said to be trying to find a way to make it happen but the bidding time for 2005 has passed and that anything they do would be for 2006 or beyond.
I went to the game. There were plenty of people and it was really exciting for a terrible game. Dominica is horrible. I just hope that SA gets a team in the near future.
I also went to the game. 38K attendance, great atmosphere, really loud, and of course too many damn horms. I put in earplugs. The articicial turf (do not know what kind) did give the ball a bit too much bounce. As for MLS games there, I am not sure what 15K would look like, but the roof should keep it pretty loud. In genaral I support the SSS plans of the league, but in SA I do not know if the comfort (read AC) of the Alamodome is not too much to sacrifice. Of course there are currently no signs of an SSS in SA. If it is financailly viable (good lease) I could see the Alamodome working just as well as Reliant in Houston, where I have seen a few games.
Did anyone notice the beating that was handed out on the field? That was ridiculous. One of you guys should have called 911 at half time. [result]10-0 for Mexico [/result]
I agree. At the Alamodome, an MLS team in SA would never have to worry about the fans' not showing up because of rain or heat or cold or whatever. And it's a pretty first-rate facility, compared to some of the other venues that the league uses. The size is a problem, but if you "downsize" it correctly, that can be mitigated. I would suggest that they do like the Burn does with the Cotton Bowl -- close off both ends and only sell tickets on the sides, below a certain row number. Back in the old pre-Southlake days, when the Burn occasionally had a game with 17-20,000 people in the stands, it looked pretty damn good. I think that they could do the same with the Alamodome. As for the field, yeah, it's one of the grasstroturfs, but I think that it would a better situation than Giants Stadium, Cardinal Stadium, or Dragon Stadium because it's not exposed to 85-95 degree heat and direct sunlight. It's inside and in 74 degrees temperatures. Mind you, it'll still be hard and play differently than grass, but some things can't be helped. All told, I think that it would be very difficult and expensive for the City of San Antonio or a potential MLS investor to duplicate the fan-friendly features of the Alamodome in a soccer-specific stadium. No, the Alamodome isn't perfect, but if San Antonio offers MLS a good lease deal there, it would be a good venue for the league.
The market has potential. It's located in an area of Texas that has the extra $$$ to go to such events. Austin-San Marcos-San Antonio should have enough market to at least have a team that draws average 13,000-15,000. Also, it's close to two major border regions: Laredo (3 hours away) and Rio Grande Valley (4 hours). Laredo has a PDL team (Laredo Heat ) and there is a possibility of one team being organized for PDL in the Valley. So, if marketed properly, there IS a market. El Chapulin Colorado
Idea - It being a dome, could large curtains be suspended from the roof to the edge of the upper deck to at least give the illusion of a smaller stadium? Even the air conditioning shouldn't be a problem if the curtains are placed properly and maybe perforated. Seems reasonable to me.
The Alamodome would only be a temp home. That's already been established. I believe MLS has already said that an SSS would be necessary and that the AD would only serve as a stopgap between getting a team and getting them into a SSS. It's not a long term solution.
Hola MetroCorazon, Metrocorazon, how are you?. Como estas Corazon del Metro?. Tenia mucho que no leia vuestros comentarios. Vas para el partido de tu seleccion?
Shoot if it's good enough for the Spurs... Seems like a decent idea to me. Not ideal, but if an investor is found I don't think ruling it out entirely as a more permanent venue is automatic.
That's what I'm thinking. I think that people would get REALLY used to the idea of being out of the heat and in climate-controlled comfort really quickly and wouldn't exactly be down with sitting outside in the San Antonio summer, even for a SSS.
If San Antonio gives them the right lease deal on the Alamodome, MLS will play there until Gabriel blows his horn.
Seems to me w/o that upper deck this would be a pretty damn nice place for a team, esp considering there are no other tenants. It doesn't appear all that big.
I doubt it. There's more to it than a cheap lease, even if you include concessions and parking revenue. A big part of the hopes for profitability hinge on having the stadia owned by the I/O, so that everything that goes on there presents $$$ to the owner. No Alamodome lease would give MLS money from things like concerts, pointyball, etc., whereas everything that happens at the Horn Droning Center represents income for AEG.
couldnt they devise some kind of "grass tray" system like they use for Reliant Stadium? Yes, I realize that Reliant has a retractable roof, but couldnt they have some sort of system where they take the "trays" outside for sun and water or whatnot and bring them in/out they day before after a match?
From http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5241135/ : "Mayor Ed Garza has been San Antonio's strongest proponent for an MLS team and has worked with league officials and others to that end. He says the league is OK with the 65,000-seat Alamodome as a temporary home. But league officials, while comfortable with the cavernous indoor football stadium as a stop-gap home, are convinced that a new soccer-specific stadium would have to be erected in San Antonio for any franchise to survive long-term. "Without a soccer-specific stadium in San Antonio, there are some concerns," says Fitzgerald. "The Alamodome offers possibilities. But it's only a temporary solution." The MLS prefers smaller stadiums where the soccer team is not a secondary tenant, and where the team is the landlord and can have greater access to more of the revenue streams. "That's how we can achieve profitability," says Fitzgerald, who says several soccer-only stadiums have been built or are in the works for MLS teams. One of those is in Frisco, Texas, where the Dallas Burn will begin play next season." ------------------------------- Another problem with the Alamodome is that during NBA season, the Spurs are going to have control over scheduling, et al. as well as I'm sure they have a deal for concessions, parking, etc. Of course this will only occur during April, May and possibly June.
Good point. About the only way that I can see MLS going for the Alamodome long term would be for San Antonio to give a majority of concessions and parking revenues to the I/O for the MLS games, and a significant chunk of those revenues to the I/O for non-MLS events. And even though I believe that Alamodome is already paid for (helped by the 500-600 Spurs home games during the years that they played there and all the conventions that they host), all of this is being pushed by the mayor in an effort to increase the revenues into the city coffers from the Alamodome. And there are limits to how sweet of a deal that MLS could get before it just doesn't make financial sense to the city anymore.
Well, the thing about the grass tray system was that it's expensive and time-consuming to actually move them in and out. Or at least, it was at Giants Stadium, which is the reason why the whole "we'll move them in for Metros games and out for Giants and Jets games" idea never quite worked the way it was hoped. With Reliant Stadium, I believe that they only move them in during July and out during January, with partial replacement during the NFL season.
Huh. Just shows you how close I pay attention to the NBA. Had abosolutely to friggin' idea. Well, I guess that opens up some things then.
My thinking is....has anyone approached Tony Sanchez? Maybe he would be interested in an owning a team in San Antonio? El Chapulin Colorado