For those who argue that the #Rowdies' "low" attendance avg at Al Lang is the reason we shouldn't have MLS, take a look at the @SoundersFC: pic.twitter.com/Oz9BIp85MZ— The Hooped Sleeve (@TheHoopedSleeve) December 7, 2016 Atlanta was a hair over 4000 their last NASL season. Now they're selling 30K seat deposits.
Love the design...I especially love how they kept the view of the bay for most fans. I realize part of that is forced by the adjacent roads, but no stadium in America has a better view (OK...maybe Coors Field where you can see the mountains from some seats).
Kansas City was consistently worse than the Mutiny, and half the league was around that same level of attendance. The only difference is the Mutiny didn't have AEG or Hunt bail them out.
I merely bring it up because of the unfounded rumors that the name might be Mutiny. Rumors only found here.
Oops. Gotcha! I'm starting to think @mutinyfute just refers to the Rowdies as the Mutiny out of habit, and he was just saying USL is moving up to Division 2.
Burr & Soccerprime, Sorry for the Mutiny mic drop. I was being sarcastic and then went on vacation and haven't checked the forum in a bit. I found the BIG announcement interesting. Edwards knows the right people, he cross-markets like a fiend and a colleague that has worked with him before indicated he might have more $$ than most of us thought he did. As much as I want this to happen, I think realistically this is marketing pure and simple. Show your support & buy tickets. Edwards is a very astute investor/operator. I wouldn't expect him to spend the requisite $120mm for an MLS team with very little chance of a near term investment return. He certainly has interests in downtown St Pete that are synergistic and Al Lang and the Mahaffey are big portions of it but that kind of $$ would dwarf anything else he has done to date. Remember, this isn't Vinik buying the Lightning/Ice Palace which at the time was the most profitable concert/event arena in North America. Al Lang & a MLS team don't cashflow in the same way. Will exit with my cynicism - although I did pony up for the same 3GA tickets I bought last year... COYR.
That's just the way things are for 2nd div soccer. People really get excited with the thought of going to MLS. Still, with Edwards making all this noise I have to think that there is some substance to it. In many ways, there is no reason for him not to make an honest try since his setup is pretty sweet already. Also, MLS is at that phase where people have figured out it is going to stick around for decades and that a franchise is still a good 20% of an NHL franchise. There is obviously still room for growth. If he's going to go for broke there is little downside with being shot down and a possible jackpot.
I guess the Rowdies aren't the only team with a waterfront stadium. Japanese 2nd division team, Giravanz, from the city of Kitakyushu, will be playing in the brand new waterfront, Kitakyushu Stadium. It has nice views of the harbor and mountains. http://stadiumdb.com/constructions/jpn/kitakyushu
I really like this design. I was wondering if the Rowdies would be better served by building something similar to this instead of what is currently proposed. They could build in the lot on the north side of Al Lang. Construction of a south stand would be the last piece as it would intrude on the current stands. I do like the idea of preserving the current stands from a historical point of view but if an overall better stadium can be built with this as an alternative then perhaps that is a better play.
I think current plan is about speed to completion & cost primarily, but is also preserves Al Lang which has some social merit it getting approvals. Why add costs if not needed? Especially if privately financing.
The plans show well in terms of swaying public opinion for the may referendum. The layout gives up a lot of seats that would be premium though. Also, while I personally have tons of meaningful memories in this version of Al Lang it should be noted that it isn't the original. Just having sports in some capacity on that plot is enough to satisfy that emotional quota. If this whole plans works out and they build what has been presented I will be delighted. But still if there is a more optimal design for that land I wonder if it was ever considered.
Okay, can someone please explain to me what you get for the $65 seats at Al Lang in the Midfielder's Reserve section? You'd think their website would offer some justification for what might be the priciest seats in USL, but I cannot find it. I imagine they're nicer seats, but I'd love to know what else is included. EDIT: A dedicated entrance is what I've found so far.
Dedicated entrance and nicer seat, closer to the field. Funny enough the dedicated entrance is nice, but also not really worth it because the team store, bathrooms, and concessions are all in the main stands for the most part. So, one gets to go in a separate entrance just to go over to the same area. I can see the value in that for a stadium that seats 18K and sells out, but for the stadium as it is it really is not an issue to get inside quickly.
They're definitely overpriced considering that amount almost gets you into the club level of a Lightning game with far more amenities (10+ game season ticket wise anyway, and prices keep going up so who knows for how long). You'd think if they want to boost attendance numbers for MLS they'd let off of those a little bit, but what do I know maybe they ran the numbers and found it was worth it.
Maybe too they feel that by pricing it too low in order to boost attendance it may send a signal to MLS that we have issues drawing. Perhaps pricing it this way is the better long term play.
Look, MLS is not going to make that decision based on what ticket prices are or even what they draw (though someone like Cincinnati or Sacramento can certainly catch their eye). Given the current size of Al Lang, those types of numbers are not possible, but the overall bid is what they look at. If the market can add something to the league and the stadium solution is actually do-able and enough Governors are in favor of it, the optics of what they draw now is not paramount. Everyone who moves up to MLS draws. This is a different era than the one the Fusion and Chivas USA came into. If they wanted optics, they could just paper the house. (Which, by the way, the 2-for-1 offer they put on Instagram today gives me pause. It's the opener, and you are trying to excite the market. If they can't do that, maybe they really ARE on the wrong side of the Bay.)
Agreed about the nicer seats. But...you're also more exposed to the elements on that side. And, as you mentioned, the catering and everything else is on the other side. If the stand was a little more permanent - something like a high school football stand with the better seats plus restrooms and concessions underneath - it would be more worth it.
https://www.socceramerica.com/artic...e-referendum-passes-easily.html?edition=17160 MLS Expansion: St. Pete referendum passes easily May 2nd, 2017 8:33PM A referendum sponsored by Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday. It gives St. Petersburg's city council the authority to negotiate an agreement with the Rowdies for the long-term use of city-owned Al Lang Stadium, their home in the NASL and now USL. Edwards plans to spend $80 million to expand Al Lang Stadium from 7,200 seats to 18,000. St. Petersburg residents were required to give the city council the authority to negotiate a use agreement because of the stadium's bay-front location. They approved the measure by 87 percent.
Still it's not like they were asking for the same thing as St Louis or other towns. But good for them, a win is a win is a win.
Florida: Al Lang Stadium expansion approved by voters http://stadiumdb.com/news/2017/05/florida_al_lang_stadium_expansion_approved_by_voters
I should mention here that I enjoyed my trip to Al Lang, found it a great setting and one that was pretty easy to get to. (If I made that trip from the Hillsborough side all the time, I might feel differently about that one. As it was, I was already on the Pinellas side.) Concessions were good, the venue (which I hadn't been in since Deion Sanders was playing for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees, so you do the math) was Rowdie-fied nicely and felt like a nice venue, overall. Those seats on the far side were far too expensive, though.