Hey Miami wake up!!! Do you want a team or not... FC Barcelona are about to get a MLS team and only 2,000 fans were interested in season tickets...... this sounds encouraging: ''No, Miami is not like Chicago, where people support the team whether they are in first place or last, but if you put a good show on, people in Miami will come,'' Claure said. So is Miami a soccer town or not? Garber also said he was impressed with Vancouver and The Miami bid intrigued him, but he said he wanted to research more....hmmm i wonder why?
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion 2,000 without any advertising. Miami FCB will start a advertising campaign in the coming week. More People will get season tickets once we know that we got the team.
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion but the question is can you advertise a product before it is a done deal? well I guess it is do or die for Miami soccer fans this week, after reading the article: "But, he said, owners asked to see more proof of local fan interest and a plan to spruce up FIU Stadium to make it look ''more professional.''
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion You advertise the website. You want soccer fans to go their and sign up.
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion I thought this was advertised like a month ago. In fact, here is an article on it: http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/noticies/club/temporada08-09/11/n081104103266.html So much for that. It's been 4 weeks and they are still 60% short on their one week goal for both sign ups and season tickets. I'm wonder if Claure is worried that this might back fire on Miami. If the numbers continue to be below expectations, I wonder if MLS will start to focus elsewhere. In fact, I wonder if MLS has questioned the fan interest since the Fusion days and created this as a type of "test". It's all going to get interesting.
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion Putting a link up on FCB's website isn't going to reach too many people. Now they are hitting the airwaves and newspapers, which will reach many more potential fans than anything on the web will. They set the bar way too high with their one week goal for signups, even if they had been advertising the website. Since the Fusion were disbanded, the interest in MLS has been slim to nil here, so the news coverage on this has been hard to find. So far the majority of people who know about it and/or have signed up on the site have been the soccer nuts who are on sites like BS all the time(that or serious Barça fans). I think the interest will rise once the website and bid get some more visibility in the press here. However, with the Fusion debacle still in the minds of fans, a lot of people will be hesitant to put a deposit down until the team is officially awarded, which is a catch-22 if MLS decides to use those numbers as a deciding factor on the bid. I think given the results in Toronto despite iffy support, the Barça/Claure ownership team, and the potential rewards of this market, Miami is no doubt a serious contender, regardless of how many people signup on the website.
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion ''They said they want to see more support from people here, and there was some concern about the stadium not being up to par with other MLS stadiums,'' Claure said. LOL. Like the Crew Stadium, or even BMO Field? Do either of those even have VIP boxes? Maybe they prefer ones like KC's baseball field or the super-turf at NE or Giants stadium?
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion For the 2007 season and beyond, MLS mandated that each team have a Developmental Academy with U-16 & U-18 teams. "MLS Press Release 11/10/2006 10:53AM MLS launches Youth Development Initiative Major League Soccer Communications NEW YORK -- Today Major League Soccer charts new territory among major professional sports leagues in the United States by launching a youth development initiative that allows teams to acquire, outside of the annual draft, top young players from their respective local areas. Ultimately, this initiative will enhance the quality of young players entering the League and allow more of them to represent their hometown teams. MLS is requiring each of its teams next season to establish a youth amateur program, separate from the pro club. These youth teams will give talented young players with professional aspirations an excellent opportunity to pursue their dreams, stay close to home, and continue their education. Players registered for at least 24 months in an MLS youth program become eligible to sign a professional contract with that team without entering the MLS SuperDraft..."
Ok, one thing, WHY o WHY must it be MIAMI BARCELONA? Its not just retarded, its, retarded. Why can't MLS have these interested team owners at least make the NAME of the club somewhat original? I wouldn't even mind if it were MIAMI Barca or some nickname related to FC Barcelona... but to have the name ripped off the club in Spain and just slapped into Miami cheapens their original club and cheapens MLS even more than it is. I hate this league for being somewhat short minded on the names of its clubs. I want MLS to be respectable instead of whoring itself out to the highest bidder. Money is money though... sigh...
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion Yes, they both do (Columbus had to add theirs after construction). My judgment just based on looking at the facility is that it's broadly comparable to Crew Stadium, but that stadium was built 10 years ago, and the league is understandably interested in raising the bar. I think it might be a tad below BMO's standards. I look forward to those teams' expansion bids.
Re: Miami-Barcelona Expansion & Bid Discussion FIU does have VIP boxes. What MLS want to see is a press box. Everything MLS want to see will be done and will be ready for 2010. It is a very good stadium. I was at a FIU games two weeks ago. It will be a good soccer stadium, until Miami FCB built one.
If I were a Miami soccer fan. I would be worried right now: "But, he said, owners asked to see more proof of local fan interest and a plan to spruce up FIU Stadium to make it look ''more professional.'' ''They said they want to see more support from people here, and there was some concern about the stadium not being up to par with other MLS stadiums,'' Claure said. ``They want better press boxes, more amenities, and they had questions about the artificial turf, which we told them is the best turf there is.'' Claure, who owns Miami-based Brightstar Corp., will embark on a media blitz next week ''to get our name and face out there.'' He urges South Florida soccer fans to register and put down season-ticket deposits on the group's website (miamifcb.com). More than 6,000 fans had signed on as fans as of Thursday, and 2,000 of those were interested in season tickets. ''No, Miami is not like Chicago, where people support the team whether they are in first place or last, but if you put a good show on, people in Miami will come,'' Claure said. and the last statement is the most troublesome: I can't understand the situation with Miami FC, I know it's USL and blah-blah-blah, but how can only 1,000 fans come to a "professional" team in Miami? I know some will say it doesn't matter because their is no correlation to MLS, but their is..... just look at Seattle's support and Vancouver's support http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/soccer/story/792491.html
Did Toronto have a team in USL? I don't think so...you can not compare Toronto to Miami even Claure knows that
Miami FC's attendance was up about 85% from last year. The average was 916. http://www.soccercityusa.com/2008uslatt.html
Improvement is improvement lol. Miami, not unlike Toronto, or Atlanta(R.I.P. Silverbacks), is a major league town. I've beaten this point to death, but here it goes again. Miami will never support minor league anything long term. Every minor league team that has ever set up shop here has folded within 4-5 years. That's just the way it is. Also, for the major teams(i.e. the Fusion), you have to be around longer than 4 years to gain a dedicated following. It also didn't help the Fusion that they were in a relatively new league. When the established, well publicized NBA, MLB and NHL came to town, it was easier for them to gain a following and sustain it. MLS at the time of the Fusion was struggling to gain ground everywhere. Just when everyone was starting to come around to MLS and the Fusion, MLS made what I believe was a very bad mistake by disbanding BOTH Florida teams, while keeping Dallas, KC and San Jose, which all had comparable support. Now they're eager to get back with this new Miami bid.
The only way we will get this monkey of our back is for Miami to support our soon to become reality MLS team.
The average for 2007 was 916. For 2008 it was 1,701. Much better, but still the lowest in the league according to that table....
Not from a quote from Claure and the last statement is the most troublesome: I can't understand the situation with Miami FC, I know it's USL and blah-blah-blah, but how can only 1,000 fans come to a "professional" team in Miami? I know some will say it doesn't matter because their is no correlation to MLS, but their is..... just look at Seattle's support and Vancouver's support WhiteStar Warriors it looks like you are a cry baby and jealous that Miami will get MLS and Tampa only USL.
You know that the Miami soccer fans / Miami Ultras were the one that started the Tampa Bay Rowdies Supports Group website. WhiteStar Warriors like to bash Miami.
Guys, folks from Tampa & Miami have been taking pot-shots at each other and bashing each other for years. That's part of the reason I'd like to see Tampa (not Tampa Bay... ...) get an MLS franchise ASAP.
Are you kidding me? have you visited the general thread forum recently. One other thing do you know why Seattle got a MLS team is because they have the history,fanbase, and support. You are right about comparing Toronto.... but USL in 2005 was way different than USL today, most fans didn't know USL existed in 2005. Now they advertising, games are played on Fox Soccer Channel etc. I'm just saying MIAMI has to do this right this time because failure is not a option and if they do Miami will never get another chance