Actually, they could play at the AstroArena, right next door to the Astrodome. The Hotshots played there for a season or two.
Excuse me, the place is now known as Reliant Arena. Of course, I'd be very surprised if a team in Houston couldn't play at the Toyota Center. The Rockets and Aeros don't account for THAT many dates.
I don't know if it's quantity so much as quality. If the MISL plays 36 games again next year, sure, I'll bet you could find 18 nights the Houston Hotshots Version 3.0 could play on. But I'd imagine they wouldn't be particularly good dates.
I have a friend that used to work for Palace Sports and I thought they had a unique revenue model in the CISL. Like you mentioned they practially gave tickets away. They did sell some, and some were tied into season tickets for the Pistons, sponsership tie ins. In most sports one of the main sources of revenue is tickets. Since they had control of the building, for the soccer team it would be parking, sponsorship, consessions and merchandise. They primarily viewed it as another way to fill up dates in their building. So there's a limit on where that model would work. But it sounds like with the potential of investment from NHL and NBA ownership groups, that indoor soccer will be looked at again as something to fill areana dats.
Also not sure about the label of Pittsburgh as being a "grave yard". The Penquins really need a new areana. But more then that they need a owner with deep pockets. With Pitt moving back onto campus for b-ball. A indoor team would only compete with the Penquins for dates and should be able to get some good ones. However, I could see Mario using a indoor team as additional leverage to try and get funding for a new areana. But unless the state wants to step in again to provide funding I don't see that happening. The city, county and state are all hurting for funding.
True. I suppose it would depend on how often the Aeros and Rockets both played on a weekend and how long it would take to turn around the arena between events. Still, it can be done. The AFL's Dallas Desperados season overlaps with the Stars' and Mavericks' seasons from February until April or May and they still have Saturday and Sunday home games at the American Airlines Center.
Indeed. But they only need 8 dates. They got half of them on Saturdays and half on Sunday afternoons. Didn't they go from the AAC to Reunion back to the AAC?
Yeah. I'm not sure why. At Reunion Arena, they'd only have to compete with the Sidekicks for weekend dates. At the AAC, they have to compete with both the Stars and Mavs. But maybe they got feedback from their fans and sponsors that they much preferred the amenities of the AAC to those at Reunion.
I hear the supposed WHA that will never drop a puck is going to play at Reunion. Good luck with that.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/soccer/cst-spt-soccin18.html In the middle of the article. Chicago group signs 3-year UIC lease. Klopas coach and Karl Heinz Granitza vice-president.
Chicago is great news! It sounds like they will have some good people running the show. I still say it would be really cool if Lee Stern would allow the new team to resume using the Sting name.
Actually the Astroarena or whatever was a joke. I know a guy who played for the Utah freeze, he said the visitors locker rooms was a men's restroom with food and the works inside the restroom, pretty disgusting. Not that its a major league, but not since middle school athletics have I ever heard of guys using a restroom as a lockeroom. Imagine how many drunken cowboys have missed the target over 30+ years of Rodeo Houston events in that building.
No, the WHA is a reincarnation of the old World Hockey Association. Supposedly seven teams (Quebec, Toronto, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Halifax and Hamilton) are going to play this winter. Good freaking luck. They think their Detroit team is going to play at the Silverdome, and their Toronto team in SkyDome, for goodness sakes. They started a minor league feeder first, WHA2, which was more or less born when they grabbed some teams from the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, and now WHA2 has gone and had those teams (mostly owned by one joker) join the Eastern Hockey League. It's a very large joke.
OK Well its better than Womens hockey, but I can't see them taking anything away from the Dallas Stars, they sem to be pretty popular in this area. Isn't their the Brahmas in Ft. Worth too? not sure the league, but I hear they draw well too, seems like steep competition for an upstart league in a venue like Reunion Arena
the chicago franchise will be announced tomorrow for sure check out tomorrow's paper: www.dailysouthtown.com
Nathaniel Whalen--he's the one that wrote the story about the MISL and has been doing all of their Fire stuff. They're actually pretty committed to the MLS over there now that the Fire is planning to come to Bridgeview. They do a full page devoted to soccer every Wednesday
That's not very much time to get ready for next year. It's only a few months away. With the inclusion this brings the league up to 10 teams, if all of the other teams return. From what I've read, St. Louis is the one potential for not returning. I would hope that the league goes to a 2 division format, instead of the current 3. Another plus, is that Chicago, becomes a natural rivial for Milwaukee. Hopefully it will be a boost in attendanc for both teams.
Get Indianapolis back, and you'd have a nice little divsion with Chicago-Milwaukee-St.Louis-Indianapolis.