It took two months to get out, but we'll go ahead and break the news here: Landon Donovan has replaced Freddy Adu as the highest-paid player in MLS. Donovan's deal will pay him a guaranteed $4.5 million over the next five years and includes several lucrative performance incentives. The league also holds three additional one-year options, which means Donovan should be in MLS through the end of 2012 (averaging seven figures annually over the full term) unless he discovers an urge to return to Europe full-time or makes like Bison Dele and goes sailing in the South Pacific. Say it together, kids: You can make money playing professional soccer in America. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/grant_wahl/05/09/power.rankings2/index.html
These are the ones that are exact: All 1996 & 1997 CLB 1999 CLB 2002 DC 2002 KC 2000 KC 2003 KC 2004 MIA 1999 NE 2002 The rest are estimates.
Read an article last night about RSL season ticket drive. Too lazy to google it again. They are within 500 tickets to get to 5000 season tickets. They are leading 'new' season tickets and third in MLS in season tickets. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3160337 here it is after a quick google search
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/13/commentary/column_sportsbiz/sportsbiz/ According to SportsScan Info, a sales tracking service, Man U has sold more licensed jerseys in the United States year to date than all the MLS teams combined. Granted it's not a huge number -- about 2,500 shirts at 12,000 stores nationwide. But it's more than the number of uniforms sold by Glazer's cross-bay rivals Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and it tops sales totals of 19 out of the 24 U.S. National Hockey League teams (OK, maybe that's not a fair fight).
http://3rddegree.matchnight.com/thirdindex.cfm?page=article&articleid=176 http://tsn.courier-journal.com/default.asp?c=courierjournal&page=soc-mls/news/AHN2805573.htm Dallas 1996-2,605 1997-1,562 1998-2,700 (estimate) 1999-2,150 (estimate) 2000-2,850 (estimate) 2001-3,100 (estimate) 2002-3,400 (estimate) 2003-1,600 (estimate) 2004-2,100 Elliot says on 3rd Degree's site that 2004 season tickets are 2,100, and up 32%, giving me a 2003 total of around 1,600. Sucklake indeed, as they lost half of their season ticket sales. I'm still not really sure about the 98-02 numbers, but they're all I have right now. San Jose Another Elliot tidbit, as this says: For the 2001 and 2002 MLS seasons, Elliott also served as the executive in charge of the MLS' San Jose Earthquakes. During his tenure, the team enjoyed a 50% gain in season tickets and paid attendance. But, I already had 4,000 as an estimate for 2000, which would mean 6,000 for 2002, when the total attendance was 9,621. Something's up. But, I can take from this that: from 2000-2002, SJ up 50%
http://www.tennessean.com/sii/99/05/26/mls26.shtml http://www.tennessean.com/sii/99/05/13/crew13.shtml Code: MLS SEASON TICKET COMPARISON - 1999 TO 1998 Team % compared to '98 Columbus Crew +49% Tampa Bay Mutiny +51% Colorado Rapids +28% Miami Fusion +26% D.C. United +20% Chicago Fire +4% MetroStars -5% Los Angeles Galaxy -11% New England Revolution -11% Kansas City Wizards -13% Dallas Burn -25% San Jose Clash -31% TOTALS +7% This was the numbers they posted on mlsnet. But, the final 1999 were about 2,000 total tickets higher, as I already knew. The article above gives us some new team percentages: COL-up 30% DC-up 31% MIA-up 42% (already known as 1,536) MIA 1998 estimate-1,080 Nice number for an expansion team, huh? LA-around 2,000 season tickets The second article says the Crew sold 8,500 season tickets, up 60%. I know already that they finished with 9,282. So I'm estimating that the 1998 total was 5,300, which would be up 75%. However, I already estimated 1998 as 6,500. Hmm....I'll figure it out some other time.
Haven't really found any new information lately. I'll do some searching in a little while. I was wondering if the season ticket info would be published anywhere, such as in a sports business journal?
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_42/b3804087.htm http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1998/b3570101.arc.htm http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1996/b3460069.arc.htm From 2001 to 2002, MLS had "...an improving bottom line--50% better than last year." "MLS has lost $40 million in its first two seasons." "Hispanic attendance dropped 10% (from 1996 to 1997)." Written in March 1998: "Besides securing $80 million in sponsorship money over a five-year period, MLS's major coup to date is a guaranteed $5 million TV deal with ABC and ESPN that will beam 47 of its 210 games into U.S. homes. That's still small change compared with ABC's $25 million deal to broadcast all 64 World Cup games to the States this summer. But it's better than making zilch on a TV deal, which MLS did the past two seasons." And this has nothing really to do with this thread, but I have to include it: "So Rothenberg, chairman of Major League Soccer, due to debut this spring, is counting on soccer's popularity among kids and Latinos to pull in fans. And, he says, the league's unique financial structure will help it avoid the lawsuits, sudden franchise moves, and whiny millionaire players plaguing other pro sport."
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...+soccer"+"season+tickets+sold"&hl=en&start=27 http://www.mlsnet.com/content/99/weekly0406.html CLB 1998-5,361 Also, the second article says TB was over 4,000 in early 1999, which is in line with my earlier estimate of 4,800.
http://www.mlsnet.com/content/99/weekly0525.html http://www.mlsnet.com/content/99/weekly0608.html Miami 1998-1,082 1999-1,536 Already had the 1999 number, but now have the exact 1998 number. Metrostars 1998-5,296 1999-5,579 Season ticket renewal rate: 1999-70% LA 1999-up 1% (?) May 1999-mlsnet topped 1 million page views in a month for the first time Fan milestones: Code: Milestone Total Date Result Venue 1 Million Fans 1,002,725 6/1/96 Columbus 2 @ San Jose 3 (SO) Spartan Stadium, San Jose, CA 2 Million Fans 2,004,362 7/27/96 Colorado 0 @ Dallas 3 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX 3 Million Fans 3,020,015 10/2/96 MetroStars 1 @ D.C. United 2 RFK Stadium, Washington DC 4 Million Fans 4,006,353 6/1/97 Tampa Bay 0 @ Colorado 2 Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO 5 Million Fans 5,000,439 8/17/97 San Jose 3 @ Los Angeles 2 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA 6 Million Fans 6,001,101 4/4/98 Los Angeles 1 @ Colorado 0 Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO 7 Million Fans 7,012,454 6/14/98 Chicago 3 @ New England 1 Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, MA 8 Million Fans 8,004,377 8/29/98 D.C. United 2 @ Tampa Bay 3 (SO) Houlihan's Stadium, Tampa, FL 9 Million Fans 9,027,105 4/17/99 San Jose @ D.C. United RFK Stadium, Washington, DC 10 Million Fans 6/26/99 ???
Pizza Hut has bought entitlement to the new home stadium of Major League Soccer's FC Dallas for $30 million over the next 20 years. http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2005/06/13/daily11.html For FC Dallas' part, the $1.5 million per year will take a major dent out of the organization's payroll. The player salary cap runs about $1.7 million. In 2002 the club reported in public documents to the City of McKinney that it carried $4 million in player and front-office salaries. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/11908039.htm
Hunt pointed out that the 12-game Frisco portion of the schedule now has a season sale of 4,417 http://oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3190128
With an average attendance of 14,282 in 1999 -- the last year for which figures are available -- the league's financial statements listed $62,940,084 in revenues and $97,364,283 in costs and expenses for an operating loss of $34,424,199. Included in that revenue total is only $798,125 for stadium revenues. In its own facility, an MLS team could easily triple or quadruple that figure. Sakiewicz believes control of ancillary revenues could push his team into the black. "With 18,000 paid, we'd be making money," says Sakiewicz, whose organization pays nearly $1.5 million each season to use the Meadowlands. "Given the market conditions, with the growth in attendance and the stadium leases that we have, the business model is extraordinarily difficult to achieve profitability unless we have our own stadiums." Wilt estimates signage and stadium-naming rights would be worth $1 million-$2 million and suite revenues would be in the high six figures annually.
D.C. United got itself a new group of investors yesterday, a $26 million deal that will shift the club's operating rights from billionaire Phil Anschutz to locally based Global Sports and Entertainment. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072801355.html
Team Sales DC-$26 million LA-$26 million Expansion Fees CHI-$5 million MIA-$5 million CHV-$10 million RSL-$10 million
http://www.insidetxbiz.com/adminnm/templates/businessbeat.asp?articleid=462&zoneid=4 Pasco Brokerage, Inc., a food service equipment distributor based in Collin County, recently signed a $1.7 million contract with Pizza Hut/ Frisco MLS Soccer stadium to provide all of the commercial food service equipment for the park.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/080505dnspostadiums.1c8bc509.html Playing at the Cotton Bowl for most of its previous nine seasons, that's exactly what FC Dallas was doing. In Dallas, at least, the rent was reasonable at less than $50,000 a game. In New Jersey, Garber said, the MetroStars spend more than $200,000 a game to play at Giants Stadium. That's $3.2 million over 16 regular-season home games – and that's not counting exhibitions or playoff games. ... The new stadium's 18 suites were priced at $35,000 each – and all sold quickly. That's $630,000 annually the team simply left on the table at the Cotton Bowl, which had no such suites. The new stadium's 5,385 parking spots could generate $30,000 or more per match, depending on attendance. All parking revenue went to Fair Park previously. So I guess Giants Stadium is $200,000 per. That's awful.
More than $200K per game + no parking revenues, no concession revenues, no advertising revenues, no box revenues.
Major League Soccer and Accor North America, the nation's largest owner/operator of economy lodging, have agreed to a media partnership to promote Accor's Red Roof Inn and Motel 6 brands. The deal provides Accor commercial and on-screen sponsorship inventory during Major League Soccer's "Soccer Saturday" broadcasts on ESPN2 for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. "Major League Soccer fits well with the key geographic markets of our Red Roof Inn and Motel 6 brands," said Eric Studer, Accor Sr. VP, Advertising & Promotions. "And with the broadcast being on ESPN2, our customers can actually view the games in our rooms at our 1100 Red Roof Inns and Motel 6 properties." The media will be equally split between the two brands. Eastern Conference games will promote the Red Roof Inn brand, while Western Conference games will feature Motel 6 commercial inventory. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3208161
Bump...this is required reading. I think people would find it helpful if it were also listed in MLS News and Analysis
Admittedly, again, not MLS, but pretty close. The Kickers figure to be somewhere in the upper middle of the pack, with an operating budget from $ 800,000 to $ 1 million. They have sold 145 season tickets. Corporate sponsors have paid about $ 270,000. In other words, this will not be a money-maker right away. In fact, the Kickers have lost a considerable amount, estimated at more than $ 500,000, since their birth in 1993. "Charlie Morgan, the Kickers' vice president for team and game operations, knows the old A-League, having served the Atlanta Ruckus as general manager, coach and even occasional player. Morgan estimates budget highs in the neighborhood of $ 1.2 million this year. "KICKERS STARTING NEW-LOOK SEASON; OWNERS, LEAGUE, PLAYERS DIFFERENT" April 25, 1997 [The Richmond Kickers] continued to lose money, albeit less than it had been losing, thanks to more than $ 400,000 from corporate sponsors. This year, with the overall operating budget increased slightly to $ 925,000, which puts the team in the league's top 10, the goal off the field is to remove even more red ink from the ledger. Sources say a $ 200,000 deficit or less would be most welcomed. "STRETCHING FOR A PROFIT; TEAM LOSING MONEY DESPITE ON-FIELD SUCCESS" April 30, 1999 To compete in the A-League, Rudisill said the [Wilmington Hammerheads] would need to raise its payroll by about $ 500,000. It's currently less than $ 100,000, he said. "HAMMERHEADS SOCCER | HAPPY WHERE THEY ARE" August 21, 2003 (Considering that the Hammerheads are one of the best teams in the league, USL D-2 costs don't seem to necessarily be as high as I thought.)
Soccer-Specific Stadia: Code: Cost Private Public Naming Sponsors Tickets Rentals CCS $28.5m $28.5m $0 $0 HDC $140m $7m $9m $5m $5m PHP $80m $25m $55m $1.25m Bridgeview $95.4 $0m $95.4m Rapids $130m $65m $65m Harrison $100m $100m 0 Blackbaud $5.7m $5.7m $0 Rhinos $25m $7.25m $18m Burn McKinney $53m $23m $30m Numbers from naming rights on are yearly. edit: updated with thanks to scaryice Does anybody know if the HDC was entirely financed by AEG, or if Cal State-Dominguez Hills or Carson or wherever had any input? Blackbaud's cost only from this thread, I'd like to find a citation somewhere. The Rhinos' stadium situation seems to always be in flux.
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/081syt4.htm Good work. Some mistakes though. Bridgeview is now picking up the tab for the entire thing. They recently just approved $155 million in bonds. The stadium's cost is up to $95.4 million. http://columbus.crew.mlsnet.com/MLS...tent_id=2505&vkey=news_coc&fext=.jsp&team=coc Crew Stadium cost $28.5 million.