Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Here are some ideas to get the process started. Website: - forums - Q&A w/ players - calendar of events - Trivia - contests - player info (incl. twitter accounts) Videos and podcasts - monthly (?) show, featuring interviews - webcasts of the games Comcast tv show (they’re big on local shows now) Social Media - twitter account for fanclub - follow friday initiative Transportation: - organize car and van pooling - shuttles Streat Teams - volunteers to spread the word Leverage media connections Submit articles to local papers (Dunwoody Crier, Creative Loafing, etc) E-Newsletter For Away games: organize a mass twitter discussion or if games are broadcast, organize fan viewings
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Here's a suggestion for free coverage. Not just for ATL, but for all WPS teams: Have a media-only section of your site. Publish game reports, match previews, special events and even just a few high-res photos every week that approved media outlets can pick up for free. Now, press releases serve this purpose, but only if it goes to the right people. If the sports editor is on your mailing list, but not the poor bastard working desk on a Sunday night, well, it's not going in the paper. (I still get calls from AP asking for a sports editor who's been dead for 2 years.) The top four papers may give it a pass, but there's quite a few papers left in Ga. that would probably be willing to give y'all some space. The Associated Press raised the hell out of their rates this year and I know of at least a dozen papers that cut their sports wire content to almost nothing. As a result, it's sent many people scurrying to pro Web sites to get what they can from the media sections to help fill the paper. You also have to remember that there's very, very little happening locally for these papers in the summer. So, space is readily available for a press release and photo. (Up until football kicks off, of course.) Just a thought.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Love all these idea! Crog1967 (MY better half) and I are in it for the long haul. We were devastated when the WUSA folded & want to make sure that the Beat make it this time around. To add to our list of ideas: A sign-up tent on game days inside the stadium to help spread the word (for folks not on Big Soccer) Maybe hand out fliers to folks either coming in or leaving the stadium (Shawn, would the Beat help cover the costs of something like this?) Can't wait to get this off the ground. Unfortunately, we have only a few more games left this season, but we'll be ready for the start of next season when it comes around!
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Well, the good news is that this will A) give us enough time to get things going (the website alone will take a significant amount of time) and B) tide us over until the start of the next season. Question of the day: who are your favorite players?
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Favorite players on the Beat: Solo (of course), McNeil & Chalupny.
Just to add something. I talked to Mr. Johnson a couple of times when the Beat were in Chicago. What a nice guy. Just the few words that I had with him, I'm convinced that you guys are in good hands and that the league is better off with an owner like him.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Kbritt says it all here but got to throw McCall into this too.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Also have to choose Rasmussen, Aya and Mami + the Back Line
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Crazy Old Lady is dead on. Rasmussen is a game changer on both ends of the field.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Absolutely TRUE:-Love the Team But Ras is the playmaker.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming She has massively improved since the start of the season. She is going after balls now that she may have given up on earlier. Yes, we do love them all. Personal favorites include Solo, Chalupa, and MZ2
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming I think we're blessed with a lot of great players. In terms of the "best of the best" -- Solo, Rasmussen and Chalupny instantly come to my mind. But I think they're all at varying levels of greatness. Hopefully, if we get the coaching situation sorted out, their class will start to show in the results.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming I agree J. Rasmussen is quality, but don't get too attached to her playing in the US - I've heard from a good source see may not stay.
F.Johnson - if this is how he feels - he should fire the Beat GM / Admin and all others involevd in community relations, ticket sales, and crowd building; they should be shown the road -> for their failure in the effort to launch the Beat- Johnson should hire the person who is 'second in charge' of the Seatle Sounders (they did it right) to come in and be the GM - then let this GM hire some local - talented people who know the Atl- state of GA soccer scene to build this club. I agree with the owner - there should be at least 5K fans at each Beat game; the front office has failed when this hasn't happened.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Hope you are really wrong re Rasmussen not staying for next season.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Hey all, Do we have an approximate head count for this afternoon? Please feel free to send me a private message. I told the restaurant that it would be a minimum of 10, but if there were significantly more people coming, I would give them a call. Also, in order to have a more "private" discussion forum, I was wondering what you all thought about a yahoo group. Let me know. Looking forward to meeting everyone, and to witnessing an epic Beat victory tonight. kat
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming It seems, based on the owner's statements in this article, that ownership (and perhaps management) had some unrealistic expectations prior to the start of the season. Setting expectations too high and then falling short (inevitably) is a problem. But, falling short of realistic expectations is also a problem. Expecting 5k to attend is too much. But not getting 4k is falling short, imo. Atlanta is a crowded sports market. The Beat need to be very crafty in how they allocate limited resources. Kudos to those fans who have decided to work together to promote the team on your own. That is how women's soccer will survive in the USA. Perhaps the first non-game activity for the supporters can be for everyone to write each and every sponsor to thank them for spending their limited advertising money by purchasing an ATL Beat sponsorship. Make sure to let them know that you are more inclined to purchase their product b/c of their WPS sponsorship. If you already have purchased their product, make sure to let the sponsor know that.
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming Hey - did anyone contact Shawn about the proposed meeting date we came up with for the stadium?
Re: The Rhythm Section - Beat Fan Club Forming I haven't but will if you want me to. Did we decide on after the USA/China game?
There was discussion about before or after - it would probably be good to see which would be preferred by the Beat/Stadium staff since this is going to be a pretty big event...?
Will call tomorrow and check.I would think that after would be better when things are winding down but will see what Shawn has to say.
100% all around good points. silverback park used to be my home field...when i saw the expansion work being done at the stadium my first thought was that that's where the Beat would be playing when the announcement was made for ATL. i was dumbfounded with the announcement of the partnership with KSU. yes, KSU is nationally recognized and a terrific squad, but it's freaking KENNESAW. no one ITP wants to go outside their bubble, and no one who isn't a fan really wants to venture that far out just to check it out. i think who ever does the scheduling (the league office, the team) needs to consider large cities and their traffic issues. i work in roswell and it's still somewhat difficult to make a 7pm game in kennesaw. it's the reason why we don't go to more events downtown during the week - the traffic.
Shawn, I hope you're reading this... i have been trying to land a position on your staff since the announcement was made in 2008 for the expansion team. i've felt that the crowd building staff was full of transplants that were unfamiliar with the geography of atlanta and the suburbs, as well as the club teams themselves. as an atlanta native, 25 year competitive soccer player veteran, and someone who still keeps in contact with many people who coached me all those years, i felt my presence on your staff would have been more than beneficial. i quit volunteering with the street team because of the frustration (and wasted time and gas) in dealing with an unorganized staff. i sincerely hope that changes are made this offseason to ensure an informed and enthusiastic staff. in my personal biased opinion, i really do believe i can do great things for you because soccer has been a lifelong passion; i'm devasted i am no longer able to play (due to injury), so i feel it is my duty to promote this team. i do it all the time unpaid, just think how much more could be done if i was a paid employee. i understand this is not necessarily the appropriate forum to pitch my resume, but you already have that on file and i wish it would be seriously considered. thanks, michelle