It is late, but still Wednesday. Revolution Soccer Team To Play In New Britain Contains an interesting tidbit that could be related to the Champions League.
And if they advance, it's New Britain again the next week: http://www.blog.revolutionrecap.com/2008/06/us-open-cup-quarterfinal-set-for-new.html
Also contains a howler from Tornberg, something about fans coming up from New Jersey, and something about the match bringing "international television" exposure to NB. All is dissected in the next Soccer Rocker installment, coming tomorrow or the next day at the latest.
Actually the howler for me was the 'we don't want to oversaturate the Gillette fans' as the reason for holding the game in New Britain.
An international match in NB? Aren't the changing rooms mobile homes? Is that field up to FIFA standards?
At least one of the loccer rooms is under the stands... looked pretty basic (I suspect that both were of similar high quality
I think that is a very legitimate concern. Having *more* fixtures at Gillette is a concern when attendance is already under-par. Supply and demand.
It's not subpar because they play too many games. It's subpar because they can't sell heating oil to Eskimos. Here's my take, the new blog
I think that was exactly his point. It's important to recognize that fans have limited funds. Holding too many games at Gillette just puts a bigger strain on those funds and starts making fans chose which games they are going to attend, possibly hurting overall attendance even more (at least for the numbers junkies). If you have the opportunity to expand your realm of influence and target some other group of fans that may not make the trip to Gillette, you should definitely try to do that.
While I can see the argument, the games have to be played. Why does it matter where the fans are going? You're still making them choose which games to go and playing in New Britain makes your Massachusetts and NH fans drive FARTHER. Simply changing the venue doesn't really matter. Sure, you're bringing the Revs to new fans but the reason you're going is because it's too expensive to open Gillette. I've heard Tornberg say the USOC is a money loser before. That's reason #1. Saying its oversaturation or something like that is spin. IMHO.
Alright, fine. So it's cheaper to play in New Britain. Like you said, Tornberg has already admitted it so it's no secret there. What's wrong with highlighting some of the other benefits to playing outside of Gillette? Also, I don't really think they're expecting the fans from New Hampshire, Maine and NE Mass to make the trip. They're probably hoping the folks from Conn and maybe W Mass might come out for a match. You can't please all of the people, all of the time. Nor should you try.
My problem is this: You should play your home games at home. Your home. Not Bermuda, not New Britain, not Ludlow, not St. Albans, VT...at Gillette. My real problem (as laid out in my blog) is that the league and team have failed to put any effort into promoting the tournament which forces the team to play in a less-than-professional stadium. We're supposed to be the first rank team in this whole thing. I'm ok with playing outside of Gillette in the preseason. That's what the preseason is for. I'm more concerned with their inability to entice those Conn and W Mass people to come to Foxboro than anything else.
I don't mind the USOC being played in New Britain. I won't be happy if they play a Superliga or CL game there. But hey, I only go to every game ... why cater to those of us that are like that?
From the Herald: http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...is_continues_record_pace/srvc=revs&position=1 Injured forward Taylor Twellman (right ankle sprain) is getting close to a return. “We’re taking it day-to-day,” Nicol said. “He’s not 100 percent, obviously, and he hasn’t played properly. He joined in the possession today, so that’s good. We’ll see.”
I've gotta say, I really do like the over-saturation bit. That's good stuff. 8 home games in a 12 week stretch in the summer. And yet, they've had no problem having fans come out for a tripleheader. So 3 in one day (or 5 in four days during the Gold Cup) isn't oversaturation, but 8 in 12 weeks is?
The Gold Cup involves totally different teams, so it has little to do with the Revs attendance. We have more 'Rev' games than ever this season, with the extra competitions. I can easily understand that they may be concerned that attendance may get watered down because of it. Moving the game to an area that may draw some different fans makes some sense in this case (after all, the attendance at USOC games in Ludlow has gotten a big boost [> %50 IMO] from local fans that probably rarely, if ever, would travel to Foxboro). That, combined with the fact that NB is probably picking up a lot of the game day expenses, is most likely why they are playing there. FWIW, the Celtics have had *regional* games in the past. In recent years, it's only been pre-season games, but they used to have a few regular season games each year in Worcester, Hartford and a couple of other places (Springfield?, Manchester?, Portland?). It's a good way to promote the idea of it being "New England's" team and to draw new fans, even if they only end up being tv viewers.
I’m just waiting for the day that the Revs announce that their schedule will be flexible. They’ll announce on Friday where in New England they’ll play Saturday (gotta spread the knowledge of the team ya know), and the only time they’ll play at Gillette is when Brazil comes to town. And sadly, some people here will probably be OK with that. Who cares about the diehard fans anyway?