Primarily because nothing has been done for years to let them know that the team exists. I think that this ownership group and their FO now understand this. I hope they will do something about it.
You'd think that after owning the team for a few years they would have already learned this lesson. Of course, I don't know what they actually are capable of learning. They have hired and fired the same very successful coach twice in two years. You know - the coach that got them to the Soccer Bowl in year one, and the championship in coaching the spring season only in year two.
There are a few holdovers from last year, but, essentially, this is new leadership with their own ideas. They have done some impressive things. Unfortunately they have not done well addressing improving attendance. The Main Man, Managing Director Luis Cuccatti, predicted that 17K would turn out Saturday when he was interviewed by The Tailgate Show a few weeks ago. He said this even though there was no massive ticket give away like last year (nor did season ticket holder get the 4+ freebies that we've received before as part of the season ticket package). He and the other PTB felt that cheapened the product and that the team as assembled was good enough to draw people in. This was done despite little to no coverage on the teams extended pre-season. There is still vast ignorance about the teams existence that has to be cured and international road trips and tournaments in Orlando really do not register locally. In fact now, 5 years in, those of us that wear Striker stuff (T-shirts or game jerseys) are still stopped by folks that have zero idea why we'd wear something from a long "dead" team. All are surprised that the team does exist & most would like to get involved. Unfortunately I no longer have a freebie to give away in hopes we can bring another possible ticket buyer into Lockhart. Unfortunately Lockhart is also part of the problem. While the pitch itself is excellent and the sight lines in any seat very good the old lady has seen better days. Toilets are horrid and the rest of the place, especially the scoreboards, is simply outdate or inoperative. The City owns the place and will do nothing with it until Schlitterbahn finishes their due diligence concerning the water park in July. If that is a go then all the pieces fall into place and a rebuild/renovation proceeds. Until then we have the problem of too many people being turned off by our beloved antique. What if the water park does not come to pass? Good question. The Strikers and the City will have to work out a deal from there. It is not a given that the Strikers will stay at Lockhart then. The FO says they have a plan B, but the rumors we have heard about that are not encouraging. It is a bit ironic that Beckham's MLS team may be in a better situation for a stadium than the Strikers, never the less that could very well be the case. It is the sincere hope of all fans that TPTB in the FO and our belovedall Brazilian ownership group now understand that that this ain't Brazil. Having team games (all of them AFAIK) broadcast in Brazil and China may be a wonderful thing in some ways, however, it will not put any of those viewers fannies into Lockhart seats. The lifeblood and survival of the Strikers, and all minor league NASL teams, is local. If they can not get people from Broward and Palm Beach Counties to drive a few miles to cheer for their local team they have a major problem. Maybe their math is good enough to see that the difference between 17,000 and 2,331 is vast and a whole lot of work must be done starting right now.
i sincerely hope the strikers FO get their act together. although ive had my differences with you and most strikers fans here, ive never asked or hoped for the Strikers to fail.
Reread the first short paragraph. If not this year then in the near future they will bring a championship, or several, to the Strikers. BTW, the most impressive thing they have done is I can not find any back stabbing in to FO right now. Luis has tamed the animals in the zoo. He has also charmed his critics in F19 & The Tailgate Show to the point they consider him their BFF. These two things taken together are astounding. However, the key is the stadium. Lockhart must be rebuilt or abandoned. If the Schlitterbahn deal goes through as promised then the team will have a home for the next 10 years at minimum along with a first class facility to play in. If not? Then the team says they have a plan B that involves the City of Fort Lauderdale and themselves to upgrade Lockhart with an extended lease. What if that does not fly? Then they are supposed to have a plan C involving a current stadium built for another sport along with some land near there. Not a great solution, but the best they can muster. I also strongly believe that they need one more member of the ownership group that has deep, deep pockets, not Brazilian, local and willing to lose $$$ for at least a decade to keep up with the Cosmos, MFC and others that will spend whatever it takes to win. I do not think the Strikers are quite there yet for that. That may be the missing element. In short, I may not see a bright future short term, but long term I do see the franchise succeeding. I do believe that the current FO and owners have planted the seeds for success. In any event we will see what happens in the next few years. It, as always, will be interesting.
http://www.npsl.com/news_article/show/634879?referrer_id=1575779 Fort Lauderdale Strikers today announced the appointment of John Earle as assistant coach of Fort Lauderdale Strikers U-23, the player development side of the club that will play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) Sunshine Conference this summer. Strikers U-23 kick off preseason training this Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.
Happy to have my countryman Julius James on board. I will be followingFort Lauderdale Strikers. http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=65169.0
After a less than impressive outing against Minnesota we now know that the Strikers are no threat to win the Spring Season Championship. After having a much longer preseason than any other team in the league they are still not a cohesive team and are prone to making too many mistakes that a good team like Minnesota can use to their advantage. I can not see them even having a mid-table finish. They are simply not that good. We now play 2 Florida teams on succeeding Saturdays at home and I find myself hoping for a total of 2 points from those games. That is how poor I think the team is. I would like 6 points, but I do not think this group of players is capable of that. Two ties is the best I can hope for. I hope I am wrong and will be delighted if they prove me wrong. Unfortunately, my skepticism won't allow that. Maybe the Spring Season will prepare them for the long Fall Season. Maybe by then Caio Zinardi can make them into a team. He has to be the one, because you can bet your life the best NASL coach over the last few years - Gunter Kronsteiner - will not be back to haul their asses out of the fire again.
Can we ditch the red shorts with the red tops? Sheeesh. Let's hope Saturday we are 'back in black'....
So Guerin Steps down from his position as CEO. Wonder if its related to the home opener's poor showing. I had a feeling this weekend was really going to be a bright spot attendance-wise for the league, maybe I was wrong/overly optimistic.
His move has nothing to do with the team's performance or the lack of attendance. Check last night's "The Tailgate Show" on blogtalk radio. Luis Cuccatti, the team's Managing Director, called in to address this move by Sean Guerin. It has more to do with Lockhart Stadium or a replacement among other issues in the business area. His call is about 30 minutes in.
http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/05/26/strikers-link-up-with-npsl-side-southern-california-sports-club STRIKERS LINK UP WITH NPSL SIDE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SPORTS CLUB The player development efforts of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers took another massive step forward Thursday with the club announcing a partnership with Southern California Sports Club (SoCalSC). “This partnership adds another layer to our goals of developing top young players,” Strikers Managing Director Luis Cuccatti said. “Along with Strikers U-23, the under-19 team that will participate in the Weifang Cup in China, and Fort Lauderdale FC, Southern California Sports Club will play a strategic role in our player development initiatives.” Looks like development is still an ongoing process for the Strikers. I find it encouraging...
http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/ma...ndo-city-sc-vs-fort-lauderdale-strikers/recap Victor ‘PC’ Giro scored a stunning solo goal from 20 yards in the very last minute of the extra period to leave the Lions stymied by their own poor finishing and some inspired goalkeeping by Diego Restrepo. The Strikers now go on to visit the Chicago Fire for the US Open Cup quarterfinals, on July 19 or 20.
I wish there was some video of the match, if only highlights. I know there was no live broadcast but surely there were cameras there.
Strange atmosphere at the game Saturday... --Nobody collecting for parking --No ticket scanner machines --Non-functioning stadium clock --Still no paper programs What's going on here? This is already way beyond weird.
Latest rumor is that July 2 has passed and Schlitterbahn has said nothing. Was told to expect Strikers moving to Cricket Stadium in Sunrise by September. We will see what happens on July 16th when we play Carolina at Lockhart. BTW, did you notice that the game jersey does not have one of the teams Brazilian sponsors, Azul, on the back?
Yep, looks like Azul is out and Amazon-Jungle.com is in...still not sure why they would move if Schlitterbahn has said nothing. Seems like moving would make sense if Schlitterbahn is a go, as they might need to move the games to start work on the site.
I have heard that they consider Lockhart to be a lost cause. I MUST be rebuilt, refurbished because its state of disrepair is now unacceptable and the owner, the City of Ft Lauderdale, seems to not want to do anything until Schlitterbahn decides on what it wants to do. Rumor has it that Schlittebahn has asked for an extension on their due diligence. Since no one at the FO will say anything about what is going on that is pretty much all we "know" about what is going on.