Welcome to BigSoccer Puddleduck! Always welcome to hear a different viewpoint in relation to this suggestion thread as our cross-section here tends to be weighted slightly another way. Your input will stand alone in this thread as an equal opinion/vote. Reminder: If discussion does break out or if anyone feels the need to discuss other points posted here they will need to be contained in another thread as critiqueing of opposing viewpoints and debate is not what this thread is intended for. We/I will over moderate here to try and keep it clean with suggestion/vote orientation type stuff only. I hope you choose to continue posting here in the Wizards forum.
Read your post Beech, feel free to move this. Always good to see new posters, but I have to disagree. Adults willing to pay a reasonable price for a professional soccer match are the future of soccer in America. It's the only way US pro soccer is sustainable. Kids will always be kids and have close to 0 disposable income. The Zard Card devalued the product and was abused heavily by adults as well. It got to the point where people just expected tickets to be close to 0 cost. I took advantage of it myself many times. I do think there should be kids pricing on the season ticket level to make it easier for those who want to bring their kids to many games. I continue to be skeptical of the long-term benefits of bringing 50 8 year old kids to a game together. Between disinterested parents, concessions, their friends next to them, Beckham, Dynamo and whatever other distractions, they're not paying much attention to soccer to begin with. Tailor the product towards the adults, engage their interests, and you have something kids won't outgrow at age 13.
Robb, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE schedule the stadium groundbreaking on a weekend so that more fans can be there. I am sure the training facility ceremony on Friday had a lot to do with the team's travel schedule, but a stadium groundbreaking is a once in a lifetime event that fans will want to share with the team. The ceremony (depending on the time of year it happens) could be a daylong event where fans can meet the team and new ownership group. Ideally, it could be on a weekend where we have a home game, so that all players and coaches will be there as well.
I think the new Kids Club program is totally appropriate. https://secure.mlsnet.com/t105/fans/kids_club/register/ Far and beyond a better program than the Zards.
Yes it is but imo this should be a perk for the kids with season tickets. hell if you are going to make them pay full price for season tickets atleast you should include this with it. Sorry but don't throw the no other sports teams have discounted youth season ticket prices line. Not everysport has kids being there #1 demographic. Or better yet how many 6 yr olds you know have season tickets to baseball or football?
Seems totally fair and reasonable. I don't know if this happens, but are these mentioned when soliciting season ticket holders, or as an added option when taking purchases?
Maybe I have to much time on my hands at work, but I am increasingly frustarted with the lack of online info, e.g. blogs, about moves the wizards are making. NYRB has Ives, DC has Goff and many others, Toronto already has several. I am not talking about the KC Star, they seam to be average from what I can tell. I know a lot of the problem is the bloggers themselves, but if KC could leak more information to those that are trying (DownTheByline and kcwizards.theoffsides.com), it would be a lot easier and less frustrating trying to follow the team. The daily updates on the website have been good, but those are official post. I like to hear people expressing opinions. In case no one noticed our attendance, the stadium, not making the playoffs, and this are the four things we are mocked about the most in soccer communities.
If OnGoal decides to go with the Bannister mall location for the new stadium provide secure parking (with security, fencing, etc...) and advertise it as such. I think Mr. and Mrs. JoCo would be more likely to bring Timmy and Susy to a game if they didn't have to worry about their Escalade in the parking lot.
Before this turns into a amount of crime in that area debate, please read this thread, all the arguements are there: http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php/topic,10818.0.html
You know, Big Larr, not everybody in JoCo drives an Escalade and lives in a $500K home. I hear enough of this crap on the KCSkyscrapers forum.
There are probably more Escalades in the area around Bannister mall than there are around my South O.P. neighborhood.
Mod Note: It's about time this thing lived on it's own legs. I'll leave it stickied for another couple of days but I think everyone has shared what they felt needed to be said.
Ok, time for this birdie to fly and be free. Only bumps/posts will keep this one flying at the top as the sticky is being removed. It seems most all has been said that was going to be said. Thanks again Robb.
I would like to reinforce the idea that the logo needs to be changed, drastically. The rainbow isn't exactly striking fear into the hearts of our opponents. I also, don't think that the casual Kansas City fan is going to want to buy any apparel with that logo on it. The white and blue are great, but let's modernize it. Just take a look at what Chelsea did with the same color jerseys in the EPL. http://www.mlsgear.com/category.asp?CAT=CAT-TEAMS-CHELSEA I also believe that we should try to strike a partnership with an oversees club from one of the substantiated leagues like the English Premier League. The Rapids have done this with Arsenal and I think that you are going to see more teams follow suit. The EPL is dying to capture the potential market here and now is the best time to form partnerships, while we can still join up with a good club. In fact, Chelsea already has the same colors and it would be a perfect way for them to start branding themselves here in the US. Here is what Arsenal says about their recent partnership with the Rapids: http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?...rsenal+enter+partnership+with+Colorado+Rapids
They're already on the path of changing the logo, the rainbow has been relegated to the secondary logo, and other then the fact that it's going to be used on the jerseys, I don't think it'll be used that much. As to a partnership, I agree, except Chelsea and I believe LA already have a partnership, plus I can't stand Chelsea, but that's another arguement for another thread. I know there was talk at the season ticket holder party over Christmas about a home-home with a European side, presumably English, I would hope a partnership would be part of that deal as well.
Though this is a strange way to begin posting on BigSoccer instead of simply reading it, I have to put my two cents in because a partnership deal and a new kit are both things I've been pondering lately. My dream would be this: 1) Partnership with Liverpool FC - not only are the Reds my favorite European team, they were just bought by Americans looking to make their mark on the club and move it into a new era. How about a piece of the MLS pie, guys? 2) A change of color to go with the partnership. I know RBNY already has a red kit, but I think the Wizards could come up with a really great uniform based on Liverpool's training kit. Though it isn't as classic as the red home kit, we wouldn't have to give up blue and white entirely.
I missed that announcement about Chelsea and LA. I don't like Chelsea either, but I just picked them as an example, because I thought the color branding was there. This just strengthens the argument that we need to form a partnership before all the good teams are gone. If I had my wish it would be Newcastle, since I'm a fan of theirs from the Alan Shearer days.
You're gonna find a lot of negative response from people to this one, most people on these boards want to keep blue. Not to mention the fact that there are already 3 teams that wear red or a shade close enough to be red (Chicago, CO, and TFC, Red Bull is now wearing white as their home color and a dark blue on the road like their Austrian counterpart.). While only 2 teams, KC and NE wear blue as their main color.
No, non, nyet, nein, nope. The Wizards have always been and, I hope, will always be blue. I like our kit. It's simple and elegent and it's blue. Not red, not green, not orange, but blue.
Always? ---- It's funny that everyone mentions their favorite team as the one to partner up with... ha, I'd just be happy to have a good team to partner with even if it is an evil team like Manure or deadpool(the ultimate bandwagon team) or arse-n-all. It's not like we have to LIKE our parner, it just has to be mutually beneficial for the clubs(or more for us ) But if there was a direction to look to for a partner, have it be a sister-city if it can be swung. http://www.kcsistercities.org/cities.htm The oldest KC sister city is Seville. They have a good team(currently) that we get updates on. Guadalajara is probably out of the question since they have Chivas USA. Morelia is there but they might still have that Chicago association. Hannover, Germany. Kurashiki, Japan (i'd have to look to see if they have a J-League team). Metz, France. I have no idea if the other cities have decen club teams...
Hannover is home to Hannover 96, club team of American defender Steve Cherundolo, currently 7th in the Bundesliga who MLS just signed an agreement with... I would take Seville as well though. But neither of those are the type of partnerships that would get much attention, it would have to be some big club over there (no offense to Qdog, but Seville is not well known here.)
1) I think the Liverpool training kit would have kept the integrity of "Wizard Blue" with a little twist. Imagine the stripe of red on the sides of the current uniform... I think it'd be slick. Did my mention of a red uniform completely kill any hope of a comment about Liverpool as a great partnership? 2) It's interesting that Seville is a sister city to KC... I almost mentioned that a partnership with a team from La Liga would be intriguing. And since when is Hannover 96 better known than Seville in the States? Or even Steve Cherundolo, for that matter? The amount of European teams instantly recognizable to the average American sports fan would probably be around six: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona. Outside of the EPL and some of La Liga, it's slim pickings.
No it didn't kill any of the conversation about that, you were just met with strong resistence to changing the kit color. The Wizards are blue, not blue and red. If I signify blue and red with any team in MLS it's the Revs, the Wizards should just stay blue, don't add an extra color. As too the partnership, other then my own EPL bias, I think Liverpool would be a good partnership, because it's a known commidity in the world of soccer. Are you referring to my referencing of Hannover? I never said that Hannover was more well known then Sevilla, I just was pointing out what team was in Hannover and that a US international played for them. For me personally that would be a great match up, but I'm not your average American sports fan. But as I also stated, neither Hannover or Sevilla would give us a partnership that would draw much attention from anyone. as you stated, there are very few teams that are internationally known, other then the ones you listed I might add Bayern Munich, Juventus, and maybe both Milans, but other then that you are correct there aren't many teams that are going to be well known by the average American sports fan.