To be honest

honesty, I was just recently introduced to soccer. My whole life I was raised by a man that didn't recognize soccer as a real sport. He raised me to hate soccer and love football. And I did(I still love Chiefs football more than anything on this planet...i know, i know, im a sad, sad soul). However, I started to pay attention to the World Cup two summers ago while I was out in Omaha for the College World Series. Since then, I've just gotten more and more intrigued with this sport. With all this in mind, its hard to recreate that, to recreate my sudden obsession with a forbidden sport, that was essentially fueled by Thierry Henry and the Arsenal.

Seeing as how attached my family is to the KC area, the Wizards were the focus of our hate towards this sport, and even after the WC i didnt recognize the MLS much. However, I got into the MLS when I saw the DCUnited-Chicago 2nd Leg in RFK during the playoffs. That game made me believe that the MLS is a legitimate league, it was absolutely nuts. Now, once again, this would be a very hard system to recreate to get new fans.

However, the reason that I landed on the Wizards was that it is in fact 'Kansas City's team.' I love KC. Most people that are from around KC love this place. Its the same for Iowa. I will root for any team from Iowa(other than those b@st@rds from iowa city). I even root for our NBDL team, which is a joke. Somehow we need to convince people of the area that not only is soccer a real sport, but that the Wizards are in fact a Kansas City team, and that they actually compete. Hell, they're the only team in the area that has won a major league championship in the past 2 decades. Also, we know that KC is passionate towards their franchises, and need to prove to them that the Wizards fanbase is no different. And another major selling point is how involved you guys are with the fanbase from these BigSoccer posts, to the awesome Hillcrest Road blog. Its great to know that you actually care about our opinion, and I think that that is something that would intrigue people.

All of this being said, I don't think that were going to gain much more support while playing in a small baseball stadium. As sure as I am that it is going to be a great time, and as excited as I am for this season, it still seems like a joke from the outside. However, with a new stadium, hopefully we can attract people to come, then once they're there we must convince them to continue to come back. Somehow the Menace have accomplished this for years with PDL team.

Sorry to make this so long, I just wanted to explain that my new Wizards fanhood seems like a pretty special case, and not much like anything that we can use as a general practice.

I will leave you with this beautiful quote from the greatest export from Iowa:
People will come Robb, people will most definitely come.

 

how many tickets have been sold for this upcoming season?

 

Robb,

I'm sure you have gone through this many times.

The one think I would point out is that being a Wizards fan in the work place has been a guilty pleasure for some time. There's always that one A**hole who will come along and try to run you down.

I think if there was some way of changing this the water cooler talk and support alone will enhance the cities perception of the game.

I must say that name recognition is really out there. 90% of the people I meet are aware of the MLS and the Wizards.

Beckham made a huge huge difference.

I think a star from each opposing team should be picked up and highlighted as visiting town. This would make smack talk much easier and help build towards game day.

Such as Juan Pablo Angel and the NY Redbulls are coming to town this week...

 

Well, I'll put down a fwe thoughts off the top of my head.

First, I'd say that the on field product is what people are going to want to come out and support. I don't know that the Wizards would be able to draw a significant amount of new fans if the team itself isn't winning games. What I would think that the fans who aren't already soccer supporters would ultimately want to see is a winning team out on the field.

And then I think that there's a lot of people who don't really know when the Wizards are playing. Most people I've talked to know the team exists, but don't really know when the season runs or where they play or if they're even going to be on television. I remember there being some TV ads last season, but maybe running more TV ads during local news and stuff.

And, of course, I think adding a high profile DP for the 2010 season would be a good idea

Ultimatly though, I think the teams in good hands and I'm looking forward to opening day >.<

 

i think that the whole MLS started off with too much focus on bringing in children. that's fine, and i know youth soccer is a big deal, but most of those kids grow up and stop being interested.

so basically, you have to get adults to come, and in a town that's very aggro-chiefs minded, it might take some clever marketing. but i remember when no one went to the chiefs games in the 80s. it was more kid-friendly then, too.

of course, you have to balance that, and make sure you are grooming generations of fans... because the chiefs are at risk of having a whole generation that has never been to a chiefs game and is content with watching at home where it's warm and you get a myriad of statistics. does any team have a 'family section' as sort of the opposite of a supporters section? keep dynamo the dragon over there and everything. i don't know, just an idea.

the royals used to be bigger than the chiefs. winning helps, but i don't think it's everything. and the wizards have definitely been good enough over the years that there's a good chance newcomers will be there on a winning night. i know cheap tickets are the only reason half the people who go to royals games are there, these days, but that's not that many people either. also, the problem with soccer is that aside from winning at the end of the game (not to mention that your average american doesn't like a draw), most people don't understand what they're watching for. it's not continuous points like other sports, so getting people to understand they're watching for matchups, takeaways, etc. and not just goals.

i do think the games need to be televised on local broadcast tv. i don't have any idea how licensing works for any of that, but 38, 62, 48, or 29 might do it.

i could be wrong, but i think chivas usa hurt other teams by converting half of the mexican fanbase who now only show up on those nights.

also, consider things that americans like. they like big elaborate shows, so maybe some booming voiced intro announcement with fog machines and pyrotechnics will make a lot of people think they had a better night in the end somehow. they like alcohol and eating too much, so perhaps figure out how to make tailgating a bigger part of it, especially since games are an hour or so shorter than NFL/MLB games (which most people will probably realize is a good thing). the other thing chiefs fans understand is rivalries: play that up, get more average joes in when we're playing more passionate games, and they'll come back.

okay, i've typed too much, so i'm done for now.

 

i don't really have a suggestion, at least not at this moment, but more of a general comment.

it's pretty clear that our best year, off the field, was the year before lamar put the team up for sale. he showed dedication to the cause of growing the fanbase, and wouldn't ya know it... it worked. 'course, we all know what happened the year after that, and that not only killed the momentum we'd gained, it actually sent us spiraling downward. i like the path we're on now, but it's definitely not going to be instantaneous as it takes a lot of effort and a bit of a nail-biting to pull out of a dive. i think the effort has been there (expanding the staff, front office, community outreach, hiring sam, etc), and now the nail-biting is being done with regards to the stadium complex. levelling off was the first step. the question is, do we have the engine power and the fuel to increase the altitude so we can fly above everyone else?

 

To me, and this goes against what an earlier poster said, a lot of people don't even know we HAVE a team. I was talking to a girl at the gym earlier today, who was a huge sports fan (basketball, football, college sports). We got to talking about soccer and she goes "Do we even HAVE a professional team?" That's just one example. I hear that seemingly ALL the time.

Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what you CAN do. It seems to me as though sports are only popular if ESPN says they are. Arena football is trying to gain traction. It's got the whole "football" thing, but it gets scant coverage on ESPN and as a result, most fans don't even know we have one of those teams, or that there's even a league for it.

I think the first thing is to get name recognition out there. Get a weekly spot on some sports radio stations. Not a full-blown show, but a weekly spot on 610 and 810's shows (all of them that you can, especially the morning, lunch and drive-time shows) with various Wizards personnel, players and higher-ups. It kinda seems like it's an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing. I don't have to look up when the next KU basketball or Chiefs football game is, because it's all over the newspaper, tv and radio. I never just casually hear about when the next Wizards game is on any of those same channels.

I would suggest maybe having a presence at the local colleges. Tickets aren't exactly expensive, and if you give college students bulk discounts, I'm very certain they'll come out. College kids are always looking for a cheap place to hang out where there's beer. JCCC, KU, KCKCC, etc. There's a lot of people that grew up playing soccer that attend these schools, too.

I think that if you really want to capture a market, you're going to have to focus on young adults and people that grew up with soccer. An adult with kids that don't play soccer and didn't grow up playing soccer is probably a lost cause. There's just too much pseudo-macho anti-soccer bias in that market. I agree with the poster about getting games on television other than Metro Sports and the once a decade ESPN game. It seems to me that the Wizards franchise simply needs more exposure.

I'm so happy that you guys want to create the best atmosphere in MLS and I really hope that everyone here can help to accomplish that. If people see a game on TV where there are a lot of people being loud and having a ton of fun, that will definitely help.

 

We have to win over the media in this city.
Radio won't talk about the Wizards and TV will only show results late at night on a Saturday when no one is watching. Lately it seems The Star hasn't been doing horribly bad at covering the Wizards. I think that it's kind of a vicious cycle. The media won't cover it because the masses don't care and the people don't know about it because the media won't cover it.

 

As an outside observer, moving the Cauldron into the sight lines of the main camera and having a bouncing, singing, enthusiastic bunch of people in there was huge. Make sure those Argentine guys get a ride to the new ballpark--and get them to bring their friends!

Here in New England, people who buy season tickets get free parking passes in VIP locations. I don't know if this is feasible down there, but in my case it made the difference that allowed me to buy an extra season-ticket seat, and for some it's what allows them to get a season ticket at all.

If I'd had to pay $20/game for parking X 16 games....that's not just not on par with the otherwise affordable nature of MLS, and I doubt I would've done it.

 

Robb,

It is always good to see you post. What you are doing, by keeping the fans informed is a big part in building a strong foundation to the club. It is one of the reasons why I have got back into following the Wizards, seeing that the management is invested in the team and wants to strive to a better product. Fans always wanted to feel involved in their club and how many clubs can say you get to correspond with one of presidents of the club. I love the Hillcrest Road blog as well.

I would say the next 2 years are key before opening up the new stadium. If CAB can become a festive and intimate atmosphere and sell-out with 10,000 fans (I hope ticket sells are going ok), then I would think a good percentage of those 10,000 can become a core season ticket base for the new stadium. You will naturally get new season ticket holders when the stadium opens just because people will want to check it out (it will be more "major league"), but if a core group of fans is not established it will be hard to establish a passionate fan base just because of the new stadium (I think of Colorado's stadium). And I am talking about not just the Cauldron growing in numbers, but other groups as well, those who might not want to be in the Cauldron, but still want to make an impact on the game in different portions of the stadium.

This is why I am excited about CAB, and why I got season tickets for the first time. Being away the the empty Arrowhead to a more intimate setting can allow the fans to feel that energy with seeing and hearing fans all around the field, being on top of the action. Promotions are ok to bring in new fans some time, but it is the experience at the game and quality on the field that will bring them back. Anything you could do with fan involvement, and start building that core base (Cauldron excluded, I know you guys have been there from day one). This could be from teaching fans songs to sing at different points at the game (building those little traditions, that gets the fan involved and active and not just sitting in their seats), I think of when I went to school and how we always sang the rock chalk chant at the end of games. Imagine 10,000 people at CAB singing a Wizard song towards the end of 90 mins of Wizard victory how cool would that be or a certain chant everytime we score a goal.

Also, if there is anyway to be covered more by the local media would help. It always seems like the Wizards are a afterthought, and maybe this will change more with time. But this portion of the media would be helpful in bringing in the new fans, if they cannot get good coverage in the local print, radio and tv media how are they suppose to follow their new team. Maybe educating people that there is stuff like Big Soccer, Hillcrest Road and other blogs that has information you can follow on a daily basis and keep up to date with your team.

I better stop now, I could keep going on, but I made this post long enough already. Keep up the good work.

 

Kansas City Wizards fans...You are so fortunate to have an owner like OnGoal and Robb Heineman!

It's amazing to see post from your owner at 1:08am and 2:55am! The fact that in the middle of the night, he is trying to think up ways to make your francise better, is truly inspiring!

I wish you all the best of luck for the future. With owners like Robb, I'm sure that you will one day be one of the premeir clubs in MLS.

I wish I could support you more, but Sioux Falls is just too far away.

 

"Sad, sad soul"?

Don't be sorry for being a football and soccer fan. This idea that some are pushing that to be into soccer and MLS means you have to undergo a 180 degree change in your sports outlook is ridiculous. Soccer is not a cult, it is the most popular sport in the world and as such adapts to the sporting culture in dozens of countries.

I'm MLS and NFL too, Red Bulls and Jets (still haven't gotten over the playoff loss to you guys in the 1969 season on the way to your Super Bowl run).

Anything that suggests to fans that they have to radically change; learn a new language (kit, nil, fixture, pitch, match, Sean Wheelock), or adopt a new culture (fish and chips at the pub mates) becomes a self fufilling prophecy of exclusion and marginalization.

As I've mentioned in other threads I was one of tens of thousands of fans at the Meadowlands (can't call it Giants Stadium) watching the Cosmos in the 70's and most of those crowds were sports fans like me who also followed the other sports in New York.

MLS and the Wizards will either find a way to attract general sports fans in this country or we will become a tiny sporting cult. So...bring your NFL friends to a Wizards game!

 

There are three places I'd go to for new sales - high schools, universities, and all the places where soccer is happening already.

I think the easiest sell is with soccer people first. They're out there, and I'm not talking about youth leagues. Adults play every night in this town all over the city. Work with both All-Americans, Sports City, Soccerdome etc.. If there are 200 people at a Kansas City Kings game, that sounds like a perfect opportunity. There are tons of impromptu kickarounds that happen each month on fields all over the city.

A personal invitation and a Cauldron ticket might go a long way with a lot of adults who already love the game but don't know they can find what they're looking for right here in KC. Maybe as part of another Build the Cauldron night.

I'd echo the need to continue the uphill battle into mainstream media. Push the Star, and give nuggets to them to break. Even the Columbus Crew now has a blog on the Dispatch site for their main beat writer. Luder and Grathoff should get regular scoops from the team. Goff's blog is the second most visited for the Washington Post. That's real return no one in the media can deny.

Invite members of the media to spend a game in the Cauldron rather than the removed quietness of a press box. DA was completely taken aback at our small little Cauldron in the corner, and was sold as much as he could be after that. Get Jeffrey Flanagan in the middle of the Cauldron. He responded somewhat positively last year when I invited him, but never followed through.

 

I really appreciated last year how you did away with the distractions from the game - ie the annoying Zard Card thing. With those things gone the game seems much more intense. Anything that tells people to move their attention from the game needs to be cut; in that line I like the idea that someone said of keeping dynamo in one section.

 

The Voodoo Lounge party at the beginning of last season was great. It might not have been the best ticket sales event, but having the team at a bar/club on a busy night is good marketing.

Not as an autograph session or to draw Wizards fans to the bar - just there, hanging out, interacting with people and having some drinks. The players would probably have more fun than at a standard team function. Maybe McFadden's on a busy night downtown, or some other high profile place that is always looking to promote events.

 

Sorry about that. You must understand that I'm 21 and it was 2:45 in the morning. seemed like a perfect opportunity to bear my soul to you guys

 

He was genuinely thanking you, I think. Parts of your story seem very universal. Resistance from the older generations, the World Cup being the thing that draws a lot of soccer-virgins for the first time.

The best linebacker at my high school, and a friend of mine for many years, bashed soccer by default (even I used to when I was a kid). He slowly discovered that he really enjoyed the game from a combination of the 2006 World Cup and some live KC games last year he saw thanks to some M&I Bank tickets.

Continuing to tie the Wizards into the larger patchwork of international soccer is an important part of soccer's trump card. Nothing is bigger than soccer in the world, and I think it's easier for soccer virgins to first connect to the passion displayed for the World Cup. 2010 is an important opportunity for the Wizards. Qualifying isn't high profile yet like the World Cup, but another World Cup qualifier in KC would be amazing.

Being connected even in rumor to internationals like Jared Borgetti or Cristiano Ronaldo D) is helpful in catching the attention of existing soccer fans even if they're not yet coming to games.

 

I think everything I thought of has been covered, but to reinforce the points I think are important:

1. Raise awareness in the general sports community. Get on 810 and 610 at a regular time every week. Buy spots advertising the next game on those same stations, maybe a couple of the music stations, too. I like the idea of getting a game or two on broadcast TV - who wouldn't want to check out a game after seeing the Cauldron on TV?? Especially after they dump three tons of streamers on someone....

2. Pursue the college/young adult market. There's just a huge difference in attitude toward the game between 35-year-olds and 25-year-olds. And anyone who has been to a big college rivalry game understands what the Cauldron is all about, which leads me to...

3. Keep supporting the Cauldron. I'm too old to jump and sing for two hours, but just having that energy in the building makes for a better experience for the rest of us.

4. Keep up the good work. Staying engaged with the fans like you are is just huge. I have season tickets to KU football and basketball, and, frankly, I feel like I'm just a checkbook to my alma mater. You guys are like a breath of fresh air.

 

Age old problem. T'is a local newspaper sports editor problem of dedicating enough space to the Wizards. Perhaps OnGoal can/should call in a few board room markers to put some legitimate pressure on the K.C. Star to have them sign on as a local sponsor and to engage in a highly visible marketing program within their publication.

There's another key! Loud Fun. It's contagious. Inside the stadium and in the parking lot.

 

I agree with the radio show... radio has hour commercials to sell just like TV. If you could buy one of those hours from either show that would be the best way to get your name out there... You could have people here at big soccer to do the show for free, and if it really works maybe get a perk down the road... the show can be about wizards or just about soccer. The problem isn't so much the wizards name... it is the sport... I know that I can keep peoples butts in arguing how soccer is a great sport, and relate it to football, baseball, and basketball. You should see how much an hour would cost every week of the year... It would be expensive, but it is great advertising to the sport fans...


TRY TO GET ON THE RADIO!!!!!!

 

Great idea. Perhaps locate a "family friendly" section opposite the Cauldron. That way the parents won't have a meltdown when the language in the Cauldron turns a bit dark.

Lots of folks have continually argued against this type of "Americanization" of the beautiful game. The only reason "Americans" seem to like this glitzy stuff is through a marketing-scheme-gone-ugly. It's time for us to face up to the fact this idea makes a mockery of the sport to everyone else outside the U.S.of A. Please let it die... here... and now!

 

Well, but wade, he's not talking about in game Americanization. Stuff at the start of the game or halftime I think is good. And it needs to be geared to the audience. That said, MLS made a concerted effort to play the MLS Anthem and the players walk out with kids. So, probably not a fog machine, but other stuff can probably be ok.

Did anyone know that Sporting Lisbon has cheerleaders? Which seems to go against all that is "soccer".

 

it's kind of a weird problem. because on one hand, the MLS has tried quite a few things to make the sport friendly to the American mindset, and a lot of it hasn't worked, but I think some of it has. nothing specific, really. i was half joking about the opening announcement thing being like that... but i do think that if you give people a little bit of adrenaline in some way or another, they'll run with it... i guess i was just thinking about Chiefs games, how it wakes everyone up when all the players are introduced.

i do, however, think it's silly to try to mimic europe all the time, and sometimes that's a big thing that frustrates me with the cauldron. i'm honestly never, ever going to say "fish and chips at the pub, mate" like a previous poster had said, but i have no problem saying pitch, kit, match, etc. because it's related to the sport. consider the fact that, as we all know, it's the biggest sport in the world, and different countries show their support in different ways, and have different cultures built around it. so while i know they all borrow from each other, and we can do that too, why does it seem like most strong supporters want to take 90% of it from england, with a little bit from latin america and other american sports, with only an incidental portion of it being invented however it happens to arise.