I knew exactly what he wrote about because I've read that article before and listened to his similar interviews he did with Jason Davis and TTS. As always you don't like other people's critiques and retort to "well acktually you didn't read the article!!!!!"
I was going to make that point but you made it more concisely. If you're going to start a pro sports team from scratch you're going to have to invest a lot of money up front. But don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
Because the article is solely about Kingston Stockade’s accounts payables for the upcoming (2018) season with a couple sidebars about their Open Cup loss, some praise for the NPSL, and a bit about what their finances mean when it comes to paying players (TL/DR: they wouldn’t cover it). So, forgive me if this here seems like maybe you’re talking about something completely different: Or if you did, maybe read it again, since what you took away from it was apparently some completely different thing than what he wrote.
Did you read it? THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE TALKS ABOUT. He even says that his most unrealistic, lowball numbers for payroll wouldn’t add up.
Very convenient for you to cherry pick and leave out context. Probably should stop carrying water for a multi-millionaire though, he for sure doesn't need to be pampered. Follows the models, that, like probably every other former NPSL, USL2 teams did to turn professional?
Does he mention anything unrealistic about going pro? Context, right. Yep, not doing that. Just pointing out that he understands the economics of going pro. No idea what you’re saying here, given the context.
Indeed. Did Detroit City, Tormenta FC, Chattanooga FC understood the economics of going pro? He's free to stay where he's at or form a plan to turn professional.
I assume that they have a plan, yes. DCFC’s seems probably the closest to Crowley’s ideal model, although he got his original business model from talking to Tim Kelly about what CFC did. Tormenta... I dunno. It’s hard to see how they’re not following the “start with $3 million” model, but I know there’s real estate involved so Tormenta may simply be operating outside of regular economics. This is the bit that I’m not understanding in your point. He doesn’t seem to think anyone owes him the opportunity to turn the Stockade professional. He’s not whining about it. He’s literally laying out that to grow more revenue, he needs more games. But to get more games, he’d have to pay the players, and to get players as good as he currently gets for free, expanding the season wouldn’t grow the revenue to cover the added expense of payroll. Seems pretty level headed to me?
I dunno, seems pretty clueless to me. Like he's surprised by the fact that professional soccer isn't a charity. Year-by-year the landscape of professional soccer and soccer as a whole changes. Whoever thought that Detroit City would turn professional after years in NPSL? I don't think a sampling of the finances for one season two years ago changes what he plans to do in the future. He could announce plans to join NISA tomorrow and the narrative changes.
...? He’s dispelling this myth for people! His point isn’t whining about not having enough to pay players, he’s trying to educate the exact sort of people you’re railing about, using the actual books of a real working team about what would need to happen for this to be sustainable. He’s not moaning, he’s explaining exactly why Stockade has to find more revenue sources to hit somewhere near revenue neutrality. Like that is literally the opposite of what he wrote. He’s literally explaining the gap between the ceiling Stockade find themselves at based on amateur players, and the reality that simply adding more games can’t cover the expense of the players necessary to play those games. It’s a financial report. He did it for two, but sure. He’s very clear that his goal is to try to build a sustainable pro soccer team. I would be highly surprised if he did some Riccardo Silva style “burn money on my vanity project with no business model” heel turn. I mean, maybe, I don’t know the guy personally. But his interest definitely seems to be in solving the sustainability puzzle rather than the “pro team owner” ego buzz. It’s obviously still just a rich man’s plaything, and requires an abundance of privilege to be able to embark on such an experiment, but he has certainly never come across as wanting to take them pro at any cost, even if that’s how he’d define it as a success. I mean, sure, he could. It’s a crazy world. But given that he doesn’t seem to want to lose any amount of money on the Stockade, it feels a little unlikely.
Reading last day or so posts on this subject really drives me crazy. We have a soccer free-for-all of various leagues (amateur to pro), teams coming and going, teams jumping around leagues etc and don't even get me started on college soccer. Am I wrong, but this happen in other countries? Or are most other countries organized in a more logical manner? Are other countries FA in a much more stronger position in how soccer is managed? What are we afraid of in this country, so more specifically, what is USSF afraid of? Stepping on peoples toes or did I read some where, they are afraid of anti-trust issues?
Well in most European countries, football federations have a more regulative role in leagues they legislate. US Soccer is opposite from that.
I believe the issue is our anti-trust laws. Seems like I saw that somewhere in a discussion somewhere else on why the USSF does not have as much control as other federations.
There's definitely not a "quick" one and I would probably agree that there's probably not a single, reproducible model (e.g. you luck into a cheap and perfect stadium situation). It probably also benefit from some things that could, but don't currently, exist: regional pro leagues with low fees, Medicare for all, etc. I also agree that he might not be able to do it in Kingston, but I do think it's possible to stay relatively revenue neutral. Assuming we ever get post-Covid
Just to expand on this a little (especially now that I'm not trying to type it on my phone), this is absolutely how Detroit City FC and Chattanooga FC are designed to work: neither club is set up for a rich benefactor to assume sustained losses year on year. Their respective growths have been built around maintaining near-revenue neutrality, although it's also worth pointing out they they are both beneficiaries of fairly sweet stadium deals. That's not going to be a universal - and are notably absent in places like, say, Fresno, but seem to be more common than I would have expected: Little Rock, Asheville, OKC, Madison, Tulsa (until it wasn't), etc. As noted, COVID obviously throws a wrench in their plan, but soccer clubs are hardly unique in that regard. CFC might also record some unintended losses due to their timeline being accelerated due to the Red Wolves coming in.
What also would throw a wrench in the works is pro/rel. The panic buys or loan signings that take place whether you're trying to challenge for promotion or avoid relegation. And if a team has a bad or even mediocre season, attendances tend to drop. This is how most EFL clubs end up losing money.
Possibly, but it’s not as if there aren’t disciplined owners in pro/rel pyramids. The thing is with these particular clubs, they don’t really have the means to spend their way into trouble like that. To be honest, I think that their supporter ownership models would help curb some of that, as well.
I saw this statement just tonight (it's from last year). I always see Fresno as "Central California", not "Northern CA", so it got me thinking they're looking at another market, like Redding or somewhere? are they trying to stay in the Fresno area? Is anyone from the area and went to these matches? https://www.fresnofc.com/news_article/show/1072823 Fresno's gotten to be a pretty big municipality, but I'm not sure about the metro. Be nice to get something back in the valley again. I'm remembering the Hydra (Stockton) and the Cruisers (Modesto/Turlock area).
Metro area sizes in the Central Valley: Fresno: 999k Bakersfield: 900k Stockton: 762k Modesto/Turlock: 550k Visalia: 466k Merced: 278k Chico: 219k Redding: 180k Yuba City: 176k Madera: 157k Hanford: 152k
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...g-matches-because-positive-coronavirus-tests/ Loudoun United cancels remaining matches because of positive coronavirus tests