USL Winter League?

Discussion in 'United Soccer Leagues' started by 4door, Jul 27, 2012.

  1. 4door

    4door Member+

    Mar 7, 2006
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If USL could in the future break up their Pro division into 2 seasons, one in the Spring-Fall and the other int he late Fall-Early spring, it could be an incredible strategic advantage for USL.

    1. Between Dec-March, USL would be the only pro soccer league in the US that is playing.
    2. USL winter league can loan players from MLS who do not get much playing time and could use more games. This would be similar to the way winter baseball leagues operate.
    3. Because teams are not playing in the summer, it becomes much more feasible to expand into desert climates who will always be at a disadvantage playing in the summer.

    Possible USL Winter League locations
    1 Phoenix
    2 Tucson
    3 San Diego
    4 Inland Empire
    5 Fresno
    6 Las Vegas
    7 Albuquerque
    8 El Paso
    9 Austin
    10 Ft. Worth
    11. Oklahoma City
    12 Tulsa
    13 Corpus Christi
    14 Laredo
    15 Bakersfield
    16 Los Angeles


    You would basically have an American version of Apertura/Clausura seasons with a Summer/Winter league. Your calendar would be determined by your geography/climate. Also many of these teams could use minor league baseball fields that would be mostly empty during those months. Allowing the team to get better rent deals for stadiums.
     
  2. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So would those teams only play in the winter?

    Also, I don't know if you've been to Fort Worth in the winter, but it's not exactly Phoenix.

    And then, instead of competing with, say, minor league baseball and....well, not much else, really....they'd be competing for eyeballs and sponsors and discretionary income with basketball (college, pro and minor league), hockey (ditto), and college sports.
     
  3. 4door

    4door Member+

    Mar 7, 2006
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I guess it wouldn't be winter only, for instance it would be something like this
    USL Session 1 - Mid Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb-March
    USL Session 2 - April-May-June-July-August-Sept, Mid Oct

    So for Session 1 teams, on the warm end games would be played around about 80 degree and on the low end probably 55 degree games (mid day on weekends). No one freezing and no one baking alive. For a Chicagoan that is pretty much a dream. To go see the Fire for the entire season you'll probably experience about 35 degrees on the low end and 100 on the high end.

    Every part of the year is going to have issues as far as competition with other sports, but I think for a D3 league your competition IMO isn't against NFL or NBA I think its really against minor league baseball in some smaller markets. I think the kind of sponsors you will be going after are probably the smaller companies that advertise during the summer with sponsorships of minor league baseball teams. If you can be the winter equivalent of that, and also benefit from the fact that MLS teams will probably loan you their fringe players so they can get some playing time, maybe it could work.
     
  4. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, I meant would some of these individual teams play in both "sessions" or just one or the other?
     
  5. 4door

    4door Member+

    Mar 7, 2006
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In my mind it would be one or the other. I couldn't see why a team would want to play year round. Basically you'd take LA Blues and Phoenix City and end up expanding to El Paso, Tucson, Albuquerque, San Diego, Corpus Christi...and they would start in October and go to March. The other teams currently in the league would play March-October just like they do now.
     
  6. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So would you see players play in both sessions (play outdoor most of the year rather than outdoor-indoor-outdoor or outdoor or indoor only)?
     
  7. 4door

    4door Member+

    Mar 7, 2006
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would guess that would happen quite often. I could see some guys from the summer league still going to indoor in the winter, but certainly some would go to the winter league.
     
  8. amancalledmikey

    Oct 27, 2003
    I have a bindle at this point...
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Let's see the USL run a stable summer league before they go anywhere near a winter league.
     
    Green and BLue and panicfc repped this.
  9. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You back to try again? Oh, this will be fun.
     
  10. 4door

    4door Member+

    Mar 7, 2006
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ha, 'stability' didn't stop them from running a winter indoor league.
     
  11. amancalledmikey

    Oct 27, 2003
    I have a bindle at this point...
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Is this aimed at me, Kenn?
     
  12. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Can't put anything past you.
     
  13. amancalledmikey

    Oct 27, 2003
    I have a bindle at this point...
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I don't think I actually went away, given I've been posting on this forum just shy of nine years. You've become an utter douchebag in recent times. Problems off-board?
     

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