Phoenix needs a MLS team. You know, Major League Soccer, that league that signed that Beckham guy that had that movie named after him. For most of America soccer is that sport that is played when you are kid where a giant pack just runs around chasing a ball. Or when the World Cup comes on everyone decides to root for their “homeland” (see: Italy 2006).
Support for the little league that could is slowly gaining steam. This year the additions of Beckham, Blanco, Fred, Toronto FC, a new look for Colorado Rapids, and a lucrative TV deal with ABC/ESPN is moving things in the right direction for MLS.
What else could help the league? Phoenix, Arizona getting a team. You don’t need to look any further than the recent Mexico v. USA “friendly” that took place at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. A record setting 64,000 fans attended the game. Here’s the kicker, roughly 60,000 of them were Mexican national fans. Also on any given day of the week you can see countless number of Mexican League games on the Spanish speaking channels on Cox cable.
Arizona is home to a large Hispanic and Mexican population most of which have grown up following and playing soccer. You can also go to any town parks in the cities near and around Phoenix and see a number of pick-up soccer games going on. So if Kansas City can get a team why can’t Phoenix? Arizona has plenty of places available for the team to play. The biggest in University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. We’ve seen they can create a great atmosphere for soccer, but it has too much seating. This is the MLS, not the English Premiere League; they won’t sell 60,000+ seats. What’s another venue? Arizona State University has a soccer field, granted it doesn’t hold very many but it’s there, they also have a football stadium but again, it won’t sell that many seats. Depending on who takes over the team, a soccer-specific stadium could be built in or around the city.
That’s another thing, there’s no shortage of investors in Arizona. Scottsdale is one of the richest cities in the United States. Phoenix is also home to many franchises which would be able to co-own the MLS team, Diamondbacks, Suns, Cardinals, Sting, Coyotes, etc. We’ve got an AFL team…why not a MLS? Below is my idea for Phoenix FC. 
14 comments:
Jeff, youre awesome. If we do get a team though, we need to sign Tim Cahill. :)
"We’ve got an AFL team…why not a MLS?"
That is the exact reason why not. All studies done on the Phoenix sports market have shown it to be oversaturated, which makes sense given the Cardinals, Suns, Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Sun Devils, Rattlers, Roadrunners, a NASCAR track, the FBR Open, Fiesta and Insight Bowls, spring training... there isn't room for much more. Also, a soccer-specific stadium is a MUST - MLS has said so.
Oh, and the Sting and Mercury too, of course.
http://www.mlsphoenixrising.com/
I've been a Rattlers season ticket holder since day 1, back in the days when they sold out all 15,505 seats in America West Arena for their first 2 1/2 seasons. At that time, the only competition in town was the Suns, Cardinals, and ASU athletics. Now that there are so many other options for the sporting dollar, attendance for the team has plunged and they struggle to break 8-9,000 most weeks, and this is for a team that has had only 2 losing seasons in their entire history.
We know that the Cardinals struggled to fill Sun Devil Stadium all those years, and they'll struggle to fill Glendale Stadium after a few of their typical 5-11, 4-12, 6-10 seasons. Even the Suns and Diamondbacks have gone through serious downturns in attendance over the years.
I can't imagine that an MLS team would be anything more than a niche franchise, drawing most of its support from the Hispanic community (not that there's anything wrong with that) and struggling to put butts in the seats. If anything, I'd say we could easily kiss the Mercury, Cardinals, and Nascar goodbye so there's not so much oversaturation in the market.
thanks for the input fellas!
One more thing to add to Mark's comments. MLS history has told us, that you can't count on the local Hispanic population to come out in droves.
For the same reason that Denver Broncos fans remain Denver Broncos fans, or Detroit Red Wings fans remain Red Wings fans when they live in Phoenix, these folks have loyalty to their own/old clubs from back home (or their parents' homes), add to that the incorrect assumption that MLS is an inferior product (that can be overcome...but it's tough).
Don't waste your time lobbying MLS to deign to grant Phoenix a team -- it'll never happen. What you need to do is lobby local billionaires.
I should clarify, when I said "It'll never happen" I mean MLS will never just say "Hey this is a great market, let's stick a team here!" There has to be an owner with a) $35 million dollars for Expansion Fee b) Solid plans for a stadium in the near future and c) $5-6 million for annual operating expenses
Zach is right, the Phoenix sports market has a lot to offer. However, no other sport can claim over 40,000 kids playing it at the youth level in Phoenix. In fact, not one sport comes close!
The AFL is the niche market. Playing football on a carpeted and padded ice-hockey rink is not football. It's more like kids having fun at a family bbq!
Soccer and the Latino community: Yes, if a quality product is put onto the field, the Latino community will support it. But, no one is saying that it is a given that they will. The Latino's are only a fraction of the projected fan base.
Goose is 100% correct when he says that MLS is not going to simply hand over a team to Phoenix. That is why PHX Soccer Development and MLS Phoenix Rising were created. PHX Soccer Development is making tremendous strides and getting closer to making this reality everyday! MLS Phoenix Rising has over 1,000 people signed up to pledge their support of professional soccer in barely over 1 months time.
Phoenx is a soccer town. Only Dallas has more youth soccer complexes in the US. MLS WILL WORK IN PHOENIX. You'll see!
Join MLS Phoenix Rising in an opportunity to see an MLS game and show Major League Soccer, on a nationally televised game, that Phoenix can support an MLS team. Chivas USA has reserved a section for MLS Phoenix Rising that will be very visible on the broadcast.
For more information, visit the Member Events page at MLSPR
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