If You Build It…They Will Come
August 29th 2009
(Our Infamous former leader Guy, Drumming up some support; Image from Nap, The Project FC)
In light of the recent comments from our owners group spokesman Lew Wolff. I thought I should share a fan’s perspective. I am personnally very encourage by the attendance numbers. (Thanks to our outstanding front office staff.) We’re still keeping the stadium at minimum 70% full despite the biggest recession in many years, the team not winning games, and a revolving door of players some of whom fans had already grown attached to from last season. That’s alot more than at other stadiums in MLS (including Houston at times, thanks to their ridiculously hot and humid weather and despite winning two championships in the last 3 years.) I’m not normally a half full kind of guy, that’s ussually my better half. But I look around the stadium and think this is our core fan base. At the end of the day, these are the fans that will stay with the team no matter what. Some of these fans have grown up with the Clash/Quakes and have already seen the best of times and worst of times. Now imagine that you are able to tap into the more casual sports fan i.e. a (non-core) sharks fan who really knows nothing about hockey but loves to support a local team (that’s posting a winning record). Add to that converting your football fan who follows the EPL or La Liga. Get them to care about (or even be aware of) their local team, and I know that we can pack any size stadium the ownership decides to build. We need to be courting these fans. And when I say we I mean both the front office and us core supporters, Casbah or otherwise. Afterall we have invested and are as big a part of this team as Lew Wolff, SVSE, or any other investor. This is our club, and it is our responsibilty to grow it.
The stadium I think is the key element to getting some buzz about the team. We did get some buzz when the team was brought back into the league, but recently we’ve lost steam due to many to fans’ personnal economic hardships (I know more than a few that have been laidoff) and the team performance. Building the stadium brings a new opportunity to get a buzz going about the team. I don’t like the Giants, I’m an A’s fan but have gone to the new stadium and it’s a great experience. A new stadium with good ammenities and a good location attaches more than just the core supporters. Lew I know understands this or he wouldn’t be trying to build a new stadium for the A’s that already have one. If I’m a casual sports fan in San Jose or anywhere in the Bay and there is a brand new stadium I think I’d go at least out of curiousity. Even if I didn’t know anything about soccer. And if it was a good experience I think I would probably return and be willing to spend some hard earned money to watch the team. It’s not going to be as easy here as in Seattle or Toronto. Those markets have very little competition from other forms of entertainment. Here in the Bay Area and on up to Sacramento we’ve been blessed with two NFL teams, two MLB teams, two NBA teams, one NHL team as well as beautiful weather nearly year round and so many other things to do for entertainment I’m not even going to try to list them all. All the Seattle Sounder fans I know talk about how most of those fans are disgruntled Sonics fans. Most Quakes fans I know have been following the team for years. I still believe in the team and know that we will continue to grow the fan base but as Lew said this is a marathon. It will take time to bring in these new fans.
So Lew don’t lose the faith, we are with you but first you must build it….and they will come.
