Jacksonville on short list for NASL franchise

[copperfiend]

I am not sold on Tampa. That ownership group fielded a team in the USL Pro this year and they barely averaged 300 people. The Orlando team in the same league averages several thousand a game.

Tampa has two teams, though -- tier 2 NASL and a 4th div. (Isn't Orlando City in 3rd div.?)
For what it's worth, the Marauders did have some fans at their last match here with JAX United, but I think having the Rowdies in town probably makes a huge dent in their home attendance. Most people who have to chose between which season tickets to buy probably chose the NASL team. Once again, without relegation and promotion, it's hard to build supporter stakeholds in lower-tier teams or to build long-term, spirited cross-town rivalries. 

Tampa seems to have many soccer teams, its no wonder some don't do as well as others. The NASL team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies ("tier 2" behind MLS) seem to do pretty well, about 4k per game. But there's also the "VSI Tampa Bay FC", a USL Pro team which has multiple associated teams (men's, women's, amateur, youth) and is based in the old Plant City baseball stadium, as well as a number of amateur teams and leagues throughout the region. The VSI Tampa Bay FC is presumably what copperfiend's talking about, but it's unsurprising (it would be like a "FC Real Jacksonville Soccer Academy United FC 1821" playing out at the World Golf Village while a higher profile team played at JU). I don't think it's a bad reflection on Tampa fans, or that we could expect similar, given that we'd only have one team as well as our vastly superior sports culture

The reason I brought up that USL Pro team is because that is the same ownership group that is supposedly building a 400 million dollar soccer stadium.

[KenFSU]

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is in talks to buy English Premier League club Fulham FC, according to multiple reports. What seemed to start as just rumors on Twitter late last night, which has now blossomed to a full fledged report on television from Sky Sports.

The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that Fulham owner Mohamad Al Fayed is putting the club up for sale, which has been valued around £200 million ($298 million), and a deal with Khan to purchase the team could be completed by the end of the week.

Khan is a noted soccer fan and made a few rounds to some matches when he was in London, most notably attending an Everton match and sitting with the owner of the club. The only feedback I've gotten speaking with a few people on the possibility of Khan entering the soccer foray is a "I wouldn't be surprised at all," but Sky Sports is reporting he's in advanced talks.

If Khan joined the EPL ranks as an owner, he would be with fellow NFL owners Joel Glazer (Buccaneers, Manchester United), and Stan Kroenke (Rams, Arsenal).

While the purchase of a foreign soccer team, especially a London based one, is going to give more fuel to the ridiculous "Jaguars are moving to London!" fire, owning a London based team would make less sense in moving a team there. By holding both Fulham in London and the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Khan taps two markets at the same time. By moving an NFL franchise to London, he's competing against himself for money.

An interesting note in all of this, if the reports of advanced talks are true, is the possibility of a partnership between the two franchises, especially since Jacksonville has exclusive marketing rights in England for the next four years.

It's all just talk right now, but get ready for another moving to London firestorm.

[Tacachale]

I am not sold on Tampa. That ownership group fielded a team in the USL Pro this year and they barely averaged 300 people. The Orlando team in the same league averages several thousand a game.

Tampa has two teams, though -- tier 2 NASL and a 4th div. (Isn't Orlando City in 3rd div.?)
For what it's worth, the Marauders did have some fans at their last match here with JAX United, but I think having the Rowdies in town probably makes a huge dent in their home attendance. Most people who have to chose between which season tickets to buy probably chose the NASL team. Once again, without relegation and promotion, it's hard to build supporter stakeholds in lower-tier teams or to build long-term, spirited cross-town rivalries. 

Tampa seems to have many soccer teams, its no wonder some don't do as well as others. The NASL team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies ("tier 2" behind MLS) seem to do pretty well, about 4k per game. But there's also the "VSI Tampa Bay FC", a USL Pro team which has multiple associated teams (men's, women's, amateur, youth) and is based in the old Plant City baseball stadium, as well as a number of amateur teams and leagues throughout the region. The VSI Tampa Bay FC is presumably what copperfiend's talking about, but it's unsurprising (it would be like a "FC Real Jacksonville Soccer Academy United FC 1821" playing out at the World Golf Village while a higher profile team played at JU). I don't think it's a bad reflection on Tampa fans, or that we could expect similar, given that we'd only have one team as well as our vastly superior sports culture

The reason I brought up that USL Pro team is because that is the same ownership group that is supposedly building a 400 million dollar soccer stadium.

Ha, I didn't know that. Yeah, that does sound like a long shot for them. Not to mention that they're way behind Orlando, and MLS is always talking putting another team in Miami. Given that there are no teams in the south, it seems unlikely the MLS would put a second or third team in Florida without a solid stadium deal.

[CityLife]

Good piece in the JBJ about locations for a stadium.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2013/07/11/sunshine-soccer-group-would-look-at.html?page=all

If he were to come back with a team, he would continue the dialogue on finding a place to play â€" with EverBank Field and the University of North Florida being the main two to look at. But ultimately the goal is to build a soccer-specific stadium within a few years of play.

Once the group gets a team, Frisch plans to do studies in the area â€" including the surrounding counties â€" to find what location would make the most sense. But he did say he has a few good areas in mind, such as Downtown or somewhere near the Interstate 295 and J. Turner Butler Boulevard intersection.

With Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan looking at the Shipyards, I asked Frisch about the vacant land on the Southbank directly across the river and the prospects of putting a stadium there. His response: “It would be sweet.”

A stadium would be built in phases, and initially would have between 5,000 and 8,000 seats. Once the second phase is finished it would have nearly 20,000 â€" the level Frisch said is in Major League Soccer’s wheelhouse.

“Then you have a nice-sized venue for friendlies in future and U.S. men’s match qualifiers,” he said.

Frisch is cautiously optimistic about his chances to walk away with a franchise, but he said the league’s commissioner has said positive things about Jacksonville and the growing soccer fan presence in the area.

He also said the fan response to the group has been excellent, saying “we have some really passionate soccer fans here.” He hasn’t had a chance to go out and meet them, but he says they are very active on social media.

“From the social media side you can say a few words about a potential soccer team and you will have 50 or so people right away jump in on the conversation,” he said.

That conversation includes positive response all the way to debating team names.

If Frisch lands a franchise, it wouldn’t be the first time a professional soccer team was in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Cyclones, a USL A-League soccer team, was here in the 1990s and the NASL had the Jacksonville Tea Men in the 1980s.

[giorgiob8]

As many indicated Southside is the only location it will work, because real soccer fans will go to the games. If a venue is built downtown it will be for snobbies that could disappear as fast as they showed up. I can't get off my head those Jax Destroyers games and 4 guys trying to initiate some Euro-type chanting: "Mount the Gun Destroyers, Mount the Gun Destroyers! Where are they now?
Soccer here in town is suburban by nature, the thousands of kids that play each week in NFYSL (JFC, JYSC, Arlington, Ponte Vedra, Creeks or Clay County) has a center point located way south of downtown and these could be the ones filling the stands.
If I have to pick a place it could be Patton Park itself, the complex is already built, just add a structure of 8-10K seating capacity to the opposite side of the bleachers with consessions, locker rooms and admin offices under and we are ready to go. The Team can be Jacksonville United itself with the semi-pro existing Jax United still competing in the NPLS as a developmental team associated with the NASL team.
The other option is to build a brand new stadium somewhere along Baymeadows-9A, plenty of land and easy to access from surrounding counties south of Jacksonville where soccer is very popular as well.

[Tacachale]

^So are you saying "suburban by nature" people wouldn't drive the extra couple of minutes to get downtown? I'm pretty sure baseball is also bigger in the suburbs, but the Suns do very well in the stadium district.

[CityLife]

Patton Park? No freaking way. Less "suburbanites" from St. Johns and Clay would go there than Downtown and it would be a logistical nightmare to get people in and out.

IF it goes anywhere on the southside, the only logical location is somewhere in the JTB-295 vicinity. I know I was pushing for the possibility of a southside spot earlier in the thread, but after reading the JBJ piece I'm changing my tune to DT. If the ambition is to expand to a 20k type facility for a possible MLS team, as well as concerts and friendlies, DT is the way to go.

[simms3]

I say good luck with all of this - would rather see an expansion to AAA baseball in Jax with smaller addition to the Baseball Grounds and a name sponsorship there, as well as a few winning seasons for the Jags and stable crowd turnout and season ticket sales than the city chase another dream that may end up biting the city in the behind and alienating voters even more than they are now.

Professional sports teams and stadiums are so expensive - where is Jax going to get the money?  Who are the private groups chasing this?

Atlanta sports/Falcons/new Falcons stadium benefit from state support and billionaires.  Now the Jags have a billionaire backer.  Bay Area professional sports are all privately backed, from operations to stadiums.  Jacksonville is the last city on earth that needs more professional sports teams and stadiums that aren't going to be funded privately at purely private speculation and risk.

[tufsu1]

well Frisch is a VP at Beaver Street Fisheries...so there's your private ownership group simms

[Ocklawaha]

SORRY SIMS BUT... This is maybe the 2,000Th post of yours where I've seen this same line, either literal or implied: " "Jacksonville is the last city on earth that needs more___________ . (Fill in the blank). Off the top of my head we can insert: hotels, streetcars, skyway expansion, downtown mixed use, stadiums, sports...etc. I could understand being a critic in some specialized line of work, but on EVERYTHING JACKSONVILLE? Really? Let's review a few. Hey, at least this post will make I-10E smile.


THREAD : Jacksonville on short list for NASL franchise

"Professional sports teams and stadiums are so expensive - where is Jax going to get the money?  Who are the private groups chasing this?
...Jacksonville is the last city on earth that needs more professional sports teams and stadiums that aren't going to be funded privately at purely private speculation and risk."


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THREAD : Walkable Commercial Districts: 8th & Main

"I TOTALLY agree that right now the area should take what it can get.  There may never be a Starbucks or Trader Joes in that area in our lifetime"
"...I don't think food trucks there are a good idea, and they wouldn't work.  Not nearly enough people or foot traffic.  There are lots of food trucks where I live, and they locate to designated surface lots in otherwise extremely dense areas.  They rely on walk-up business from office workers, strollers, and nearby residents.  Nobody is going to drive to pick up food on wheels, especially not to Springfield."

...AND FOR ME THE COUP DE GRACE DELIVERED BY YOUR MISERICORDIA. 


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[duvaldude08]

I say good luck with all of this - would rather see an expansion to AAA baseball in Jax with smaller addition to the Baseball Grounds and a name sponsorship there, as well as a few winning seasons for the Jags and stable crowd turnout and season ticket sales than the city chase another dream that may end up biting the city in the behind and alienating voters even more than they are now.

Professional sports teams and stadiums are so expensive - where is Jax going to get the money?  Who are the private groups chasing this?

Atlanta sports/Falcons/new Falcons stadium benefit from state support and billionaires.  Now the Jags have a billionaire backer.  Bay Area professional sports are all privately backed, from operations to stadiums.  Jacksonville is the last city on earth that needs more professional sports teams and stadiums that aren't going to be funded privately at purely private speculation and risk.

Just had to say. The Jags have had stable ticket sales and a stable crowd the past 4 years.  Just had to point that out.

[simms3]

Ock, what are you literally saving my posts for moments such as these?     This is not the first time where someone has "amassed" posts of mine, but if you ask me it's pretty silly!  Also, 80% of these posts of mine you just manually typed in have little to anything to do with each other, any sort of overriding theme that you mention in your first sentence, and certainly not with this thread.  Also - since you manually typed in my posts rather than you reposted my posts, most of it is also totally out of context.

I get what you're trying to do, but fail! (others have actually succeeded in making me  by doing the same thing - you are apparently bad at this ROFL).

[Tacachale]

On the contrary.

[cline]

Bay Area professional sports are all privately backed, from operations to stadiums. 

Pretty sure the City of Santa Clara is borrowing a ton of money to finance the new stadium for the 49's.  The stadium will also be like 40 miles from San Francisco.  There's only a handful of pro sports stadiums that are fully privately funded.  The taxpayers of Miami will be paying for the Marlins stadium for decades because of Loria.

[simms3]

^^^Yes, but Giants (AT&T Park) and Warriors (proposed new arena on piers 30-32) are completely private.  I believe there are a couple of other pro sports proposals in East Bay that are private as well.  Anyway, Tufsu mentioned the private backer for Jax soccer team, a VP at Beaver St Fisheries, so good luck to him and I hope the city provides intangible support without throwing up money!

Miami seems to have a unique way of screwing its taxpayers more than most   I hate that city more and more the older I get...what a corrupt crock it is throwing up the middle finger to its lower to middle income residential base and relatively limited corporate base and kissing the ass of foreign Latin/European flight money investors who are buying up fugly condos as piggy banks in Porsche Design inspired buildings.