Jacksonville Armada in trouble?

[Lostwave]

Yes they do... but they are actually going to develop that, so could be possible. 

[FlaBoy]

I was trying to get a handle on why the USL was not an option...I thought it might have to do with litigation, or a personal conflict with the league. Looks like it is more likely that the USL's rules against broadcasting games outside your local market is the culprit. Robert Palmer's plan for Armada is as a marketing machine, and if he can't broadcast outside of Jax then it's useless. So it seems any move to the USL is unlikely for a long time (which is funny cause before selling the team, Frisch appeared to be prepping the Armada for a jump to the USL).

Anyway, it's kinda hard to believe that Palmer is building a fourth division, semi-pro franchise to be a marketing juggernaut broadcast around the country with its own soccer-specific stadium. Seems unusual at the least. More power to him though. Time will tell.

Interesting, at any rate. Definitely power to him.

That is a dumb rule. I assume he would want to target the northern portions of the Orlando/Sanford/Daytona Beach market and Brevard County. He would want to target Gainesville, Ocala, and maybe out to Tallahassee? I can't imagine him going all the way to Lakeland though.

[ProjectMaximus]

^Just going on my memory here, but I believe he broadcasts in Tampa and there is a USL team there. And I also believe that in one of his first press conferences he mentioned broadcasting in various markets across the country.

[pierre]

The Armada had a game last night at UNF and it drew around 800.

Third lowest in team history, but higher than the week prior.

The team is on borrowed time and I have not seen Palmer in the news much lately talking about the team.

[fsquid]

Doubt they are around this time next year.

[copperfiend]

Unless they get to the USL, the team is toast

[KenFSU]

Are we sure they're really on borrowed time?

We're certain they're actually running at a loss?

800 paid fans doesn't seem bad for a regional, fourth-tier soccer team made up of fourth-tier players, does it?

Can't imagine the team is paying rent on Hodges Stadium either.

Maybe ownership is ok keeping things in a holding pattern while they plot their next move.

[Tacachale]

Are we sure they're really on borrowed time?

We're certain they're actually running at a loss?

800 paid fans doesn't seem bad for a regional, fourth-tier soccer team made up of fourth-tier players, does it?

Can't imagine the team is paying rent on Hodges Stadium either.

Maybe ownership is ok keeping things in a holding pattern while they plot their next move.

They're definitely paying rent. But I think the owners have too much invested in the team to pull out. They aren't apparently interested in the USL (though USL is interested in Jax), so who knows if they can make it work.

[remc86007]

^Why aren't they interested in the USL?

[copperfiend]

^Why aren't they interested in the USL?

I could be wrong but I think the USL isn't interested in Palmer.

[Tacachale]

^Why aren't they interested in the USL?

I could be wrong but I think the USL isn't interested in Palmer.

I don't think they said specifically, but probably something to do with ownership structure. The Armada are a marketing strategy for Palmer so if he doesn't have total control it may not be worth it to him.

[ProjectMaximus]

I dont know about the issues from the USL's perspective, but from the Armada's POV (specifically owner Robert Palmer) it seems they are not interested in USL because Palmer wants broadcast rights for the Armada in many markets around the country, which infringes on various USL markets already.

[ProjectMaximus]

Apparently the broadcast plan has gone haywire as well. Not sure if there is a better update, but this is from April:

http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20180426/broadcast-plans-murky-as-armada-opens-npsl-campaign

[civil42806]

Apparently the broadcast plan has gone haywire as well. Not sure if there is a better update, but this is from April:

http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20180426/broadcast-plans-murky-as-armada-opens-npsl-campaign

Is there really a tv demographic that wants to watch an out of city or out of state minor league soccer  team?

[Tacachale]

Apparently the broadcast plan has gone haywire as well. Not sure if there is a better update, but this is from April:

http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/20180426/broadcast-plans-murky-as-armada-opens-npsl-campaign

Is there really a tv demographic that wants to watch an out of city or out of state minor league soccer  team?

Apparently they did OK in Tampa last year, which is what Palmer wanted as he's trying to expand his business there. But if they're not on TV in Jax (the main place he was trying to expand the business), it's unlikely they're even thinking about other markets. I feel for the guy. He made a big investment that seemed good, and the league collapsed out from under him.