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View Full Version : Garber to South Florida Fans: No MLS Team for You Right Now



Redcoe15
01-09-2011, 09:42 AM
Commissioner Don Garber took time out from the MLS combines in Fort Lauderdale, Florida yesterday to talk with area soccer fans about bringing a team to the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/09/2007428/mls-commissioner-miami-is-not.html

His message was for the fans of South Florida to get their act together and show they can support soccer at all levels so that investors would take notice and help bring a team in that area.

ag futbol
01-09-2011, 09:52 AM
Get your act together and show you can support a team? It's like MLS expects the work to be done for them.

Having an organized group showing they'd be willing to support a team is a good sign, but a very small segment of the market you'd need to make the club successful.

boban
01-09-2011, 10:11 AM
If this is/was the case, then TFC never would have been.

CretanBull
01-09-2011, 11:02 AM
I think that his comments are based on the fact that Miami is already a failed MLS market. As he said, the purpose of telling the fans to get their act together is to attract investors, not the league itself.

Kaz
01-09-2011, 11:09 AM
The article dosen't actually say get your act togeather..

It says try to support the soccer you actually have here, Vancouver, Seattle and Portland had large support of USL-1 teams, and Philly had a massive (ie thousands strong) supporter group in the Sons of Ben.. the Miami group is a few hundred, and the market already failed and there is little support for local clubs.

Miami FC in context averaged 1,200 people to it's games in a 20,000 seat stadium.
the Impact averaged 12,000 in a 13,000 seat stadium.

Get you act togeather means actually go to Miami FC games if you want a team here, no one is going to buy a franchise and put it in a failed market that can't average more then 10% of the attendance of other MLS contending markets.

troy1982
01-09-2011, 01:57 PM
The article dosen't actually say get your act togeather..

It says try to support the soccer you actually have here, Vancouver, Seattle and Portland had large support of USL-1 teams, and Philly had a massive (ie thousands strong) supporter group in the Sons of Ben.. the Miami group is a few hundred, and the market already failed and there is little support for local clubs.

Miami FC in context averaged 1,200 people to it's games in a 20,000 seat stadium.
the Impact averaged 12,000 in a 13,000 seat stadium.

Get you act togeather means actually go to Miami FC games if you want a team here, no one is going to buy a franchise and put it in a failed market that can't average more then 10% of the attendance of other MLS contending markets.

The Sounders in the USL didn't have large support and only games against portland had more than 2,000 if my memory is correct.

maserati
01-09-2011, 09:03 PM
Well its important to know that Miami doesn't seem to support its pro sports teams very much.

Look at how many empty seats there are for Florida's MLB (even the very successful Rays and the recent winners in the Marlins), NBA (despite winning a championship in 2006 and even with LBJ, Wade and the Third Wheel they have to beg and plead their fans to show up on time and stay for the whole game) and NHL (even though the Lightning have a ton of talent and won the cup recently). Who is the say an MLS team would fare better?

Kaz
01-09-2011, 09:28 PM
The Sounders in the USL didn't have large support and only games against portland had more than 2,000 if my memory is correct.

They also seldom played at quest field, and had pulled in large numbers and sold out their stadium regularly..

Much like Vancouver who do not average more then 6k a game as they can't fit more then that in their stadium.

Oldtimer
01-09-2011, 10:23 PM
Well its important to know that Miami doesn't seem to support its pro sports teams very much.

Look at how many empty seats there are for Florida's MLB (even the very successful Rays and the recent winners in the Marlins), NBA (despite winning a championship in 2006 and even with LBJ, Wade and the Third Wheel they have to beg and plead their fans to show up on time and stay for the whole game) and NHL (even though the Lightning have a ton of talent and won the cup recently). Who is the say an MLS team would fare better?

All this proves that Garber is taking a logical approach.

james
01-10-2011, 03:07 PM
Well its important to know that Miami doesn't seem to support its pro sports teams very much.

Look at how many empty seats there are for Florida's MLB (even the very successful Rays and the recent winners in the Marlins), NBA (despite winning a championship in 2006 and even with LBJ, Wade and the Third Wheel they have to beg and plead their fans to show up on time and stay for the whole game) and NHL (even though the Lightning have a ton of talent and won the cup recently). Who is the say an MLS team would fare better?

Tampa Bay is more North Florida...it be the Florida Panthers that are in the South Florida who actually get lower attendence then Tampa Bay.


Heres some average attendence from recent year:

2009 - Florida Panthers capacity 19,250 average 15,621 (24th in NHL)
2010 - Florida Marlines capcity 47,662 average 18,825 (28th in MLB)
2009 - Miami Heat capacity 19,600 average 18,229 - (18th in NBA)
2009 - Miami Dolphins capacity 75,544 average 67,542 (19th in NFL)

Juanito
01-10-2011, 03:37 PM
Can't disagree with Garber on this. Traditionally, Florida has been a bit of a graveyard for sports, especially if the team is not a winner. Also, Florida in the summer is bloody hot and I think the majority would rather be doing other stuff than be at a soccer match.

Also, I have to add that although Miami has a large Hispanic community, they are mostly of Cuban decent, where soccer is NOT the biggest sport, it is béisbol.

james
01-10-2011, 03:44 PM
Can't disagree with Garber on this. Traditionally, Florida has been a bit of a graveyard for sports, especially if the team is not a winner. Also, Florida in the summer is bloody hot and I think the majority would rather be doing other stuff than be at a soccer match.

Also, I have to add that although Miami has a large Hispanic community, they are mostly of Cuban decent, where soccer is NOT the biggest sport, it is béisbol.

but then that might make you think maybe the Florida Marlines should get a much higher attendence??

Parkdale
01-10-2011, 03:58 PM
as much as I would love a team in South Florida, I know it's not a safe bet for MLS expansion

james
01-10-2011, 04:08 PM
i think Miami could support a soocer team well, but only if they actually play in a new soccer stadium in the heart of Miami, not out in the suburbs or places like Fort Lauderdale.

Oldtimer
01-10-2011, 04:17 PM
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