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And yes minor league teams in every sport have short lives everywhere generally, but we have one decent example in the Orlando metro of it working (Kraze) and the whole point of this thread was discussing Orlando City moving up to MLS, which stands for MAJOR League Soccer.
And Rollins is nice, but only seats 500. Orlando City is averaging around 5000 a game, so a little small.
PS I hope City wins tomorrow!
Wow really? It looks so much bigger, that's smaller than my high school football stadium. Which brings me to another suggestions. I know it's unbecoming of pro sports franchise to play in a high school facility but with high school football so big here, I wonder if the school board would consider allowing one of their facilities to be upgraded and leased to a team like Orlando City or the Lacrosse team. Facilities like Edgewater, Dr. Phillips and Lake Brantley are actually pretty nice and already hold up to 5000 capacity.
Thanks for the great discussion guys, a few points I wanted to address though. Kyle brings up a good point about minor league failures in Orlando, I have a theory as to why. Florida is a state full of good football 3 NFL teams, 5 + good college teams, and of course High School. Therefore, any attempt at minor league football (XFL, Tuskers) was not going to be BIG enough in Orlando's eyes to drawl away from what we already have access to. Baseball as a whole follows the same suit, and not to mention the strong allegiances transplants have to their home MLB clubs. Minor league hockey did very well here as the Solar Bears won multiple championships until the IHL folded. Even though there is NHL in Tampa, I don't think the state/region is saturated with it the way it is with football, baseball, and basketball. Which brings me to why I think soccer would work in Orlando. The MLS failed in Tampa and Miami in my opinion because those cities have 3 out of 4 and 4 out of 4 of the most popular sports already, and in low wage Florida, an MLS team was too much to support by those pro sport heavy metros. Orlando only has the NBA, and is hungry for another sport. Now regarding the stadium, I would never want to see a stadium built unless the Orlando City become an MLS team. Until then, the Citrus Bowl is fine and it's nice to see the place actually get some use. My fear is that the Citrus Bowl is too big and despite pulling record crowds for the USL, it still looks empty. Unfortunately UCF didn't built Brighthouse Stadium wide enough to host soccer, so the easy answer is out. The largest high school stadiums in the area probably do not have the needed capacity either although there are MLS teams that do in fact make use of HS/college stadiums. So yes there will need to be a new stadium built to properly house the Lions, but it doesn't have to cost $100 million. Some MLS teams play in stadiums built for high school and college that cost as little as $5 million, we could easily pop one of those near the city core and not alienate the casual fan by locating way out in the suburbs. The Columbus Crew built their own beautiful MLS quality stadium for $28 million without a dime in taxpayer money, perhaps the Orlando City could aim somewhere in between these 2 ideas. I think it's crucial to keep the team DT Orlando, and would prefer to see them stay in the Citrus Bowl if nothing else can be worked out.
I love all these hypotheticals. I really should have became an architect or an urban planner. Here's another one, The Portland MLS squad plays in an old minor league baseball stadium renovated for soccer. I think it's one of the nicest and most unique soccer stadiums in the US. Maybe we should consider modifying Tinker Field into a soccer stadium. I know some might say blasphemy because Tinker field is a historic baseball diamond but if it's not getting used at all, it has a much better chance of surviving as a soccer stadium thats better than becoming a dirt lot.
As to the whole issue of fan support. It's a random in Florida. Some sports that you would anticipate doing really well (MLS and MLB) in Miami struggle, while others you find odd do really well (Tampa Bay Lightning). The key to success in Orlando is endearing yourselves to the public early. People say the Magic are only doing well because they are the only show in town. That may be a large part of it, but ALOT of it has to do with many of us growing up with the Magic. I've supported them in good times and bad as have most of my friends. The good, the bad, the ugly, it was still our team. The same with the Predators, there an Arena League Football team that's likely more popular than the UCF Knights. Why? They found a place in the community early on, they usually always sell tickets. The Solar Bears were the same way and by all accounts, Orlando City Soccer is following in the same trend. I knew about Tuskers but other than hearing about them didn't feel any compulsion to them. I have heard more about Orlando City (not just through this board) I did about the Tuskers or our XFL team. Hopefully this bodes well and we can secure an MLS franchise soon.
Last edited by Crane's Rooster; 09-02-2011 at 03:12 PM..
I would argue that the MLS teams in Miami and Tampa did not fail because of attendance (they were the same or higher than teams still around today; ownership didn't exist or failed) but overall I completely agree with the point of OrlFlaUsa. If Orlando City wants to go to MLS then yes a stadium is needed and would be great. Until then, they have no competition for the Citrus Bowl, let them use it.
PS all MLS teams who built their stadiums did in fact cost over $100 million. The only one that didn't was Columbus Ohio who built theirs in 1999. And location-wise Tinker would work, but the Baseball stadium in Portland was way nicer and larger than Tinker is today. You would need to level Tinker to make it right for soccer.
I love all these hypotheticals. I really should have became an architect or an urban planner. Here's another one, The Portland MLS squad plays in an old minor league baseball stadium renovated for soccer. I think it's one of the nicest and most unique soccer stadiums in the US. Maybe we should consider modifying Tinker Field into a soccer stadium. I know some might say blasphemy because Tinker field is a historic baseball diamond but if it's not getting used at all, it has a much better chance of surviving as a soccer stadium thats better than becoming a dirt lot.
As to the whole issue of fan support. It's a random in Florida. Some sports that you would anticipate doing really well (MLS and MLB) in Miami struggle, while others you find odd do really well (Tampa Bay Lightning). The key to success in Orlando is endearing yourselves to the public early. People say the Magic are only doing well because they are the only show in town. That may be a large part of it, but ALOT of it has to do with many of us growing up with the Magic. I've supported them in good times and bad as have most of my friends. The good, the bad, the ugly, it was still our team. The same with the Predators, there an Arena League Football team that's likely more popular than the UCF Knights. Why? They found a place in the community early on, they usually always sell tickets. The Solar Bears were the same way and by all accounts, Orlando City Soccer is following in the same trend. I knew about Tuskers but other than hearing about them didn't feel any compulsion to them. I have heard more about Orlando City (not just through this board) I did about the Tuskers or our XFL team. Hopefully this bodes well and we can secure an MLS franchise soon.
I know I over simplified the situation with sports and Orlando, but your explanation is perfect. The Orlando City have done an excellent job making themselves known and a championship tomorrow would only help. They've already sold more season tickets for next year, and have an expected attendance of nearly 10,000 tomorrow. I hear Phil Rawlins the owner of the OC on the radio all the time. So perhaps you are 100% correct Rooster, they are following your advice and getting in with the community. I hope Orlando is falling for this team and will see it as the perfect compliment to the NBA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sp2007
I would argue that the MLS teams in Miami and Tampa did not fail because of attendance (they were the same or higher than teams still around today; ownership didn't exist or failed) but overall I completely agree with the point of OrlFlaUsa. If Orlando City wants to go to MLS then yes a stadium is needed and would be great. Until then, they have no competition for the Citrus Bowl, let them use it.
PS all MLS teams who built their stadiums did in fact cost over $100 million. The only one that didn't was Columbus Ohio who built theirs in 1999. And location-wise Tinker would work, but the Baseball stadium in Portland was way nicer and larger than Tinker is today. You would need to level Tinker to make it right for soccer.
I didn't realize how good their attendance was, but thanks for the info. Now I think San Jose plays in a $5 million stadium, so I'm sure we could opt for something cheaper like that. The example you and I both cited in Columbus, was 100% private financing, so maybe Mr. Rawlins could follow suit!!
And yes minor league teams in every sport have short lives everywhere generally, but we have one decent example in the Orlando metro of it working (Kraze) and the whole point of this thread was discussing Orlando City moving up to MLS, which stands for MAJOR League Soccer.
Yep, but until then as mentioned they're still minor league soccer. The point being still minor league franchises overall have the life expectancy of a hamster. Until they make the leap to an MLS club it's a case of wagon before the horse in terms of discussion of a new stadium. By the way you should try factual reference sources occasionally, they do offer useful information.
The MLS failed in Tampa and Miami in my opinion because those cities have 3 out of 4 and 4 out of 4 of the most popular sports already, and in low wage Florida, an MLS team was too much to support by those pro sport heavy metros. Orlando only has the NBA, and is hungry for another sport. Now regarding the stadium, I would never want to see a stadium built unless the Orlando City become an MLS team. Until then, the Citrus Bowl is fine and it's nice to see the place actually get some use. My fear is that the Citrus Bowl is too big and despite pulling record crowds for the USL, it still looks empty. Unfortunately UCF didn't built Brighthouse Stadium wide enough to host soccer, so the easy answer is out. The largest high school stadiums in the area probably do not have the needed capacity either although there are MLS teams that do in fact make use of HS/college stadiums. So yes there will need to be a new stadium built to properly house the Lions, but it doesn't have to cost $100 million. Some MLS teams play in stadiums built for high school and college that cost as little as $5 million, we could easily pop one of those near the city core and not alienate the casual fan by locating way out in the suburbs. The Columbus Crew built their own beautiful MLS quality stadium for $28 million without a dime in taxpayer money, perhaps the Orlando City could aim somewhere in between these 2 ideas. I think it's crucial to keep the team DT Orlando, and would prefer to see them stay in the Citrus Bowl if nothing else can be worked out.
I agree, particularly given the fact that the City of Orlando can't pay off it's bills from the newly opened Amway Center. Amway Center contractors say they're still waiting for paychecks - Orlando Sentinel. In an economy where we're struggling with 18%-22% unemployment (the unadulterated jobless rate) and slashed operating budgets, talk of a new venue for a second-tier pro sports franchise seems a bit out of whack.
I can't believe the designers of brighthouse stadium didn't have the foresight to build 5 extra yards on each side of the field. Not just for this situation but what if UCF wants to start its own soccer program? Seems a little shortsighted.
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