Minnesota Stars Reveal Structure and Ticket Prices
The Minnesota Stars held a press conference today announcing that with the help of the North American Soccer League (NASL) they will be back for the 2011 season and will play their games at the National Sports Center.
Aaron Davidson - Photos by Jeremy Olson - www.digitalgopher.net
Soccer fans in Minnesota had legitimate concerns that the team may not return after the NSC announced late last summer they were looking for investors or new owners for the team. The NSC did not meet the new qualifications that the USSF had set for 2nd division soccer team owners. Standards set to do a better job to vet soccer teams owners in division II soccer. Along with not meeting the new ownership standards of having a majority owner worth $20 million, the NSC board was also very concerned over the debt that the new pro soccer team was creating and were looking to sell the team outright if possible.
Aaron Davidson, NASL CEO, started the meeting off by saying he had spent the last few days meeting with NSC officials as well as Djorn Buchholz, who has been named CEO of the new team, and Manny Lagos, who will continue as head coach. Buchholz is the former GM of the Minnesota Thunder. He left Minnesota after the Thunder folded to become the CEO of the Austin Aztex where he reduced costs, raised tickets sales and helped to bring the Aztex from one of the worst-placed teams in 2008 to the second best team in the league in 2010.
“The last few days here in Minnesota have been further proof to me that we’re making the right decisions here in Minnesota as a league,” said Davidson in regard to the league investing in the Stars and helping Minnesota to continue to have pro soccer in the state for the 22nd consecutive year.
“This is a new era for soccer in North America,” continued Davidson. “We are building soccer together here. This is not the league, it’s not the Federation and it’s not the team imposing on the community what we want. We need to hear you all out. The media, the fans, the sponsors, and give you what you all want for Minnesota pro soccer.”
“The Twin Cities is a first-class soccer market with a rich history of supporting the professional game,” said Aaron Davidson. “Minnesota’s remarkable support for the original NASL and the professional game since 1990 is virtually unmatched in this country. It’s also important strategically to be in a market which boasts the headquarters of the third-most Fortune 500 companies in the country. Continuing on 21 consecutive seasons of professional soccer in Minnesota allows us to help fulfill our vision and ambition for the NASL and our member teams.”
Djorn Buchholz addresses the media
“You need a strong company to drive growth and and Traffic has been a leader in soccer for years. For a company the size of Traffic out of Brazil and who run some of the biggest soccer events in the Americas to stand behind the NASL is a big deal.
“The NSC stepped in at a time last season where we were putting the final bolts into place for the NASL. When they were appraised of the situation they stepped up. They’re a phenomenal community-based non-profit organization here that has done great for Minnesota both here and abroad with things like the USA Cup. They give you great exposure here and all around the world. So hats off to what they’ve done over the year and what they’ve done last season for the league and for the NASL as well as the Stars. There’s no shame. At the end of the day they don’t have the wherewithal based on the standards set by the Federation to continue funding the team. We believe the we have a great partner going forward, a phenomenal facility and the right management team going forward.”
Aaron Davidson and Barclay Kruse, PR Director for the NSC, explained that the team will be wholly owned by the league and although the Stars will continue to partner with the NSC, the latter is no longer an owner of the team in any way.
“We need to get people into the stands,” said Buchholz when he addressed the media. “At the end of the day ticket sales are what runs an organization. It improves sponsorships and media awareness and we are very aware of that. We are really gong to focus on that.”
Buchholz also said that ticket prices have been reduced slightly and season tickets are now on sale.
• Pitch side seats alongside either bench are $315 for the season ($135 savings on game day prices)
• Reserved seats with chair backs are $210 for the season ($90 savings on game day prices)
• Adult general admission seats are $135 for the season ($75 savings on game day prices)
• Youth general admission seats for fans under 18 years old are $75 for the season ($45 savings on game day prices)
A special supporters’ season ticket is also available for $150 and includes a commemorative scarf. All season tickets include admission to all 14 regular season games and one exhibition game.
Head Coach Manny Lagos stated that he’s seen improvements in the quality of soccer in Minnesota over the years. He pointed to the number of division I college soccer players Minnesota now has and said he looked forward to continuing to work with Minnesota soccer players. He also said he’s excited to have a core group of players who performed well for the team late in the season, return to the Stars for the 2011 season.
Lagos also said the NASL will hold their league combine sometime in mid February and the Stars combine would be held a week to two weeks later.
The press conference was well attended and drew media from the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, KARE 11, La Voz Latina, ABC Newspapers and others.
Photos of the event taken by Jeremy Olson of Digital Gopher.net can be found on the IMS Facebook page.
Comments are closed.
Will GA tickets be less than $13?
It was hard to convince people to go to the games last year with that price tag. I always thought $10 would be a good starting point to get people into the door, but by doing the math I come to about $14 per GA ticket, that doesn’t seem like a reduction.
I’ve got $7.85 in change in my bedroom, well on my way to $20 million and team ownership…Hey, if you were Dean Johnson, this amount is considered adequate leverage.
Glad to see the Stars are moving forward. I only wish the stadium was more centrally located. I live south of the Cities and it’s a pain to get there.
NSC isn’t an unusual distance from downtown, as compared with other soccer teams.
Nine MLS teams play 14 or more miles from their respective downtowns, including FC Dallas, who play 29 miles from Dallas, and Red Bull New York, who play 20 minutes by train away, or 35+ minutes by car (if you’re lucky).
In NASL, Atlanta plays 15 miles from downtown and Miami FC plays 31.3 miles from downtown Miami. NSC, in Blaine, is 17.6 miles from Minneapolis.
I’m happy to have a team to follow – and it could be a lot worse than Blaine!
People will always complain about Blaine.
It is a shame.
They have a Space Aliens.
Sad news, thesuperrookie, but the Blaine Space Aliens has closed. Without you, they just couldn’t keep it going.
Btw, Brighton & Hove Albion spent two years playing their “home” games 70+ miles away from Brighton in Gillingham.
Thanks to the NSC for stepping in when MN soccer really needed it.
They facilitated the important transition from the old MN Thunder team to where we are going next… The NSC now has it’s own special place in MN Pro soccer history.
Thanks,
GG, Blaine IS an unusual distance away from downtown when it comes to minor-league soccer teams that are even remotely successful. Your two comparisons don’t help your argument — Atlanta didn’t field a team in 2009 or 2010, and Miami FC averaged a whopping 1,126 fans last season. People in major markets aren’t going to go too far out of their way for minor-league soccer.
If it is a good and compelling product that is MARKETED CORRECTLY (compared to 2010 maybe even marketed at all…) then people will come. Look at the St. Paul Saints. That’s one of the lowest levels of minor league baseball. They’ve found a formula that works and I would bet a majority of their game attendance comes from more than 17.6 miles away from their stadium. It has to be a comprehensive marketing campaign that targets youth teams/families, the soccer traditionalists/die-hards, as well as the 21-35 year old “first generation” looking to enjoy the game and the beer garden.
You can’t compare the Saints and Stars, they are entirely different things. The Stars are trying to sell “the highest level of soccer in Minnesota,” which is a difficult concept to communicate to the average fan. The Saints are selling entertainment — pigs, hot tubs, trains beyond the outfield wall — baseball is almost an afterthought. Baseball has a lot more natural breaks for diversions and promotions/sponsorships than soccer.
The comprehensive marketing campaign you reference is virtually impossible for a minor-league soccer franchise. How on earth do you reach the diverse audience you mention in anything resembling a cost-effective manner? The Stars generated maybe $200,000 in ticket revenue last year, how much can you possibly spend on marketing? And what exactly are you marketing?
Minnesota Stars congrats! Go win the US Open Cup.