Tag Archives: MLS Soccer in Tucson. FC Tucson

Veterans And Soccer

Should anyone wonder what these two entities have in common, it is loyalty to the community and incredible camaraderie.

 

It was only recently that Tucson Electric Park elected to return to the original name of the park, Veterans Memorial Stadium. That is the name the voters were given to sell the bonds. As soon as the park was completed the name vanished in the cloud of corporate sponsorship. They could well have melded the two names together. Should there ever be a stadium to host a local team and International matches, soccer would not be that disloyal to the population of veterans who delivered the vote to build the facility, that now, quite ironically will need soccer to gain solvency. That is karma squared.

 

As the former Director of the Pima County Sports Authority, I watched the good ole  boys of Tucson manipulate the socks off its citizens to insure there was no egalitarian approach to other sporting entities in Tucson. It was baseball or nada. The irony being that we were all baseball fans. I was a bat boy for the Cleveland Indians in 1959!

 

Sports marketers will inform you that the probability of a soccer player being a multiple sport participant both as fan and and rostered player is quite high. When I was trained by the National Association of Sports commissions I learned that cross marketing with soccer is a wise move, as you capture a huge population. The ratio of  youth soccer players in Southern Arizona, to other sports is nearly 5:1. Add stereo parents and a few family and friends, and you hit a population of approximately 75,000 before you leave the gate. Who else can deliver that kind of package?

 

In my travels I visited the Rochester New York  Rhinos  USL Soccer Franchise and attended one of their matches at the Triple A Ball park, before they built their own stadium.  16,000 fans were in attendance.  And who owned them? A local entity that owned the baseball and hockey franchise. Magic eh? Cross marketing to the max.  A trinity of  promotion that spanned the entire calender year.

 

I shared this concept with the Economic Development Office of the City of Tucson on multiple occasions, with the first being 1998. Never once was there a response. It now appears that the  right people with the “right stuff,” are at the table.

I  stand with great enthusiasm and anticipation that the city officials will see the opportunity that will last a lifetime in Tucson and leave many of our citizens smiling and proud to be supporters of FC Tucson and its tentacles that will bring Tucsonans together with esprit de corps.

 

 

 

PressRelease

For Immediate Release – July 8, 2011

Areas of Interest: Sports, Community Events, Economic Development, News

Contact: Demitri Downing, demitri@fctucson.com (520)909-4334

 

City of Tucson and Pima County Leaders host Major League Soccer Executive to Discuss Expanded Spring Training Role for Tucson

Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Major League Soccer (MLS) will be in Tucson this weekend engaging in discussions with community leaders regarding the viability of an expanded role in MLS soccer spring training

 

Since the success of the Inaugural FC Tucson Desert Cup in March, where over 10,000 fans watched two MLS teams compete at a sold-out Hi Corbett Field, MLS officials and teams have taken notice of Tucson’s love for soccer. Added to Tucson’s reputation for hospitality and unrivalled climate, MLS is exploring the possibility of coming back to our community in force.

 

Major League Soccer’s swelling popularity nationally over the last two decades makes it an escalating economic force. This has drawn the attention of communities throughout the United States – many of which are now actively courting an MLS presence. Tucson, while not yet viable as an MLS expansion franchise city, is uniquely positioned to offer something league officials have expressed desire in achieving: a West coast hub at which MLS teams can train prior to the regular season. While MLS spring training is a concept still in its infancy, this concept is maturing rapidly, and some civic leaders have the foresight to explore the possibility of developing a mutually beneficial relationship with MLS.

 

After the abandonment by Major League Baseball of a multi-million dollar facility built for their use, our community has been left with an economic and social void.  These facilities can be used by MLS with limited conversion costs. MLS, while smaller than Major League Baseball, will provide Tucson an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a growing sport.  The presence of many MLS teams and their fans in our community over a 2 to 8 week period in the spring would create an economic benefit for local businesses as well as a general social benefit to all.

 

Events are planned throughout Tucson over the next three days to demonstrate Tucson’s interest in developing a relationship with MLS. Members of the media are invited to join us on this journey beginning this Friday morning, when Mr. Rodriguez arrives. There will be an opportunity for interviews at FC Tucson’s final home game Friday night in Vail at 8 p.m. and a special breakfast on Saturday for members of the media to speak directly with officials from FC Tucson, Tucson and the MLS.

 

Please contact Demitri Downing 520-909-4334 to RSVP for Friday game or breakfast. (Space is limited)

 

About FC Tucson

FC Tucson, established in 2010, is committed to bringing the highest caliber of competitive soccer to Tucson and becoming a lasting, highly successful source of pride for Tucson. Our players, coaches and staff are committed to winning Championships and recognize that our success on the field reflects on our fans, our sponsors, and our community.

 

PDF version of this PRESS RELEASE

Professional Soccer Comes To Tucson: Future Plans To Help Local Veterans Outreach

Viva la soccer! The day has come for Semi-Pro and Professional Soccer to debut in Tucson. And your local veterans are here to land on the beach and help. Celebrations begin on the evenings of Friday March 4th and Saturday March 5th at Hi Corbett Field.

For nigh on 25 years the soccer community has been in search of a stable venue to host a local semi-pro franchise team, with the capability of inviting professional teams for exhibition matches and International Friendlies. The last one being in 1996 when Mexico was matched with a team from Austria that was training in Tucson. The game was at the University of Arizona and played to a crowd of about 16,ooo, with very little lead time for marketing.

Tucson is now on the verge of a historic sporting event with the prospect a huge economic development future, coupled with an opportunity to showcase the newly formed FC Tucson Soccer Team.

The 2011 Major League Soccer Desert Cup featuring the New York Red Bulls and the Sporting Kansas City is assured to be the most important soccer event in Tucson’s history.

This two day extravaganza  showcasing world class players marks the first time Major League Soccer teams have ever played in the Old Pueblo.

MLS  games have been offered in the past, yet no individuals or groups have had the organizing skills, as do the current promoters, Greg Foster and Dimitri Downing.

Neither was the City of Tucson ever able to provide an adequate venue that could accommodate a soccer pitch that meets FIFA standards. With the vacation of all Spring Training Baseball,the field at Hi-Corbett can be retrofitted to the needs of professional soccer, with the importing of some additional sod and approximating the necessary field dimensions of 75 yards by 115 yards.

This accommodation is not all that unique as many other baseball stadiums across the nation have been sharing their facilities with the local soccer teams for decades. Tucson is just now following suit. The Rochester Rhinos,( New York), are a prime example of that brand of sharing. The baseball team, the hockey team and the soccer team were all owned by the same investment group and both the City and the teams benefited from the synergy and cross marketing opportunities. Tucson would be wise to copy such a model.

The Rochester Rhinos now have their own 25,ooo seat stadium that was built near the downtown. Approximately 12 million dollars in collateral investment followed. As Yogi Bera so aptly put it, “cash is kinda like money.”  I do believe both the City of Tucson and Hi-Corbett concessions would enjoy a bucket of that cash.

On Friday March 4th and Saturday March 5th at Hi Corbett Field, two of the nations premier professional soccer teams will square off against each other as well as challenging the talents of our two Arizona squads; the Arizona Sahuaros from Phoenix, who have been consistently playing professionally for 19 years, and  currently based at Grand Canyon University, along with the new FC Tucson taking the mantle after a ten year hiatus of  a semi-pro developmental team in Tucson.

The genesis of this first of many MLS Exhibition games in Tucson is with the Arizona Sahuaros owner, Ali Alexander and his incredibly skilled networking coach Petar Draskin.  Coupled with the foresight of City Parks Administrator, Alex Guzman, the event first got its feet a year ago when all parties met to explore the possibility of bringing these games to the Tucson community. There is no question, Hi Corbett Field is the right place and the right time.

The old rivalry of Tucson/Phoenix  Soccer will be palpable. Add to that the Red Bulls and Kansas City and we got us some rock and roll soccer.

The MLS rosters are replete with  international stars including Thierry Henry,star of the French National team, and the striker for Arsenal in the English Primier League. Omar Bravo, hero of the Chivas in the Mexican League, and defender Rafael Marquez, beloved captain of the Mexican National squad and Barcelona FC in Spain’s Premier Soccer League.

Offering Tucsonans the highest level of professional soccer competition the Desert Cup promises to provide thrills for both the casual and the devoted soccer fans.

The Desert Cup, will be hosted by FC Tucson Events, working in collaboration with the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to highlight leading local companies and the Tucson Community. The Event managers have made great effort to be inclusive of the as many local businesses as possible with variety of sponsorship packages to meet all budgets  and tailored marketing goals. Thousands of fans are expected to attend this event over a two day period. These fans whom are both youth and adult represent a demographic community that is one of the broadest of all sporting enterprises. With approximately 16,ooo soccer players in the district, and a basic sports attendance multiplier, you are looking at touching about 57,ooo families in Pima County.

From a business entertaining their clients in a luxury suite to families bringing their children to see the best soccer America has to offer, The Desert Cup will be the place to be and be seen.

General Admission is $12 -One Night

$45 VIP- One Night- Includes; Meal,Soft Drinks, Water, 2 Cocktails

Group Ticket Sales: (25 or more)  $10 General Admission.

For ticket packages contact,  Yuri 520-440 7121   “yuri@fctucson.com”

Ticket Outlets:

Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce/ 4420 E. Speedway 620-0005

The Soccer Shop/ 2952 N. Campbell 326-7467

Maracana Indoor Sports Arena/ 555 15th St. 647-9059

Join the fans of FC Tucson at Facebook.   “facebook.com/pages/FC-Tucson”

There were approximately 9000 readers of this blog last month. That is a fair number of pals of the veteran community. Let us see if we can have the the most of any one group at the games. Get a squad together and come as a Veteran Group. Our chances are real good of helping with some donations to one of the many entities that are helping veterans transition home from war.  See you at the pitch!