The Voice of University Oaks Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 - The stadium will be ready for the 2010 season.Where will the Dynamo play in 2009? Will they extend their lease at Robertson? Or has the relationship between AEG and the University of Houston become too tainted for that to happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Where will the Dynamo play in 2009? Will they extend their lease at Robertson? Or has the relationship between AEG and the University of Houston become too tainted for that to happen?They will definately play at Robertson until the new stadium is complete. Oliver Luck and UH (according to Luck) have already discussed the possibility and said there would be no problem with an extention if needbe, and knowing when the new stadium would be complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethanra Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) Update in today's chron. - Not much news, but the Dynamo are hoping for an announcement in September. Edited July 15, 2007 by Ethanra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Update in today's chron. - Not much news, but the Dynamo are hoping for an announcement in September.Several east DT sites seem to be in the plans, but they also mentioned that "other" sites in the city are still on the table. So we are not out of the woods yet as far as securing a downtown location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Several east DT sites seem to be in the plans, but they also mentioned that "other" sites in the city are still on the table. So we are not out of the woods yet as far as securing a downtown location.It sounds like very promising news indeed. I also saw this on mlsnet.com... STADIUM TALK IN HOUSTON: Dynamo's big success, parlayed with the continuing national clamor over David Beckham, can only help the club's efforts to develop its own facility.Dynamo general manager Oliver Luck said the team is making steady progress with the city of Houston, exchanging financial information and narrowing site possibilities. The goal of opening the 2010 season in a dedicated soccer stadium looks within reach, he said."There's still a lot of work do to, but I'm confident," Luck said.It's a good time to retain the initiative. Not only is the team surging on the field, and not only are folks talking about Beckham, but recent events and matches still to come are keeping a steady awareness and focus on soccer in the nation's fourth largest market.Two nights of Gold Cup games in June at Reliant Stadium drew crowds of more than 68,000 and 70,000. That attracted some local leaders' attention, Luck said. And the upcoming SuperLiga matches inside Robertson Stadium are expected to be well attended, too.Suddenly, multiple events in Houston are attracting significant media exposure and large crowds."And that's helping people realize this is a very viable sport here," Luck said. "That's not something people would have necessarily said five or 10 years ago." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkjones98 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...ez/4970151.htmlJohn P. Lopez July 16, 2007, 12:35AMDoes McLane see a threat?By JOHN P. LOPEZCopyright 2007 Houston ChronicleTOOLSEmailGet section feedPrintSubscribe NOWCommentsRecommend (1)RESOURCESDynamo fans ask, players answerDynamo hone skills across netsAudio slideshow: Houston soccer cultureDynamo defeat Puntarenas 2-0Glenn Davis on Dynamo playing international clubsSoccer clinic with Fallas: Art of the shootoutDonovan: L.A. will look back at missed chances vs. DynamoGlenn Davis on U.S. win over MexicoSoccer y Futbol BlogFull soccer coverageTHE Astros wrapped up their latest disaster and headed to Washington, where if things go just right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I hope McLane does not change his mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 If you don't think the thought has crossed McLane's mind that a top-notch soccer stadium with all the latest bells and whistles, luxury suites and assorted amenities would cut into his profit, you're wrong.There are only 15 MLS games at home a year, and this year with no coordination at all, there were only 7 games at home on the same day between the astros and dynamo. if anything, he'll potentially get a new garage for his STHs if he plays ball, and other development would rise in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deut28Thirteen Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 McLane should not be worried because the Astros are in the the Big leauages and Dynamo arent. If it is about winning then the Rockets and Stros would have us on Roller Coasters A Texans game will never see a sell out and the Teams we will watch are the Comets and the Dynamo. And WHEN the Dynamo get big it should only help McLane and the Downtown area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 (edited) McLane should not be worried because the Astros are in the the Big leauages and Dynamo arent. If it is about winning then the Rockets and Stros would have us on Roller Coasters A Texans game will never see a sell out and the Teams we will watch are the Comets and the Dynamo. And WHEN the Dynamo get big it should only help McLane and the Downtown area.What bigger soccer league is there in America than MLS? Dynamo's the only Houston team right now getting any positive press because of winning and being the team to beat right now (partially attributed to Beckham's signing last week). Right now, Dynamo's the best team in the league. At the same time, Texans were below .500 again last season, Astros have one of the worst records in baseball, and I don't think the Comets are doing to well either. Rockets have hope, but we have to wait until November to see that.To be honest though, I have no clue what McClain is thinking at this point. Should he endorse Dynamo and risk the chance of a team whose league is rising in popularity and revenue, has a better chance at building an international name because the sport is more watched worldwide than his, and already has a championship in one year when his franchise is yet to win the "World" Series? Or does he try to keep Dynamo from building downtown and risk a major backlash from soccer fans and Houstonians that support winning professional teams? Edited July 18, 2007 by DJ V Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deut28Thirteen Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 What bigger soccer league is there in America than MLS? I ment apart the Three big ones:NFL,MLB,NBA. MLS is not in there. Beckham made the front cover of SI but it was only him. The story I read on the front cover was Venus Williams and Roger Federer and their recent wins at Wimbledon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Beckham made the front cover of SI but it was only him.What makes that different from any other SI front cover? How often do you see whole teams on the front page compared to one or a couple players?And what's up with the conception that because there's a big 3 in terms of leagues in America, there can't be any change in that department? Just a couple years ago, NHL would have made it the big 4, but once soccer started gaining ground and some Mexican soccer games started to beat NHL's Stanley Cup in American ratings, journalists instead decided to demote NHL instead of acknowledging the growth of both the Mexican Football League and MLS. And don't be fooled; NHL is still in the top four (for now). There's still plenty of 7-figure hockey players in that league. MLS just so happens to have a player more world-famous than any player in any of the big four leagues. That's just a good business move by LA Galaxy; they're about to double their networth within in the next two-three years. And in the next five years, their networth will probably surpass some of the smaller clubs in the big 4 in revenue. Then all they have to do is sign another big-name soccer icon to the team to repeat, and as other clubs also make profit off their stadiums, do the math as to where they'll end up in the next 15-20 years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 (edited) I'm not sure Lopez' article even makes sense. Why would MLS be any less of a threat to the Astros in a non-downtown location? The big money that is going to buy suites and season tickets is likely to do so wherever they are located (within reason). Those are not sold to walk-by business. It's a little ridiculous to suggest that suite buyers are suddenly going to abandon their suites at MMP because (and only because) they are walking past an MLS stadium on their way to MMP.Let's just say that McLane is a LOT smarter than John Lopez and probably understands that having them downtown can help the Astros in the long run. 1. The Astros might be able to increase their revenues by selling parking to Dynamo fans. 2. Fans who are attracted downtown to soccer games might discover downtown and be more willing to venture down for a baseball game; same for concert-goers attending concerts at the MLS stadium. 3. The addition of more activities downtown can only help the Astros, both in making it more appealing in general, and making it possible to have the restaurants and gift shops in MMP open on non-game days, thus increasing revenues, as well as making downtown living more appealing, which would seem to help increase attendance at MMP and business at the ballpark.It seems just as likely (actually more likely) that Oliver Luck's and AEG's mentioning of non-downtown sites is negotiating posturing to try to get a slightly better deal from McLane and the city . . . because they know he WANTS them downtown and they know the city WANTS them downtown. Edited July 18, 2007 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 While Drayton McLane is certainly all about the Benjamins, and no one would argue that he wants to hurt his own attendance, whether he supports or opposes a new stadium next door is not as simple as the Dynamo being winners and the Astros heading for mediocrity. To begin with, the Astros are on pace to hit 3 million in attendance this year, even though the team is going nowhere. This would be the 3rd 3 million fan season in 4 years. Several games over the last 4 years have conflicted with Houston Texan home games. Virtually every Astro game during that time was a sellout, even while the Texans were drawing 70,000 at the same time. And everyone would agree that there is more fan overlap between NFL and MLB than there is between MLB and MLS.There will be 4 games that overlap this year between the Astros and Dynamo. Two have already been played. Those 2 games included a standing room only crowd and a 35,300 crowd for the Astros. The 35,300 was July 5, the day after a national holiday. The Dynamo did not hurt Astro attendance. All Sunday Astro games are played at 1 pm. Dynamo Sunday games are played at 7 pm. There is no overlap for those games.The much more likely thought in Drayton's head is whether he can get something out of this deal. And, the fact is, he can. It is called a parking garage. The current surface lots hold 950 vehicles, IIRC. A new stadium on those lots would require a garage, located closer to MMP than the lots. The capacity of the garage would likely be 2,500 or more vehicles, triple the surface lots. Drayton could lease the garage, just as he does the surface lots, and charge for parking. His revenue from parking increases drastically.A new stadium could add to the buzz around MMP, but frankly, I doubt that means anything to Drayton. Currently, the Astros fill MMP 90% of capacity. Games played on weekends are routinely sold out, as are games against the Cubs, Cardinals, Mets and Rangers. The only place for improvement is games played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as games against non-marquis teams like Pittsburgh and Florida.I do agree with Lopez that Drayton will be negotiating for himself. I disagree that it is because Drayton is worried that the Dynamo will steal his fans. If the Astros are good, they will draw 3 million, regardless who else is playing. If they are bad, the Astros will draw 2.5 million, regardless who else is playing. Drayton knows this. But, if he can finagle a new revenue stream out of the stadium negotiations, he's all in. If he does not, he will not support it as much.Lopez' concern is legitimate, but for the wrong reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Let's hope this parking garage that may be built doesn't look like Hines new masterpiece on Main. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 supposedly, several teams (including the Dynamo) had sponsorship deals in the works before the season started, but opted to hold out to see what type of deal the Galaxy got. the going rate for sponsorship in MLS has already gone up because of the Herbalife deal, that has already been seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJxvi Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 The LA Galaxy is already a more valuable franchise than all but about 10 NHL teams, and probably right at the value of a couple MLB and NBA teams.Red Bull bought the MetroStars for about $100 million a few years ago, which was already knocking on the door of the lower tier hockey franchise values. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 When it comes to evaluating the popularity of a sport, there are as many opinions as there are people. One especially dangerous way to do so is by the money generated. It is most dangerous to the team owners themselves, as decisions made to maximize revenue can eventually drive down the sport's popularity among its most ardent fans....the ones without a lot of money.Soccer has made silent gains in popularity. Consider these stats from an article about soccer's popularity.The final of last month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 (edited) Well, the MLS is returning to San Jose. A new expansion team is being made there and ready for the 2008 season. Edited July 19, 2007 by Trae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 The MLS is definitely gaining ground. The ESPN thursday night game is helping expose it a little more, hopefully next year they have a bigger deal where there are more games during the week and weekend on TV. I would love to see more soccer on the tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 DJ, you make some good points....I am one of those people that needs to see the impact from Beckham 2 years from now...I don't think anyone thought he would do anything less than the attention he has brought....but in a way I think the future of the MLS is riding on this. Problem is there is no one of Beckham's press image waiting in the horizon to follow him here. In three years we should know how this works out. With increased stars comes increased ticket prices and sponsorships. Are fans going to pay $100 a ticket.....are corporations going to pay that much more in sponsorship dollars (I know Herbalife did for Beckham so don't bring that up). That remains to be seen.Should be interesting to see how it works out.I think Beck's signing is more of the fate of the Galaxy than MLS. Prior to Beckham signing, two teams were already making profit last season, and five would be this year regardless of Beck's signing or not. Part of NASL's mistake was that they depended on Pele and other big names to bring any revenue to the league, whereas MLS had already started to finally see profits prior to Galaxy pursuing Becks, so they don't have to depend on him to "save the league". Also, to be honest, Drayton's biggest threat to profit right now are the Astros, not Dynamo. At least there's a team giving the sports fans here something to cheer about while he's working to get back into the playoff hunt. The Astros playing below .500 is more dangerous to the franchise than if they have soccer next door. In fact, I don't see any correlation. Baseball fans are baseball fans; soccer fans are soccer fans; and real sports fans will support both teams anyway. I think Lopez's article is an exaggeration of "what ifs", but if it's actually the case that Drayton were the reason behind Dynamo not playing Downtown at this point, nothing good could come out of that for either side or for the city IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady 75 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I believe that there the MLS will surpass the NHL by 2010. The league is gaining popularity, and almost every team has their own stadium, or one in the works. Cities like San Antonio, who passed up on the MLS will be sorry. This is a growing league. I only hope that the people who play it now, continue to get better and play it up to the MLS. Something else to help popularity is to sign some famous, worldwide known soccer player to the MLS.lol....the last team that was to be sold out of the NHL (Nashville Predators) was going close to $300,000,000 more than three times the value of the LA Galaxy...NHL is debating adding two franchises (one in Vegas) with close to $300,000,000 in fees. It is going to be a while before MLS approaches this.Besides I don't think the two sports are in competition. I have been to numerous hockey games and soccer games and the fans are not the same at all. They don't compete for the same customer.Like Red said...it is about small, steady gains at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Yet, soccer pulls in better ratings in the U.S. than the Stanley Cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 lol....the last team that was to be sold out of the NHL (Nashville Predators) was going close to $300,000,000 more than three times the value of the LA Galaxy...NHL is debating adding two franchises (one in Vegas) with close to $300,000,000 in fees. It is going to be a while before MLS approaches this.Besides I don't think the two sports are in competition. I have been to numerous hockey games and soccer games and the fans are not the same at all. They don't compete for the same customer.Like Red said...it is about small, steady gains at this point.I agree with you 100% with the fact that I think it will take a long time before MLS as a whole surpasses any of the big 4 leagues in revenue. I do think that LA Galaxy expedited their revenue gaining grounds with their big signings this year, but I'd be surprised if they pulled off top-NHL money within the next 10 years.That being said, soccer is the only sport in the world where there's any teams out there that are worth around or more than any NFL team; and that's with today's US media rarely acknowledging them. Imagine if/when MLS becomes more popular mainstream how much more marketable those teams will become, and how many more will probably also surpass the Redskins and Cowboys in revenue. Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Chelsea, Bayern, Real Madrid, Chivas, Club America, Barcelona, and quite a few others are probably banking on MLS's success to tap into America's mainstream revenue as well. That's why some of those teams mentioned are investing in MLS's youth programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Well, if the popularity of sport in America is judged by the number of celebrities sighted at games, the MLS is doing well. So far in Beckham's first match, they have shown Victoria Beckham (of course), Eva Longoria, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and......DREW CAREY? Hey, if Drew Carey says soccer is cool, I'm in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Well, if the popularity of sport in America is judged by the number of celebrities sighted at games, the MLS is doing well. So far in Beckham's first match, they have shown Victoria Beckham (of course), Eva Longoria, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and......DREW CAREY? Hey, if Drew Carey says soccer is cool, I'm in! Dude, Drew Carey has been saying soccer is cool...where have you been? haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Dude, Drew Carey has been saying soccer is cool...where have you been? haha Oye, I think Drew Carey is the Spike Lee of the LA Galaxy That game was really special to watch. That stadium atmosphere was electric the full 90 minutes, and it looked a lot like we were watching a game in Spain. I can't even imagine what Robertson Stadium's going to be like knowing it's gonna sellout with the already vibrant fans there. Imagine that atmosphere downtown... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkjones98 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Well, if the popularity of sport in America is judged by the number of celebrities sighted at games, the MLS is doing well. So far in Beckham's first match, they have shown Victoria Beckham (of course), Eva Longoria, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and......DREW CAREY? Hey, if Drew Carey says soccer is cool, I'm in! It's not unheard for "celebrities" to be paid to show up. For example, I have a hard time believing Kevin Garnet is a big enough soccer fan that he flew to LA just to see Beckham sit on the bench. Not that you can blame MLS--obviously it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 It's not unheard for "celebrities" to be paid to show up. For example, I have a hard time believing Kevin Garnet is a big enough soccer fan that he flew to LA just to see Beckham sit on the bench.Not that you can blame MLS--obviously it works.So, you're saying that the MLS had perhaps the biggest worldwide sports celebrity running up and down the pitch, his celebrity wife in the lukury box, in a city chock full of mega-celebrities, and decided that they needed to fly in a mid-level NBA player from a mid-level market to juice things up a bit?Riiiight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkjones98 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 So, you're saying that the MLS had perhaps the biggest worldwide sports celebrity running up and down the pitch, his celebrity wife in the lukury box, in a city chock full of mega-celebrities, and decided that they needed to fly in a mid-level NBA player from a mid-level market to juice things up a bit?Riiiight.Yes, sheep. You don't have to believe everything you see on TV, and Garnett was only one example of a possible celebrity-for-hire.My point was: I don't completely agree that "the popularity of sport in America is judged by the number of celebrities sighted at games". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.