A home for the Champions League
by Cornchops on Jan 27, 2010 6:21 PM PST
29 comments
As reported by Romero, Prost, and likely others, it sounds as if our CCL play-in games might be played at Starfire. Certainly we were all hoping to welcome real international competitors to Qwest, and I assumed that our guaranteed CCL game would be included in the season ticket package.
The club, apparently, thinks otherwise:
"That'll be just like the U.S. Open Cup," VP Gary Wright said. "Should we play in a Champions League final and its a home game, that would be a little different."
However, they may have a problem.
The CONCACAF website lists regulations pertaining to different competitions that fall under its jurisdiction. I checked out the regulations regarding the Champions League. A lot of the rules are interesting, but most interesting are these:
10.2 Stadium Location
a. The home venue selected by the participating team should be the stadium usually used by the team for its home games.
That seems clear enough. Qwest should be the venue. Unless we're moving to Starfire.
And:
10.7 Other Stadium Facilities. Each stadium shall, as a minimum, provide the following facilities:
a. Separate locker room facilities for the home team, away team and match officials, meeting international standards in terms of size, quality, and basic amenities such as hot water, towels, as determined by CONCACAF.
b. Controlled Areas that may serve as post game interview areas.
c. Room for post-game press conference, air conditioned if available.
d. Facilities to accommodate broadcast and production operations, consisting of at least 2 enclosed booths for radio and TV and preferably at least 2 enclosed TV booths and 4 enclosed radio booths.
e. Controlled seating for no less than 50 media personnel for Preliminary Round and Group Stage games, 80 for Elimination Round games.
f. A media room, preferably air-conditioned and with high-speed internet access for all attending media, television monitors carrying a live feed of the match, and food and beverages for all attending media.
g. Provide a private, secured box or comparable seating area for the officials of the visiting team.
h. Broadcast facilities for television trucks including parking space, security, and power and two (2) phone lines in the location where the production trucks will be parked.
i. A fully operable public address system, audible both inside and outside of the entire stadium, and an operator or announcer qualified in its use.
I'm a little ashamed to admit, I've never been to Starfire, so I don't know if it meets these minimum requirements. However, last year the RSL announcers had to sit at a folding table in the walkway, I'm pretty sure they don't have two enclosed broadcast booths. And it just seems like Starfire isn't quite up to snuff for a tournament of this level.
So, see you at Qwest in July.
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Also in the regulations linked above
Are a ton of notes concerning media and advertising. Read them, the CCL is purely about the game.
I have emailed the team asking questions that cornchops has raised about how Starfire qualifies.
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The advertising rules are pretty interesting
I was wondering if “The X-box Pitch” was high enough that it would be able to stay for a CCL game. Field level advertising is prohibited, and that tarp is relatively close to the field.
Like I said, there are all kinds of interesting things in there.
Oh, and I promoted this FanPost
because cornchops found this and has started raising these questions. It didn’t seem right for me to just raise the same points, when he already had.
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They know all about those rules...
…and they are quite certain that their use of Starfire passes muster.
For starters, Starfire is a regularly used stadium by the team. It’s just that they use it for Open Cup play, while they use RBP for league play.
And the other things are fairly easily done- a couple of trailers behind the main stands can cover the requirements for airconditioned rooms and so forth. I know that Starfire has had plans to remodel a lot of their stuff; this will just push those plans forward.
The bigger question was the lighting (there’s a minimum lighting standard) and the crappy condition of their turf. They seem to believe it won’t be an issue, though.
Too bad. I think it would have been a brilliant move to make the first home CCL game one of the 18 games in the ticket package.
by Blue Eyed Buddhist on Jan 27, 2010 6:56 PM PST reply actions
Starfire is "usually used" by the team as home field?
Not since 2008.
17 matches at Qwest, 4 at Starfire last .year
The press box isn’t large enough for that much media, nor are there a total of 6 booths for TV/radio
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I would hope they would address the Starfire turf for the sake of our players
that turf is an injury waiting to happen. Just like there’s good and bad grass, there’s good and bad turf. As I recall from the USOC semi-final, Brad Davis was lucky he didn’t break his ankle out there (he was carried off the field) and Kinnear was a little miffed about it.
If not for Wright's quote
I would have assumed that the CCL would be a Qwest event, but paid for separately (not part of ST package). Maybe it still will be. Or maybe, hopefully, they’ll just add it in for STH when they realize Starfire isn’t the place for hosting international opponents.
18 matches?
You know I find it funny that knowing you will have some CCL matches, as well as LHUSOC matches, and with the large market you will likely get another big international friendly, so why only 18 tickets?
I know for Real Salt Lake they had dropped down to 18 tickets for 2009 and considered the All Star match as a two ticket burn, but in addition to dropping the prices on 85% of their seats for 2010, they added 2 more tickets for a total of 20. I recently talked with RSL president Bill Manning and they are planning on all the CCL group stage home matches being included in the season ticket package as well as a playoff match.
I hope that your FO gets it figured out, it would be a shame to play matches that are part of an international tournament that at a facility that is clearly not suited to hosting that type of match.
Season tix are believed at this time to be
15 regular season
3 international friendlies
Open Cup was purchased seperately (the Council has pushed for this to be included as part of ticket package)
CCL is still up in the air, but Sounders only assured of one.
I actually believe that Season Tix should be a membership in truth so that all reg season, US Open Cup, CCL, Superliga, Playoff matches a member would have a ticket. As long as the team wins you get to go.
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How do other leagues handle this?
I was thinking recently about this and i thought of the same idea you mentioned. Season ticket holders should be given tickets to every match a team plays in. I wouldn’t mind even paying a little bit more then i would for a full season if it meant that I was guaranteed a seat at every match the team participated in.
Since most American sports don’t have a number of games outside the regular season how do other soccer leagues handle Cup matches and such? In England, for instance, do season ticket holders for Manchester buy FA cup tickets separately or are they included in the season ticket purchase?
by DarthGreedo on Jan 27, 2010 10:27 PM PST up reply actions
In Europe at least, it's as Dave suggested
A season ticket is a pass that gets you into all the teams matches that season. So if your team keeps progressing in the various cup competitions, then you keep getting more matches.
Of course, those tickets are much more expensive. Last time I looked out of curiosity, a lower deck season ticket for Inter was over 2000 euros, and it’s probably well over that now.
When asked if Starfire qualifies
Sounders responded that it does.
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International perception?
I think it should be relayed to the FO that they have made a point of wanting to become an international team. The Open Cup is not even in the same thought process as the CCL. This would be VERY embarassing! Give the fans some credit. Give us the chance to buy our seats for the game and assume we will show up to support our team better than the other contestents, in the past. We did so last year. First of all, it is a slap in the face to our fans. This is not the tournament that you need to show a manufactured sellout for perception. Although, a full stadium at quest might provide something for the world to chew on. Remember Montreal? Second of all, this would further the idea that we are a second rate league. You have the best support in the USA and supposedly an organization that is as professional as alot of European clubs. Time to show it off. Oh. I forgot. We are just MLS. Very small time minds. Let’s play at starfire, so we can give them a show, with 6-10,000 fans on a highschool pitch. Now that is the way to make this an internationally recognized club.
hear, hear!
...that's MISTER Keller to you!!!
by malcontentjake on Jan 27, 2010 10:07 PM PST up reply actions
wow, I mean, wow
To say the very least I am BAFFLED by this decision. I had assumed from day 1 that CCL matches would be at Qwest and be included (at least the “play in,” the rest would be “right of first refusal” like the playoffs work…
I just don’t see the wisdom of playing at Starfire, frankly I didn’t last year an I don’t this year. And I may be in the minority of ardent supporters — who would watch a match at a gravel quarry and appreciate the “intimacy” of the Starfire setting (and I’m not saying I don’t) — but STARFIRE IS A SMALL-TIME VENUE, AND WE ARE NOT A SMALL TIME CLUB, and furthermore, it is a SERIOUS mistake to view the CCL as a small-time competition.
Then the thought occurred to me. Isn’t THIS exactly why we have an Alliance Council?! Isn’t THIS the PERFECT example of a situation where a body of supporters can step up to the club and say “this is dumb, guys, don’t do this. We don’t like this idea!”
...that's MISTER Keller to you!!!
by malcontentjake on Jan 27, 2010 10:06 PM PST reply actions
Trust me
We’ve brought it up, multiple times even. It was suggested that I didn’t really appreciate Starfire as I did not go last year.
Which ignores the near dozen games I have seen there, including a standing room only USL Championship.
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an important part of a club's identity is its home ground!
Starfire is a training ground, and as a training ground its probably a pretty good one. When I think of the great clubs of the world, I instantly think of their home stadiums. San Siro, Old Trafford, the Bernebeu, Camp Nou, Anfield, St James’ Park. These are places with a legend and life of their own, that add to the mystique and prestige of some of the World’s great clubs (and another reason why naming rights to stadiums is so disappointing!) I couldn’t name a single one of these team’s training grounds. If I heard that one of these clubs were playing an early-round Cup competition at their training ground, my assumption would be “they clearly don’t give a crap about that competition!”
By playing Cup or CCL matches at their training ground, the Sounders are sending a clear message; this is an unimportant competition. It was a perfectly forgivable move for our first year, and especially the “play-in”rounds of the US Open Cup last spring, but this year it smacks of being disingenuous. The Club, specifically Adrian Hanauer, have made it clear they consider the USOC and CCL important competitions they will try to win. If this is realy the case, you would not host matches at your training ground.
This is VERY much about image. Many of us have worked very hard, and spent good money, to try to create an atmosphere at Qwest — or Royal Brougham Park — that is befitting of the prestigious club we want the Sounders to become. I can’t help but feel like this is a slap in the face to many of us, as well as all 31,000+ “club members” who may be willing to watch their team play in a gravel quarry, but also are reasonable to expect the matches to take place in a first-rate facility.
thanks for letting me rant :-)
...that's MISTER Keller to you!!!
by malcontentjake on Jan 28, 2010 10:38 AM PST up reply actions
Rest assured...
that at least a couple of us who’re running for Council this season (hey, obligatory “vote for me” pitch here- vote for Paul Cox!) feel the same way as the present Council members and will join them in supporting CCL matches being full-fledged matches at the big stadium.
I love Starfire with 4,500 screaming Sounders fans. I REALLY love RBP with 36,000 screaming Sounders fans.
by Blue Eyed Buddhist on Feb 1, 2010 7:06 PM PST up reply actions
Plan
I am sure they have a plan to make sure it matches requirements.
I just don’t get why they would do it ?
I can see why they didn’t make it one of the 18 games in our season ticket pack, they will probably sell another 30k tickets for those games, depending on who they get.
MLS Cup being the third game in my opinion.
At some point though the Sounders need a little more faith in the fans, who have been incredible. Only opening up 35,500 tickets when you sell 32k season tickets ?
Only selling 3k to US Open games and CCL ?
That doesn’t show anything but disrespect quite frankly. We have all been to Starfire millions of times over the last few years, it stinks.
Small update
1st, any of those rules can and have had exceptions made in the past. Basically CONCACAF didn’t want truly awful stadiums, rather than just mediocre ones.
2nd, the ticketing aspect of this may have to do with CCL rules, at least that’s what I’m getting from this interview with Gary Wright.
3rd, if they make it to the Group stage (where Mexican and Costa Rican teams can face Sounders) they will explore the Qwest option. Also from above link.
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I tried it again, and it seems to work here
it is from ProstAmerika.com
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Issue for Council
Dave, I know you got shot down about Starfire before, but for me that was in reference to beginning round Open Cup games. I still feel the semifinal should have been at Qwest.
That said, CCL is way more important than Open Cup. Maybe I can understand the prelim game being at Starfire but would rather have it at Qwest. All group games should be at Qwest and one of them should be one of the friendly tickets, preferably against a Mexican club if we get that far and are paired vs them.
As the Council, we should request the team to answer how Starfire meets each of these points, a cheap reply of “starfire meets requirements” is not good enough.
by YukataNinja on Jan 29, 2010 11:09 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Oh
And now I’ve read your update just above. =)
by YukataNinja on Jan 29, 2010 11:11 AM PST up reply actions
It would be interesting
I think part of the FO’s thoughts are more like worries, and in Seattle’s case misguided ones. Too often in MLS the play in matches of the LHUSOC or CCL are midweek affairs that don’t “pack the house”, low attendance is a trademark of these types of matches around the league. It isn’t just the old “butts in the seats”, it is the spend per person that drops off in a big way. People are less likely to drink much at a midweek match knowing they have to work the next day, they tend to stop off and eat after work and before the event, and all those things take away from their bottom line.
I actually think with your stadium location, that both of those things are probably not real issues, but the fear of them might be part of what is behind the Starfire decision.
In things that make you wonder
Now the Sounders have told Don Ruiz that CONCACAF actually hasn’t approved the use of Starfire yet
Left Hand Meet Right Hand….
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