Yeah, No Kidding
The future starts now, all right. Thursday, February 7, 2013 is next Thursday. This announcement comes to you from the local USL Pro team, the Phoenix FC Wolves, who have their first home game in less than 60 days, and are kind of behind the 8-ball. They haven’t announced ticket prices yet, haven’t hired anyone in sales and marketing yet, have no one in the organization who has ever actually sold a ticket, and have six home games by Memorial Day. I hope they do well, but everything I’m hearing (except from local fanboys) is head-scratching.
Tags: Phoenix FC, pointing out the inadequacies of others, USL-Pro
January 31st, 2013 at 11:36 am
At least they are ahead of VSI Tampa FC. Tampa’s stadium is still listed as TBD
January 31st, 2013 at 11:37 am
That is true.
Wouldn’t it be funny if they played at Steinbrenner Field?
February 1st, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Back in the day, when I worked in Florida, I had the chance to occupy Mr. Steinbrenner’s time for a bit while my boss made him wait in his waiting room. Anyway, we got on the subject about foot, er, soccer, and he mentioned that his family owned an interest in a team, but I can’t remember which one now.
February 1st, 2013 at 12:14 pm
He MIGHT have been a minority investor in the original Rowdies because he was into everything in Tampa and he was very supportive of their franchise. If it wasn’t that, I don’t know what it might have been.
February 15th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Season ticket prices are now up on their site.
http://www.phoenixfc.com/tickets/seasontickets/index_E.html
February 15th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Yes. And what prices they are.
No one but Orlando even has a $30 ticket. I don’t even think anyone but Orlando has a $16 ticket.
And even with an expanded capacity and beer, there is no seat in that stadium worth $39 to see Antigua Barracuda FC on a Thursday night in July when it’s 113 degrees.
February 15th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Top individual-game ticket price in Pittsburgh, with brand new stadium: $12.
USL Pro teams’ most expensive individual-game ticket:
Phoenix $39
Orlando $30
Tampa Bay $15
Harrisburg $14
Wilmington $12
Richmond $12
Pittsburgh $12
Dayton $11
Rochester $10.80
Los Angeles $10
Charlotte $10
Charleston’s is unknown.
Phoenix’s “Economy” ticket ($16) is more expensive than the top-priced ticket in 9 of the other 11 cities in the league (might be 10, we don’t know about Charleston).
Phoenix’s “Value” ticket ($14) is more expensive than the top-priced ticket in 7 of the other 11 cities in the league (again, could be 8 pending Charleston).
Phoenix’s other “Value” ticket ($12) is more in line with the rest of the league’s top-priced ticket.
I just think they’ve really overreached here.
February 17th, 2013 at 6:12 am
I can imagine the thought process:
“Phoenix is a big-league town, so people should pay big-league prices!”
“Aren’t Tampa and Pittsburgh and LA big-league towns, too? Their tickets cost only a fraction of ours!”
“Shut…UP…!!”
February 17th, 2013 at 7:12 am
Overestimating the actual demand for this product is one thing that has sunk many a team and many a league.
February 17th, 2013 at 12:55 pm
It makes me wonder what they’re paying for stadium rent.
February 17th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
It’s a partnership with the University. I’m going to guess you might be able to find that number through FOI, maybe. But they’re paying to bring in the extra seating, which will be ASU’s to use.
But you don’t set ticket prices by what you feel you need to make your rent or your payroll or your overall budget. You set them by what you feel the market will bear. I think they’ve misjudged what the market will bear, but we’ll see before too long.
February 17th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Well, you SHOULD set your ticket prices that way but it’s hard to imagine they thought about it your way and then came up with these prices. If they set their prices too high because their costs were too high it wouldn’t be the first time that happened in a fledgling outfit.
February 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Yes, I believe their inexperience is showing in a lot of ways.