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Post by LafayetteDad on Feb 25, 2007 7:49:55 GMT -6
ticket sales were 842 last night, 882 tonight 842+882X$8=$13,792. I have no idea what the gate last year in Lafayette was, but would not be surprised to learn that it was at least twice this much.
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Post by coachray40 on Feb 25, 2007 8:55:21 GMT -6
Thats all that were at Independence? Unbeleiveable. There were at least 600 folks in the stands at EA 30 minutes before kickoff, and that number swelled to at least 2000 for the match. Whole entire home side of Spartan stadium was full. Big crowd, bigger than last year. I was doing color commentary for the TV coverage, and the play by play man asked me during the game as to why LHSAA doesnt let one team host the finals for all divisions like they do for D2. No disrespect intended fo the folks in shreveport, but If those numbers are indeed what attended at Independence , and that is for 2 games involving 4 teams, I would think LHSAA should look seriously into rethinking their bidding process. 10% of 2000 at an average of $6 per ticket is way better that 1700 over 2 days
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Post by savonarola on Feb 25, 2007 9:01:00 GMT -6
ticket sales were 842 last night, 882 tonight 842+882X$8=$13,792. I have no idea what the gate last year in Lafayette was, but would not be surprised to learn that it was at least twice this much. But this does not necessarily reflect the payment of money to the participating schools.....The Shreveport Sports Authority is apparently very serious about making this work. They restructured the traditional distribution formula by giving each participating school an additional 15% of the gate that comes out of the host's portion and also helped them defer traveling costs by paying them mileage reimbursement. All in all, I thought it was very well done for the first year. Next year will be even better.
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Post by LafayetteDad on Feb 25, 2007 9:13:34 GMT -6
There were easily over 2000 people in attendence last year just for the B and G D1 finals. Even with 15% markup and mileage, I am sure the schools still didn't get as much this year as last. I would bet though that LHSAA's cut, if the SSA was paying, is more this year.
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Post by ShreveDad on Feb 25, 2007 9:58:36 GMT -6
I figured I would stir up some strong feelings when I posted the numbers. Since coaches, officials and some others were able to come in without tickets, fannies in seats were most likely 100 more each night. I was disappointed, but not surprised with the numbers. I thought we needed a bunch of Lafayette and Lake Charles teams to have good attendence. Lafayette, Teurlings, and St. Louis without question brought the most fans.
I was hoping for better local numbers. The folks I thought I would see, I did. The casual fans didn't turn out. Heck, I couldn't even get my wife or daughter to go. My wife could have got in free, sat up in the suite they had set up for coaches, officials and their spouses, had free food and drink (non alcoholic), and watched the matches from up there. Some of us will go watch matches and other sporting events even though we don't have a connection to the kids or schools. Most people won't.
As for what this means for the future, I would be worried if I was a South Louisiana soccer fan who doesn't like to come up north. What I am finding out is that LHSAA is far less concerned with attendence than we might think. It is important but not #1 on the list. Even on a good year the numbers are very small compared to other sports. Football, and the 2 basketball tournaments are the main revenue producers for LHSAA. Soccer is way down the list and most likely always will be despite what we might hope for. The LHSAA incoming commisioner was here on Friday and from what I heard was very impressed with the facilities and the management of the event. Tommy Henry supposedly was equally impressed. Their goal is to put the state finals in the best venues possible and there is no better venue in the state to hold these finals. As for LHSAA's cut, they gave back some of that for us to give to the teams. That shows how much they are concerned about the small amount of revenue they receive from the soccer finals. SRSA isn't a for profit organization, they just wanted to break even and they did that. Their funding comes from the city and the hotel/tourist industry. This event brought lots of folks into town, lots of them spent 1 or 2 nights in hotels, all spent money here. SRSA and the tourist folks got what they wanted.
I am hoping next year will be even better.
Thanks to everyone who did make the trip. Those who didn't missed some good soccer. We had 4 very exciting matches.
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Post by LafayetteDad on Feb 25, 2007 10:17:33 GMT -6
I throughly agree that Indy Stadium is the best soccer venue in the state and an appropriate site for the soccer finals, distance not considered. However, in the opening paragraphs of the Times-Picayune article about Jesuit's victory, the sportswriter noted that the stadium was "nearly empty". With that kind of comment, the soccer finals are not going to move up in the pecking order any time soon. As for LHSAA, you all know my and most Lafayette people's opinion of that organization is. It is all about the revenue. They would have the kids play in a completely empty stadium if they had a way to make money off of it. Also, having worked in the tourism industry, I understand how tourism/convention centers operate. They are about filling up hotels and restaurants and tourist attractions. Hats off to SRSA for that and congratulations to Shreveport for organizing an excellent sporting event. However, I can't help but wonder if this is really in the players' and the schools' best interests. They are, at least nominally, the constituents LHSAA is supposed to represent.
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Post by lakeview on Feb 25, 2007 10:22:25 GMT -6
I recall a Jesuit- Lafayette game just 2? years ago. 5000 spectators?
On the plus side, you are closer to the action at Indy since no track around field.
Negative -- 2/3 of our population lives from BR to the East. It's a 5-hour trip. Some people cut up through Hammond to Jackson and then go west to Shreve.
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Post by ShreveDad on Feb 25, 2007 10:28:17 GMT -6
However, I can't help but wonder if this is really in the players' and the schools' best interests. They are, at least nominally, the constituents LHSAA is supposed to represent. Thats a great question. What are their best interests? They don't have a problem sending kids all over the state to play in earlier rounds. What is different about the finals? I hope every player left Shreveport feeling good about the way they were treated here. We tried to make this more than just a game for them. If the LHSAA wanted to maximize attendence, they need to wait until the semis are played then pick a city halfway between the 2 schools and play the final there.
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Post by timaeus on Feb 25, 2007 10:29:48 GMT -6
So long as the finals are in Shreveport, high school soccer in this state will not advance.
Lafayette or Baton Rouge should be the host every year.
Had the game been in Baton Rouge, I suspect no less than 3,000 would have turned up for STP and Jesuit. 3000 was the number that showed up at Ecole Classique when Mandeville and Jesuit played for the 1996 state championship. With the way high school soccer has increased in popularity over the years, and with a Northshore team and Jesuit team playing, a better location surely would next to guarantee that the minimum would have been 3000.
Shreveport hosting is a huge step in the wrong direction, and I think anyone who is viewing it from an unbiased position will see as much. I hope all positive comments made by the LHSAA were nothing more than pleasantries and politeness. It's too bad Shreveport is contractually slated to host next year.
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Post by xmopitchman on Feb 25, 2007 10:56:45 GMT -6
Well said Timaeus. Last year's boys final was S.R.O. at a stadium that seats 3,500. The girls final was a packed house. The press corps around the state were impressed and had to get a new, favorable impression about the numbers of soccer fans. Shreveport games will set us back, but hey, it's good for the casinos. Isn't that what we're all about?
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Bench Warmer
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Post by on Feb 25, 2007 11:25:50 GMT -6
here are my thoughts.
first last years attendance was great but lets not forget that two lafayette area schools where in those games. i know that if a shreveport team was in the finals the numbers would have been much better. second the weather had to have a major affect on the locals coming out to watch the game in shreveport.
that being said i would like the games to be played in lafayette, (did you think i would say otherwise). i do know that shreveport is a great place to visit and the field at indy is the best soccer field in the state. lets rotate it between the two.
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Post by maketherun on Feb 25, 2007 11:30:57 GMT -6
It's great that the Shreveport area got a very minor tourism boost, but remember, it was done on the backs of the players, schools and families who had to do the traveling. Also, with less than a thousand in the stands, how much of a boost could that be??
In addition, what was the experience like for the players?? Most were playing in the biggest game of their soccer lives and they were playing to an empty house. If we want to talk numbers, lets talk heads not dollars.
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Post by soccerjunky on Feb 25, 2007 11:34:27 GMT -6
Why not play in Alexandria. I hear they have really nice fields. If the finals would have been played in Baton Rouge or Laffy I would have gone to the games.
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Post by LafayetteDad on Feb 25, 2007 11:38:47 GMT -6
I had no problem going to Shreveport to play Caddo. I thought it was great playing there. It did seem to me though that there were almost as many Lafayette fans as there were Caddo fans, not counting the Capt Shreve fans and players who stayed dispite the bitter cold that day. The difference between the playoffs and the finals themselves is that the finals must be the showcase event, bringing in more than just the competing teams fan base. I am sure all the players and coaches who went to the finals were very well treated, I have no doubt the hospitality was first class. But if we want Shreveport to work as a venue, and I have nothing against working toward that goal, we have to figure out a way to get more people to the game. However, if nothing else, this year's finals showed that, from an attendence point of view, we still have a way to go.
Final point, someone mentioned on another thread that the DII Boys' final was televised. Shouldn't all the finals be televised?
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Post by timaeus on Feb 25, 2007 11:42:02 GMT -6
If coachray ran the finals, we'd have over 5000 for every game, it would be nationally televised on ESPN2, and there'd be free food.
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Post by LafayetteDad on Feb 25, 2007 11:46:58 GMT -6
Oh, yeah, I just re-read the second post on this thread. It was CoachRay doing the broadcast. What channel was that?
The free food idea sounds good to me!
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Post by soccerjunky on Feb 25, 2007 11:47:46 GMT -6
A central location in the state should be where the finals need to be played if it is feasible as far as a quality field, hotels, and any other necessities. For example, I live in New Orleans and if the finals was in Baton Rouge or Laffy I would attend the games and still be able to drive home the same night.
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Post by ShreveDad on Feb 25, 2007 11:55:15 GMT -6
LHSAA will have to decide what is most important. People in stands or guaranteeing the teams they will play the final on a high quality field no matter how bad the weather. To be honest, even if Shreve and Magnet were playing in the final we would be hard pressed to get 3500 in the stands. Just not enough soccer fans up here.
On the other hand, we had between 1 and 2 inches of rain Friday night and Saturday morning. If the matches yesterday had been played anywhere else in the state with that weather, we would be reading this morning about the crappy and dangerous field Jesuit and St. Pauls had to play on after the girls final.
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Post by timaeus on Feb 25, 2007 12:01:06 GMT -6
But Baton Rouge only had .14 inches of rain yesterday, and it wasn't an issue for the Vandy-EA game.
While the draining ability of Independence is unmatched in soccer fields in this state, the fields at LSU and Lafayette are not terribly far behind. And the strengths those locations offer far outweigh the strengths of Shreveport.
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Post by ShreveDad on Feb 25, 2007 12:18:12 GMT -6
I think you have to take LSU out of the equation. From what I have heard they are not going to allow any outside organizations to use that complex anymore. I'm not sure they have the seating for a Lafayette size crowd anyway. It's a shame you couldn't put a field like Indy in Lafayette. That would be the perfect solution.
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