FCTB To Play At Al Lang Stadium

FC Tampa Bay announced today that Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg will be their home for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. FCTB kicks off the 2011 regular season on April 9th at Al Lang against future MLS team Montreal Impact.


Al Lang, with a capacity of more than 7,000, is situated on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront between the newly-renovated Dali Museum and St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The stadium previously was home to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays for spring training from 1998-2008, along with several Florida State League minor league teams during the regular season

http://www.nasl.com/article/fctb-to-play-at-al-lang-stadium

Some parts of that are cool. Being on the water, that's cool. That berm (which has people in it or something that's supposed to be people, I think) at midfield.

But it's still a baseball park, it was still built in 1947 and it's still in St. Petersburg, where people from Tampa aren't keen to go.

But even if you wanted to build something new you could not find a better location. It may not be a soccer specific stadium, it has a long BB history and was rebuilt in 1977, but it could be made into a real soccer stadium easier than trying to build a brand new one in as good of a location. Again, you would not find a better location to start with.

http://screencast.com/t/XwdP98yaj

http://www.ballparkreviews.com/stpete/stpete.htm#

It has many great parking/tailgating areas on the bay near the field. The Energy park area The field is right in downtown area just off the Interstate. It has many locations for pre game tailgating, and also a fun night out on the town after the game ends on a Saturday night.

This multi event type of weekend game in a great location is exactly what the casual fan wants.

The location is really not all that big of a problem for weekend afternoon/night games. It is right off the interstate and the traffic across the bridge on the weekend afternoon is not all that bad. The league games are spread out, 14 home games played over a seven month period. Might be a bit tricky when the Rays have a home game only 10 blocks away on the same night... but hey that could be fun?

Also, who doesn't like a field inside a CART auto racing circuit?

http://screencast.com/t/q7QgRenO

The sight lines are going to be trifling unless you are back in the seats by that one goal. Maybe they are going to some bleachers along the other side of the field.

I understand having to use a converted baseball stadium.

In Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Juan Ramon Loubriel fans can sit along a lot more of the sideline.

When I travelled to Frontier Park in Rochester, those seats gave better viewing options than what is in the artist's concept featured above. I honestly can't recall right now but I think that there were bleachers on the far side of the stadium (there had to be to get all of the record crowds in during the "glory" days).

Some of the PRSL soccer clubs also played in baseball stadiums down in Puerto Rico.

Sometimes you have to do it because you don't have any other options.

Yeah, you could.

On the other side of that big body of water. You know, where all the people are.

There can't be many seats with great views. At least half of the seats in the main grandstand are going to be behind the goal or a corner flag, and, as a baseball stadium, they're going to be angled toward what was home plate.

I completely understand they were NIMBYed out of their original plan. I completely understand the place they were in last year wasn't ideal. But please don't try and tell me a 64-year-old stadium built for baseball will be just awesome for soccer in 2011. Because it won't be.

I get that.

But please, then just say it's a stopgap situation. Don't say that you'll figure out a stadium solution over the next few years. You may not HAVE a few more years. No one is guaranteed that.

The population is on the other side of that bridge, and they won't be coming across it in any great numbers to watch DII soccer. They just won't. Watch.

Yeah. Know doubt that you did.

They are "selling" it. It is their solution for right now. Of course he city wants somebody in there.

The two need each other for right now. Right now just trying to keeep the franchise and league afloat is all that TBFC can handle.

We'll see how many people come to experience the "great museums and restuarants and water, blah blah, blah..."

I wish them all the best.

The population of greater Tampa Bay is not concentrated in Tampa alone. The whole area is some of the most densely populated areas of Florida.

"Pinellas (St Pete's/Clearwater) is the most densely populated county in the state".

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/tampa-bay...l#ixzz1BdBFYrxY

"The greater Tampa Bay area is the metropolitan area, which are Pasco County, Hernando County, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Citrus, and Sarasota counties. Pasco and Hernando have cities that are suburbs of Tampa. Hillsborough has about 1.2 million people, Pinellas 930,000 Pasco 450,000 Hernando 200,000, Manatee about 420,000, Sarasota, 470,000 Polk 600,000 and Citrus appr. 170,000 people which all in total have 4,440,000 people".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Area

Yea.... Your right, it's not like they going to drive over a bridge (same bridge) to go to the beach in the summer very often... ?? Dugh!

Maybe some of those brave soles that dare to cross into Pinnellas Co, to go to the closest beaches to Tampa Bay, might just stop in St Pete's to catch a quick two hour soccer game, then go out to dinner on their way back over the bridge to Tampa.

14 home games over a seven months, most of which will be on Saturday nights, is not a big issue.

And you DO know the demographics of those people, right? No, you don't. Of course you don't. Because, once again - and this won't be a surprise to regular viewers of this program - you're an idiot.



So there's no difference in popularity between the beach and minor league professional soccer. Okay, I gotcha. Thanks.

Do they drive across the same bridge to see the former American League champion baseball team? No, they do not. And not in the same numbers as they do for beaches. But jw7, who sells effing ski equipment or whatever the hell it is he does, figures that if people go to the beach, they'll pay to watch minor league pro soccer.

This is because jw7 is one of the larger idiots around.



I always love "this MIGHT happen" as a business plan. Maybe someone will go to the beach and MAYBE then they'll go to a game and MAYBE then they'll repeat that several times a summer. Maybe.

Stick to selling ski equipment. Dipstick.



Okay, big guy. We'll see. Not a big issue for you. But I guarantee you this product is not compelling enough to make people go out of their way to go see it. Not when one of the best baseball teams in the majors isn't compelling enough.

Bernie is old and gets cranky after 5:00 PM...

OK superstar if the attendance at the Rays game is down because of it's location in St Pete's across the bridge, then why were the NFL Tampa Bay Bucs home games all blacked-out this season because of low attendance at Raymond James Stadium on the Tampa Bay side of the bridge?

MAYBE the bridge has nothing to do with planning a weekend day out in Tampa?

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kenn-tomasch/8/41/b61


"Keen ability to produce and present creative packages to elicit desired audience responses".

Kenn Tomasch’s Specialties:
"creative thinking"---- LOL... OMG... LOL... you have got to be kidding?

Chamber of Commerce... LOL...



You have people skills, your good at dealing with people Kenn.

jw7, how about making this less personal and using another avatar, and a link that is yours for your signature.

Discussion and disagreement are fine. This is more than that.

Cheers, Dan

All the news that's fit to print.

http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/

"Bernie's Slav-in"

Jw7, what is it with your juvenile interest in trying to "expose" people on this board? Probably helps explain why you're alone most of the time.

Why not post a link to your resume? Unlike KT, I'm sure it doesn't include any practical experience that might help you actually understand any of the meaningful topics discussed here.

"C"

LOL...

I am not touching the whole TB vs. St. Pete location issue...but if they will be using this configuration most of the seats will be from midfield down to the end zone (far away from the majority of the play)...the whole trouble with using a baseball stadium. From what I can remember, Frontier Field was the only place that seemed to temporarily work for fans being close to the action(but certainly not good for players with the infield). They tried it in Pittsburgh/Washington using a minor league stadium and it was the same issue (seats not close to the majority of the action). Don't get me wrong, I hope TB does well, just in my opinion there should be something that would work better for soccer in that area.