Jan 31, 2008
Aztex Meets With Players
Via a post by 'Liquidator' on the BigSoccer forums, this news on the Aztex site: Meeting With Austin Area Players.
It doesn't sound like the team is going to rely solely on their partnership with Stoke City:
There were also good -- no, great -- words about their approach to finding a home pitch for the team. Er, make that, home pitches.
As other BigSoccer folks noted, the "20,000 seat stadium" would just about have to be UT's Myers Stadium. The consensus on that forum seems to be that UT has never, would never and will never let anyone but UT teams use their facilities, but we shall see. In any case, I'm happy to see they're looking for a permanent home, at least for the duration of the season.
The team has also gotten a good bit of interest in their open coaching spots, receiving 30 applications for Head Coach, and almost 20 for Assistant. I thought this last bit about the U-23 Head Coach position was pretty interesting:
It doesn't sound like the team is going to rely solely on their partnership with Stoke City:
Rawlins gave a presentation with graphics and spelled out the player opportunities that exists with the Aztex alliances. He also stressed plans to forge an alliance with a professional club in Mexico.
There were also good -- no, great -- words about their approach to finding a home pitch for the team. Er, make that, home pitches.
Rawlins also discussed stadium choices, saying that the club is looking for the best match of the team and season with a stadium. He said the U23 season and the Aztex First Division professional season may be played in separate stadiums to accomodate the specific needs of those teams. "We probably don’t want to put the U23 in a 20,000 seat stadium," he said. He explained that the club will be looking for the best stadium match for each season in order to maximize the crowd experience at the events. Rawlins explained that the organization is in contract negotiations that will soon result in an announcement of stadium choice. "Believe me, it will be for the entire season," he added.
As other BigSoccer folks noted, the "20,000 seat stadium" would just about have to be UT's Myers Stadium. The consensus on that forum seems to be that UT has never, would never and will never let anyone but UT teams use their facilities, but we shall see. In any case, I'm happy to see they're looking for a permanent home, at least for the duration of the season.
The team has also gotten a good bit of interest in their open coaching spots, receiving 30 applications for Head Coach, and almost 20 for Assistant. I thought this last bit about the U-23 Head Coach position was pretty interesting:
Rawlins told the local players that the head coach in the U23 season will be the same Head Coach that will direct the First Division season in 2009.
Labels: coaches, players, stadium
Jan 30, 2008
Foreign Ownership In American Soccer
Interesting article (via both Soccer Blogs and the BigSoccer forums) by Tom Dunmore on Pitch Invasion: The Austin Aztex and Foreign Ownership in American Soccer.
In addition to Aztex owner Phil Rawlins, who of course is also an owner and director of the English Championship side Stoke City FC, Dunmore points out the comments of USL president Francisco Marcos, with regard to further internationalization of USL. Marcos talks about the USL-2 team Crystal Palace Baltimore, and their obvious tie to the Crystal Palace of the English Championship.
Dunmore wonders if this foreign ownership is good for American soccer, invoking one last example in the California Victory, which folded last year -- its first year -- when it lost the support of its parent club, Spain's Deportivo Alavés.
Okay, enough Wikipedia links; sorry about that. I'm still new to a lot of the USL teams & stories, and those reference links are for me as much as anyone. ;-)
It seems to me that foreign ownership is no problem at all. If someone has the money and the energy to invest in soccer here in the U.S., and they can make a go of it, then why not? It may not turn out well, as seems to be the case with the Victory, but couldn't that happen just as well with American backers?
In fact, I'll go further, and say if it were up to me, we'd have more teams backed with foreign owners and affiliated with foreign teams. American soccer teams are still struggling for their place in our crowded pro sports landscape, all the way up to MLS, to some extent.
Meanwhile, more or less every other country in the world has already seen the light about what a great sport soccer is. Thousands of people around the world, in the U.S. and abroad, are already Deportivo Alavés fans, Crystal Palace fans, Stoke City FC fans. Why not tap into and draft off of some of that established fandom -- not to mention the management & marketing experience of the partner club?
I'm a late-comer to being a fan of the beautiful game myself, and I came mainly via the World Cup in 2006. But one of my very favorite parts of soccer is the international aspect. The other dominant U.S. sports have a little of that, but it's never much more than a Cuban baseball player here and a Chinese basketball player there. Not so with soccer, of course. Players, club teams and national teams hop around the globe like crazy, and to me, that's really cool. Foreign owners and partner clubs are just another element of that global dimension that makes it truly the world's game.
Dunmore is also worried that these teams will be "farm operations run for the benefit of foreign clubs", and not "locally rooted clubs that stick around for a long time". I don't see how a team could do very well as the former without also being the latter. Stoke City isn't going to have much of a farm operation here in Austin if Aztex doesn't have strong local support.
On the same topic, we also have As Americans Buy Into Premier League, Englishmen Buy Into American Soccer, on the AOL sports blog, "Fanhouse". The author, David Warner, makes this excellent point:
To me, that's further rationale for why foreign support of U.S. soccer is not just not bad, it's downright good.
In addition to Aztex owner Phil Rawlins, who of course is also an owner and director of the English Championship side Stoke City FC, Dunmore points out the comments of USL president Francisco Marcos, with regard to further internationalization of USL. Marcos talks about the USL-2 team Crystal Palace Baltimore, and their obvious tie to the Crystal Palace of the English Championship.
Dunmore wonders if this foreign ownership is good for American soccer, invoking one last example in the California Victory, which folded last year -- its first year -- when it lost the support of its parent club, Spain's Deportivo Alavés.
Okay, enough Wikipedia links; sorry about that. I'm still new to a lot of the USL teams & stories, and those reference links are for me as much as anyone. ;-)
It seems to me that foreign ownership is no problem at all. If someone has the money and the energy to invest in soccer here in the U.S., and they can make a go of it, then why not? It may not turn out well, as seems to be the case with the Victory, but couldn't that happen just as well with American backers?
In fact, I'll go further, and say if it were up to me, we'd have more teams backed with foreign owners and affiliated with foreign teams. American soccer teams are still struggling for their place in our crowded pro sports landscape, all the way up to MLS, to some extent.
Meanwhile, more or less every other country in the world has already seen the light about what a great sport soccer is. Thousands of people around the world, in the U.S. and abroad, are already Deportivo Alavés fans, Crystal Palace fans, Stoke City FC fans. Why not tap into and draft off of some of that established fandom -- not to mention the management & marketing experience of the partner club?
I'm a late-comer to being a fan of the beautiful game myself, and I came mainly via the World Cup in 2006. But one of my very favorite parts of soccer is the international aspect. The other dominant U.S. sports have a little of that, but it's never much more than a Cuban baseball player here and a Chinese basketball player there. Not so with soccer, of course. Players, club teams and national teams hop around the globe like crazy, and to me, that's really cool. Foreign owners and partner clubs are just another element of that global dimension that makes it truly the world's game.
Dunmore is also worried that these teams will be "farm operations run for the benefit of foreign clubs", and not "locally rooted clubs that stick around for a long time". I don't see how a team could do very well as the former without also being the latter. Stoke City isn't going to have much of a farm operation here in Austin if Aztex doesn't have strong local support.
On the same topic, we also have As Americans Buy Into Premier League, Englishmen Buy Into American Soccer, on the AOL sports blog, "Fanhouse". The author, David Warner, makes this excellent point:
There seems to be a key difference here between American ownership of clubs in England and English ownership of clubs in America. While the Americans talk about developing "global brands" in England, the English seem more focused on developing actual soccer players in America. Some talk of using their clubs as conduits for South American and Mexican players, while others seem genuinely interested in nurturing American talent.
To me, that's further rationale for why foreign support of U.S. soccer is not just not bad, it's downright good.
Labels: Stoke City
Jan 29, 2008
Charlton 1-0 Stoke City
Our Aztex partner team in the English Championship, Stoke City FC, lost to Charlton 1-0 today. The Potters are currently in fourth place in the Championship table, and a win would have pushed them closer to guaranteed promotion into the top-flight Premiership.
The results weren't all bad for Stoke City, however, as #1 West Bromwich Albion was upset by #22 Preston North End (you know, the team MLS won't give Taylor Twellman to), 2-1. That, despite PNE having not 1, but 2, players sent off in the closing minutes of the game. Also, #3 Watford was held to a 1-1 draw by mid-table Sheffield United, leaving Stoke City still 4 small points behind the first- and second-place teams.
Come on Potters, the EPL is within reach!
The results weren't all bad for Stoke City, however, as #1 West Bromwich Albion was upset by #22 Preston North End (you know, the team MLS won't give Taylor Twellman to), 2-1. That, despite PNE having not 1, but 2, players sent off in the closing minutes of the game. Also, #3 Watford was held to a 1-1 draw by mid-table Sheffield United, leaving Stoke City still 4 small points behind the first- and second-place teams.
Come on Potters, the EPL is within reach!
Labels: Stoke City
U-23 Schedule & Season Tickets
Although the USL-1 team won't play until next year, the Aztex U-23 team (formerly the Austin Stampede) has announced their 2008 schedule and availability of season tickets.
The ticket prices for adults are $50 for all 8 home games, vs. $8 per game (that would be $64 for the season, just to help you out with that tricky math ;-).
The other benefit of buying season tickets is that it shows some fan commitment. It's a pledge to support the team, financially at the very least, through their season.
The Aztex U-23 team will play this season against the DFW Tornadoes, Laredo Heat, El Paso Patriots, New Orleans Shell Shockers, Baton Rouge Capitals and Mississippi Brilla. Also of note: our first home game will be against another brand new team, the Houston Leones, who are affiliated with Mexican club Cruz Azul.
Personally, even though I'm really more interested in the USL-1 team next year, I'm ready to buy some season tickets. But there is one big thing holding me back... I don't know where they're going to play!!
I don't think that's been announced yet, and if it has, I sure can't find it.
The ticket prices for adults are $50 for all 8 home games, vs. $8 per game (that would be $64 for the season, just to help you out with that tricky math ;-).
The other benefit of buying season tickets is that it shows some fan commitment. It's a pledge to support the team, financially at the very least, through their season.
The Aztex U-23 team will play this season against the DFW Tornadoes, Laredo Heat, El Paso Patriots, New Orleans Shell Shockers, Baton Rouge Capitals and Mississippi Brilla. Also of note: our first home game will be against another brand new team, the Houston Leones, who are affiliated with Mexican club Cruz Azul.
Personally, even though I'm really more interested in the USL-1 team next year, I'm ready to buy some season tickets. But there is one big thing holding me back... I don't know where they're going to play!!
I don't think that's been announced yet, and if it has, I sure can't find it.
Jan 28, 2008
Aztex Announcement in the Local Papers
Okay, let's start off with some basics: the coverage of the announcement that Austin's getting a USL-1 team in our local papers.
First, the daily paper, the Austin American-Statesman: Austin Getting Soccer Club.
The other bit I found especially interesting from the Statesman article was this bit at the end:
From $2 million to $150?? Hell yeah, baby! That certainly couldn't hurt the Aztex if their partner team got promoted to the EPL during Austin's inaugural year. And even if the Austin franchise never got a dime of that bonanza of pounds sterling, the additional press alone would surely have a good effect.
Okay, moving on, here's a bit in the local alt-weekly, the Austin Chronicle: Hello, Aztex.
Plus a nice little bit of trivia/background about Stoke City:
First, the daily paper, the Austin American-Statesman: Austin Getting Soccer Club.
The Aztex would be the 12th team in USL D-1, which includes the Seattle Sounders, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, Rochester Raging Rhinos and Puerto Rico Islanders.
USL D-1 has its roots in the former A-League, which had 28 teams a decade ago. Travel costs and costly player salaries were among the issues that forced some teams to fold or drop to a lower division. Rawlins said the league has since stabilized.
"Teams like the Sounders and Whitecaps have been around for 10-plus years," Rawlins said. "Average attendance is about 5,500" per game.
The Aztex also will have an under-23 team after acquiring controlling interest in the Austin Stampede, an expansion team in the USL Premier Development League. Rawlins also plans to have a women's team by 2010 and youth teams.
"We will have a full soccer club," Rawlins said.
The other bit I found especially interesting from the Statesman article was this bit at the end:
As for Stoke City, the red-and-white clad Potters are the second-oldest professional club in the world. They're currently one step down from the England's Premiership league, but will have a chance to qualify for the top league this year. The top two teams from the Championship League move up, while teams in third through sixth have a playoff for the third spot. Stoke is currently in fourth.
"We're right at the cusp of it," Rawlins said. "Our television revenue alone would go from $2 million a year to $150 million. It's a huge step up."
From $2 million to $150?? Hell yeah, baby! That certainly couldn't hurt the Aztex if their partner team got promoted to the EPL during Austin's inaugural year. And even if the Austin franchise never got a dime of that bonanza of pounds sterling, the additional press alone would surely have a good effect.
Okay, moving on, here's a bit in the local alt-weekly, the Austin Chronicle: Hello, Aztex.
Unlike any soccer team Austin's had before, this one is fully professional. And they'll start out with proven top-level management, and connections to the top levels of international football: president Phil Rawlins, an Austin resident, is also an owner and director of Stoke City FC – the world's second-oldest pro football club, currently having a very successful season in the English Championship – with whom the Aztex immediately announced an affiliation.
Plus a nice little bit of trivia/background about Stoke City:
Now I suppose I'll have to become a Potters fan. Shouldn't be hard, really – they're a likable and attack-minded young team, with a great club history, dating back to an 1863 railroad workers' team.
Labels: media, Stoke City
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to The Aztexan.
It's here to be a good, independent source of news, rumors & opinions about the new Austin Aztex USL-1 team.
It's run by me, Chris, who you may also see as "TwoMeters" on the BigSoccer forums. I'll be the first to admit that I'm more or less a total newbie with regard to soccer fandom in general, and Austin soccer in particular. After years of watching soccer played by kids (i.e., soccer played not very well), I was awestruck by the skill level and excitement I saw during matches of the 2006 World Cup. "So that's how it's supposed to look!," I realized, and instantly fell in love.
One-and-a-half MLS seasons later (go Hoops!), out of nowhere, comes this announcement that we're getting a USL-1 team in my hometown: the Austin Aztex! For all the times I wished it wasn't a 3 to 4 hour drive from here to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco to see FC Dallas play, here at last is a chance to get some serious, live soccer action.
Sure the main team won't start until 2009, and sure it might fall apart like previous soccer attempts in Austin (of which I know little more than what I read this weekend on the BigSoccer forum), and sure it might get stuck in a crappy stadium and be doomed by terrible attendance and totally overshadowed by the all-encompassing Longhorn Football Machine.
But I don't care! Because it could also be great! I'm excited! I want it to succeed! Where do I buy my season tickets?? Woo-hoo!!
And I thought, you know, I wish there was a site I could rely on for info on this new team, between now and next year. Sure, of course there's the official team site. That's fine. But there are a lot of questions, and answers, too, that the official site can't, shouldn't, or just plain won't have. From rumors & gossip to news about fans & supporters, I thought it might be useful to have a site -- a blog at least -- to cover some of that stuff.
So, here it is. I'll post some links to some of the more interesting coverage of the team announcement soon. I'll also be touching things up a bit, putting some links in the sidebar, a way to get in touch with me, etc.
Stay tuned!
It's here to be a good, independent source of news, rumors & opinions about the new Austin Aztex USL-1 team.
It's run by me, Chris, who you may also see as "TwoMeters" on the BigSoccer forums. I'll be the first to admit that I'm more or less a total newbie with regard to soccer fandom in general, and Austin soccer in particular. After years of watching soccer played by kids (i.e., soccer played not very well), I was awestruck by the skill level and excitement I saw during matches of the 2006 World Cup. "So that's how it's supposed to look!," I realized, and instantly fell in love.
One-and-a-half MLS seasons later (go Hoops!), out of nowhere, comes this announcement that we're getting a USL-1 team in my hometown: the Austin Aztex! For all the times I wished it wasn't a 3 to 4 hour drive from here to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco to see FC Dallas play, here at last is a chance to get some serious, live soccer action.
Sure the main team won't start until 2009, and sure it might fall apart like previous soccer attempts in Austin (of which I know little more than what I read this weekend on the BigSoccer forum), and sure it might get stuck in a crappy stadium and be doomed by terrible attendance and totally overshadowed by the all-encompassing Longhorn Football Machine.
But I don't care! Because it could also be great! I'm excited! I want it to succeed! Where do I buy my season tickets?? Woo-hoo!!
And I thought, you know, I wish there was a site I could rely on for info on this new team, between now and next year. Sure, of course there's the official team site. That's fine. But there are a lot of questions, and answers, too, that the official site can't, shouldn't, or just plain won't have. From rumors & gossip to news about fans & supporters, I thought it might be useful to have a site -- a blog at least -- to cover some of that stuff.
So, here it is. I'll post some links to some of the more interesting coverage of the team announcement soon. I'll also be touching things up a bit, putting some links in the sidebar, a way to get in touch with me, etc.
Stay tuned!
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