nolando Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090705/BC_zidane_soccer_tour_090705/20090705/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome Kind of casts a shadow on the phrase "soccer town". It was within walking distance of my place but I literally had no idea it was happening. If a soccer nut like me didn't know it was on, it was definitely poorly advertised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 It was in the Province Wednesday: <s>http://www.theprovince.com/Sports/Bringing+Zidane+east+side/1743293/story.html</s> http://tinyurl.com/oln8vj quote:When a soccer event comes to town, and the Whitecaps don't want to touch it with a 10 foot pole...you know something's wrong. 'Caps look real good for not associating themselves with this. When the greatest player in the world show's up at a free local charity event and only a couple of dozen non-players make it, there is only shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 ^ Because there was almost zero publicity which is why the only people who showed up were those who had been explicitly invited by the organiser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090705/BC_zidane_soccer_tour_090705/20090705/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome Kind of casts a shadow on the phrase "soccer town". It all hinges on confidence in the promoter - if folks haven't figured out by now why this exercise has beena dismal failure then they likely never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Richard ^ Because there was almost zero publicity which is why the only people who showed up were those who had been explicitly invited by the organiser. Is the Province not a major newspaper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:It all hinges on confidence in the promoter - if folks haven't figured out by now why this exercise has beena dismal failure then they likely never will. Is drawing an average of 11,000 people a dismal failure? And if it is, what does that make the two Vancouver Nutrilite home games with 5,000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strisce Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic Is the Province not a major newspaper? You can't just bank on a newspaper. You have to do radio, tv, internet, etc. They sent out vague information and then Adlani blames everyone for no support and sponsorship. If you want something (money), you have to go and get it. He didn't advertise, thus 5000-8000 tickets sold (with numerous freebies) is what he got. And 5000+ for Caps Canadian Championship matches are sellouts. 8000 in 60000 seat BC Place isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Monster Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Vancouverites had the benefit of learning ahead of time that the promoter was not delivering the players he was falsely advertising. They are also very soccer savvy... so when the read that a group of no-name amateurs are being presented as Canada's "all stars", they can smell the BS a mile away. No disrespect intended to the locals who will be playing, but "all stars" implies professional athletes of the highest caliber. Not the case here. An earlier poster hit it right on the money... when fans realized the Whitecaps had no ties to this, they knew this was not to be taken too seriously. The pathetic billboards, misspelled websites and minivan-based rolling ad campaign did not help with appearances of the event's "professionalism." Oh yeah, and how about Adlani ripping of the EPL logo for his soccer academy? Nice touch buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic When the greatest player in the world show's up at a free local charity event and only a couple of dozen non-players make it, there is only shame. We seem to have an apologist on our hands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic Is drawing an average of 11,000 people a dismal failure? And if it is, what does that make the two Vancouver Nutrilite home games with 5,000? They were both played in front of capacity crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster Vancouverites had the benefit of learning ahead of time that the promoter was not delivering the players he was falsely advertising. They are also very soccer savvy... so when the read that a group of no-name amateurs are being presented as Canada's "all stars", they can smell the BS a mile away. No disrespect intended to the locals who will be playing, but "all stars" implies professional athletes of the highest caliber. Not the case here. An earlier poster hit it right on the money... when fans realized the Whitecaps had no ties to this, they knew this was not to be taken too seriously. The pathetic billboards, misspelled websites and minivan-based rolling ad campaign did not help with appearances of the event's "professionalism." Oh yeah, and how about Adlani ripping of the EPL logo for his soccer academy? Nice touch buddy. What Johnnie Monster said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Nah, not an apologist, but if you prefer I don't mind one way or another. Just trying to give the guy some credit for getting off his ass to do something. My experience of soccer in Canada is people who cut everyone down and do little. I had a great time with a lot of other people who obviously felt the same way, so kudos to the guy for that. It was good entertainment. Yes I feel very badly for anyone who went to watch the Italians, and I hope and imagine they will get some form of refund, especially if they band together. And if anyone judges soccer value by promotion budgets or what other people think all the power to you. It's a free country and we can all spend our money where we like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 The very fact that nobody within the soccer establishment would touch this Adlani boondoggle together with the unrealistic promises of multiple big name European players should have rung alarm bells from the outset, for some of us it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Adlani may have had the best of intentions, but when you start taking people's money in exchange for a product or service, and don't deliver what you promised, then all of the good intentions become irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Not just irrelevant but suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 The promoter, the promotion and the event are different things. When Muhammad Ali came in 1972, I doubt anyone gave a damn about the promoter. Don King is a legendary scumbag, yet he produced some of the greatest boxing events of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 The promoter, the promotion and the event are different things. When Muhammad Ali came in 1972, I doubt anyone gave a damn about the promoter. Don King is a legendary scumbag, yet he produced some of the greatest boxing events of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SthMelbRed Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 ^but despite all of the issues related to Don King's character, the paying public could be confident that Ali, Tyson, or Holyfield would show up when he promoted their bouts. He didn't advertise Ali-Frazier, collect money for tickets for that fight, then pass off an Ali vs. your neighbour's skinny teenage nephew as the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Vic The promoter, the promotion and the event are different things. When Muhammad Ali came in 1972, I doubt anyone gave a damn about the promoter. Don King is a legendary scumbag, yet he produced some of the greatest boxing events of all time. Exactly. He delivered what he said he would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Well then there should be absolutely no problem in Vancouver. I believe there were full refunds and clear messaging it is Zidane and talented Canadians (I think the skinny nephews were all at a teen dance). Like I said it's a free country. And if anyone can't separate promoter and event and walk in and enjoy it for what it is, don't go. But if you're a Zidane fan and can and have a free night, you may find you have a good time. Interestingly, this thread is now the #2 of all-time in the "Impact, Whitecaps & USL D1" section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Apologist for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Mr. Adlani from not having all those "friends" that were advertised has gone from losing his shirt to making a small profit from Toronto and Montreal games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 He came nowhere near to delivering what he was selling however, talk about bait and switch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 What I found fishy was that he knew that with no sponsors he alone could not bring over all the stars he claimed would show up but stilled used their names on the riverside sports website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyranger Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Vic, There are big issues in Vancouver. The Southsiders boards, Takethepiss.com, and numerous other sites had threads and messageboards littered with skeptics who had info and shared it that this would be a debacle of epic proportions. They had like 6k tix sold prior to the Montreal and TO games, which then would have altogether halted any chance of selling more tickets. If this was Zizou vs what it really was, and was marketed as such, I may have gone for up to $20-$25. any more than that and I would have felt like I was wasting money. If I'm paying any more than that I NEED to see the Eto'os, Prso's, Gattuso's, Costucuerta's, Barthez's, etc. If it really was what Adlani sold it as, it would have been worth the money, but sadly he got it all wrong. It is not a surprise that WFC, CSA, other associations, and major sponsors never got on board. Clearly he had no business plan, or one full of holes, and subsequently couldn't raise capital, save ticketb4st4rd, who will clearly take him to court or keep all of the moneys to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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