Season will start soon, and there is just a few crickets chirping.

[foreverthursday]

I understand what you mean Shawn. However, I'm still not sure what the club doing things "more professionally" means. I think that getting out there to the Polar Cup shows some understanding by the front office to get out to existing events and using them to sell tickets. I know I'm sometimes overly optomoistic, but I think that there is some good coming out of the team.

My original post was to attempt to get people to stop saying "what the team is doing sucks" and start thinking about what they could do to make things better. I heard that the team wants to meet with the ESG, what better time to bring up some of our suggestions and concerns to the people that are getting paid to fix them?

As for the NASL being in doubt, I'm still not sure that these teams would want to throw as much money as they have down the toilet just to have it wiped out this close to the season. I'm sure they'll say/do whatever they can to get the league to move forward. After 2011, I have some SERIOUS SERIOUS doubts. I also think that we should see SOME ads out for FCE, but to have a huge blitz right now would only waste money. Wait at least until the snow melts (and will stay melted, I doubt that it will be gone for good right now), and people are spending some time outdoors before getting some professional ads, and building the atmosphere. Right now, people are in a winter mindset and only look at summer as a dream.

If the league was secure then I would strongly disagree with you Nathan. I still talk to people who have never, ever heard of FCE. I would say to spend a decent amount advertising well. I mean a decent amount. $50,000.00 - $100,000.00 +. It sounds extreme, but it isn't. People will take the team seriously, they will go to games and sell them out, the team gets that advertising money back with fans that buy tickets and merchandise. I don't know how you think they are advertising like a pro club at all. AT ALL! The website is bad, the lack of information is atrocious, the fact that they are going to a children's tournament isn't a sign of progress, but a no-brainer that shouldn't be applauded as good advertising. That is like freaking out and cheering like crazy after they won bronze at the special olympics.

Here. There are guys in ESG that work in graphic design already, there are guys in ESG that are good at website design, there are guys in ESG that work in printing. These things are not hard to do. The pictures below would be great billboards.

Radio advertisements aren't nearly as expensive as television ads are, but way more effective. whore out ticket info with a great sales pitch on every popular radio station in the city. Maybe even get a partnership with one or two FM stations, let alone a good AM station.

[ESG Shawn]

I understand what you mean Shawn. However, I'm still not sure what the club doing things "more professionally" means. I think that getting out there to the Polar Cup shows some understanding by the front office to get out to existing events and using them to sell tickets. I know I'm sometimes overly optomoistic, but I think that there is some good coming out of the team.

My original post was to attempt to get people to stop saying "what the team is doing sucks" and start thinking about what they could do to make things better. I heard that the team wants to meet with the ESG, what better time to bring up some of our suggestions and concerns to the people that are getting paid to fix them?

As for the NASL being in doubt, I'm still not sure that these teams would want to throw as much money as they have down the toilet just to have it wiped out this close to the season. I'm sure they'll say/do whatever they can to get the league to move forward. After 2011, I have some SERIOUS SERIOUS doubts. I also think that we should see SOME ads out for FCE, but to have a huge blitz right now would only waste money. Wait at least until the snow melts (and will stay melted, I doubt that it will be gone for good right now), and people are spending some time outdoors before getting some professional ads, and building the atmosphere. Right now, people are in a winter mindset and only look at summer as a dream.

I will admit, I was a bit angered when posting my last message. The NASL debacle is not FCE's fault. Not at all and no blame should be thrown in that direction. Looking back, maybe the club knew more about the NASL being limbo than we did, which would explain the lack of marketing. That being said, things could have been done differently, as foreverthursday has pointed out.

The team does want to meet - we will arrange something soon enough. But quite honestly I don't really want to sit down until we figure out if we have a league to play in. Otherwise, its much ado about nothing.

[jedinathan]

I agree with both of you.

My personal experience is very limited in promotion of any type of organization. I don't think that FCE is doing all they can to promote the brand, and I would kill to see even a little poster on Whyte ave. I think that the price range that Thursday has provided is completely obtainable for the FO, especially considering how much they paid to bring in teams last year.

My point in the original post was that I see a lot of negativity on these boards. I think we need to present the team with how we'd like to see the club run, otherwise we can't really complain and ***** about how they're running it. I like the boards, and I think that Thursday's understanding of ads and how much they cost and what is effective will really help both the team and the ESG in terms of what we can reasonably expect from the club. I don't think that a pro team should be doing this little promotion, but I'm not sure what a professional soccer team in the middle of hockey country should be doing to promote themselves. Fortunatly the Rush seem to have done a good job, and that gives me hope that it can be done (when the team decides to do things right).

I'm looking forward to meeting with the team... I really feel like we're back to where we were in Oct waiting for the USSF. I'm VERY hopeful that even if NASL doesn't get sanctioning, Montreal and Edmonton can make some kind of season between the two of them and other teams for an exhibition season. At least we have a date when it will be decided (at the USSF annual meeting).