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Monumental FC Edmonton news?

strobe_z

By strobe_z
in Canadian Teams & Leagues

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Grizzly Newbie

Grizzly

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I'm sorry but I'm going to need to see some kind of proof for this kind of statement. Show me a professional soccer team where "hardcore supporters" ran away in droves, causing the eventual failure of the club. If some goof-ball in a costume is going to keep a "hardcore supporter" away, then they weren't really hardcore were they? This seems like a really easy way to dump on the club, when they're just attempting to expand their market. FCE has been doing a good job of trying to get out to bars for Champions League games and promote their brand, talk to the supporters in Edmonton and help figure out what they need to do, and just all around be as present as they can be in the community. Edmonton is a tough sell because of failed pro soccer before I realize, but having people slamming it for trying to expand is just petty.

Hell, I think a lot of casual fans would see a mascot as being more professional than having nothing there. This is just the way sports run in North America. Look at all the other sports teams in Edmonton: Capitals have one, Eskimos have two, and the Oilers have their cheer team.

Now if we had commercials playing with ballsie the FC Edmonton Soccer ball telling fans that they can come down to Foote and sit in his happy fun section to cheer on the FCE, that would be something completely different. There is nothing wrong with attempting to attract fans through whatever means possible. A kid and their parent pay just as much as a hardcore supporter. Why can't the team attempt to attract both without being slammed?

I feel like you look to TFC and their fanbase way too often as the measuring stick for fans in this country. Richard already made a great point of Vancouver having a mascot for a long time, and did very well with it. Look where they are now... MLS.

Do I like the idea of a mascot? Not really, I find them distracting and stupid. However, if it helps the team survive, I'll live with it, and watch the play while the mascot is pulling off some stupid antic. I'm pretty sure that you'll find any number of other "hardcore supporters" like myself who will do the same.

A mascot will not drive away hardcore support, it will drive away potential hardcore support. The ones who are hardcore supporters already will come mascot or not, those who might become hardcore supporters if they went to a few games and found it cool are the ones who this will affect negatively. Every thing like this that makes FCE and the game atmosphere "less cool" will negatively impact that group of potential fans who would come to a lot games, buy a lot of merchandise/food/drinks and possibly join a supporters groups, ie. the type of fans the club will need both to survive longterm and to provide the atmosphere that will attract others. Why f-uck this up to have a mascot that if it attracts anyone will only be kids who will come with their parents to one game a year? If they want to young people, they should be aiming for high school kids or university students not 8 year olds.

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jedinathan Newbie

jedinathan

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ok fair, Both Shawn and Grizzly are right. I'm just tired of people saying that this one little thing will cause the club to fail before we even have one home game.

I stand by my statement that FCE should use whatever relationship they have with the University to promote the club now, while exams are happening, and 18-25 year olds are looking for something fun to do over the summer. You're not going to get a season ticket out of them, but you'll hopefully hook a few of them in with the promise of beer and a rocking atmosphere.

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jloome Newbie

jloome

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A stadium announcement, even if it's just a prelim plan, will draw a lot of season ticket interest, because it's a statement of serious intent.

But the team's biggest issues remain the need to massively increase its advertising and promotions profile, and the overpriced season tickes (which, again, are more expensive than some MLS season seats.)

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jloome Newbie

jloome

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It's not the mascot itself that is the concern of jloome. Its the general direction and tone of the clubs marketing. Pro soccer in Edmonton has been marketed to the soccer mom and kids crowd, and it DOESN'T work. If you you are going to differentiate FC Edmonton from the rest of the pro sports teams in this town, you have to try something different and that is to cater to the "hardcore" fan, something that will appeal to the hundreds of Eurosnob football supporters in the City. Those are the people that are going to make FC Edmonton a success, not the soccer moms.

Having/not having a mascot doesnt make the club more/less professional. It just going down the same path that we've been down before.

Frankly, if Foote ends up being anything like an Oil Kings game with hundreds of screaming children, I don't know how anything the ESG plans on doing willl make it a place that "hardcores" or "casual-hardcores" would want to be a part of. Like or not, TFC and Vancouver use the supporters groups in advertising and marketing the gameday experience. That's what brings people to the stadium.

Amen.

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jedinathan Newbie

jedinathan

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So back to the original post here...

There's an announcement at the Victoria Soccer Centre. Just got a call from Drew looking for supporters to attend the press conference at 10. Looks like someone was right! Hopefully your also correct in that announcement driving ticket sales...

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Richard Newbie

Richard

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Dozens pf pro sports teams across north America have mascots, many mascot owning clubs draw orders of magnitude more fans to games than ever attend USL or NASL games and have player payrolls a hundred times bigger despite the mascot. I really don't get why a few wannabe hardcore supporters can have any serious objection to a mascot. Lower level teams have to do whatever they can to attract fans from a large variety of different demographics. Besides, the Whitecaps filled 5,500 seat Swangard game after D2 game and Winger was an obvious and active presence at every game.

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jedinathan Newbie

jedinathan

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Dozens pf pro sports teams across north America have mascots, many mascot owning clubs draw orders of magnitude more fans to games than ever attend USL or NASL games and have player payrolls a hundred times bigger despite the mascot. I really don't get why a few wannabe hardcore supporters can have any serious objection to a mascot. Lower level teams have to do whatever they can to attract fans from a large variety of different demographics. Besides, the Whitecaps filled 5,500 seat Swangard game after D2 game and Winger was an obvious and active presence at every game.

+1!

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ESG Shawn Enthusiast

ESG Shawn

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I stand by my statement that FCE should use whatever relationship they have with the University to promote the club now, while exams are happening, and 18-25 year olds are looking for something fun to do over the summer. You're not going to get a season ticket out of them, but you'll hopefully hook a few of them in with the promise of beer and a rocking atmosphere.

I agree. We need somthing like the Eskimos College Corner. Cheap seats, lots of beer sales - and a good atmosphere.

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brettinhalifax Newbie

brettinhalifax

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Dozens pf pro sports teams across north America have mascots, many mascot owning clubs draw orders of magnitude more fans to games than ever attend USL or NASL games and have player payrolls a hundred times bigger despite the mascot. I really don't get why a few wannabe hardcore supporters can have any serious objection to a mascot. Lower level teams have to do whatever they can to attract fans from a large variety of different demographics. Besides, the Whitecaps filled 5,500 seat Swangard game after D2 game and Winger was an obvious and active presence at every game.

IMO they just need to keep the mascot away from the supporters section. Have an alcohol free kids/family section at one end of the stadium where the mascot does most of his "work"

At the other end, have a cheap beer, profanity laden supporters section.

Half the games, I'll be at one end, the other half of the games I'll be at the other end.

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Richard Newbie

Richard

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Edmonton FC is hardly Manchester United. The Whitecaps' Winger never clowned around with the coaching staff at Swangard, that is a complete red herring. Dozens of pro sports teams with budgets 100 times larger than than Edmonton FC or any D2 soccer team in North America have mascots of all shapes and sizes. What about those clubs that have mascots and cheerleaders, do you condemn them as losers too?

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Jeremy Newbie

Jeremy

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Mascots are just not something we want as soccer supporters. Of course we can't change the owner's minds and decide for them, but ideally the focus would be in improving game-day experience for the loyal fans rather than the one-time soccer mom.

The kits are ok. Would have been cool to see the font on the back too

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James Newbie

James

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Sears coming on board is fantastic. Thats great. Never happened with the Aviators, thats for sure!

The mascot thing? Who cares? Really, what a waste of time... I can't believe how heated people get over something so silly and on meaningless...

If people aren't going to support the club because they have a mascot, then what the hell kind of supporters would hey have been?

I like the kits too.

Geez, I was kinda hoping for a stadium too.... Damn.

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jloome Newbie

jloome

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Edmonton FC is hardly Manchester United. The Whitecaps' Winger never clowned around with the coaching staff at Swangard, that is a complete red herring. Dozens of pro sports teams with budgets 100 times larger than than Edmonton FC or any D2 soccer team in North America have mascots of all shapes and sizes. What about those clubs that have mascots and cheerleaders, do you condemn them as losers too?

If by "recognize that other sports have other traditions" you somehow get "condemn," then sure, that's what everyone's saying.

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Richard Newbie

Richard

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If you don't like the mascot then just ignore it. If the Whitecaps Swangard experience with Winger was anything to go by a good proportion of the crowd enjoyed the mascot. You can't please all the people all the time. The MLS Whitecaps have a mascot - Winger reborn withy a new costume and a new name - Spike. He stays in the stands and off the sidelines (MLS rules I suspect). No doubt there are some MLS Whitecaps fans who don't approve but the club has seen fit to continue the tradition. Get used to it.

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foreverthursday Newbie

foreverthursday

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If you don't like the mascot then just ignore it. If the Whitecaps Swangard experience with Winger was anything to go by a good proportion of the crowd enjoyed the mascot. You can't please all the people all the time. The MLS Whitecaps have a mascot - Winger reborn withy a new costume and a new name - Spike. He stays in the stands and off the sidelines (MLS rules I suspect). No doubt there are some MLS Whitecaps fans who don't approve but the club has seen fit to continue the tradition. Get used to it.

I do not like it myself, but I see a difference between what you are describing and us. First was this mascot of yours around in 74' to promote a team coming out of the gates? Second was it a giant blue ball? I say we should have two of them and one cheerleader in a slightly peach outfit and pink pompoms.

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Richard Newbie

Richard

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I do not like it myself, but I see a difference between what you are describing and us. First was this mascot of yours around in 74' to promote a team coming out of the gates? Second was it a giant blue ball? I say we should have two of them and one cheerleader in a slightly peach outfit and pink pompoms.
Yes, before Winger there was Looney Bird - both were ducks with a huge foam beak that he/she used to 'kiss' fans, and large splayed feet. Now we have Spike for MLS... seems to be some hook-beaked raptor. Looney Bird/Winger/Spike developed a very distinct personality and a good proportion of the crowd identified quite strongly with him/her. Several MLS/NFL/MLB and NBA clubs have mascots, if they are good enough for MLS surely they're good enough for FC Edmonton! Got to agree your giant ball mascot may have some trouble matching Looney Bird/Winger's personality and antics, may be a poor choice by the club. I am not necessarily a huge fan of mascots but they do serve a purpose in North American sports. However if you don't like them just ignore them.
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AlanDouglas Newbie

AlanDouglas

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People here are persisting in the notion that mascots are primarily a North American affectation. They are not. Most professional English clubs have guy-in-a-suit mascots parading around at games. Liverpool would be the most notable exception.

Some examples:

http://theredcauldron.blogspot.com/2006/08/premiership-clubs-mascots.html

http://www.thebesteleven.com/2009/04/best-english-soccer-mascots.html

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