Pacific FC Launch / 2019 off season thread

[Xavier]

10 minutes ago, mightymoose said:

That's a really nice kit, especially the 2nd version of it. Much better than the color scheme as such. You're very talented.

Thanks, I think they'll have to go with something similar to make the colour scheme work. Both colours are very dominant so they may clash if they are too close to each other on the kit. 

[Tigers]

Sweet jersey Xavier.  

If you make the logo a tiny bit bigger, the corners of the diamond would line up with the hoop.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

Xavier, both renderings look amazing. If any CPL employees are lurking these threads, they would be wise to send you a message. For that matter, the same can be said for anyone working at Canada Soccer. lol

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

@Xavier I have a problem with your jersey. It's too good. If Pacific FC go with anything else I will be disappointed...

[davey_twelve]

Really like the second version with the thinner hoops.

@Xavier you are right that the two colours could be problematic; Something with simply purple as the dominant ala Fiorentina or Orlando might work if it's not too similar.

 

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

20 hours ago, Xavier said:

@GuillermoDelQuarto what do you think of the kit? Hell even the logo? Never got your opinion.

I like it all.

[Kefa83]

Xavier, your kit is really nice! They should choose yours.

A good second I wouldn't mind a sort of Aston Villa kit like this one, only in stead of the lion all over the jersey I would replace that with the trident. :) 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Numbers in Victoria have to be a bit of a concern now as they have much more left to do to reach breakeven territory than 5 of the previous 6. There's no obvious reason why this shouldn't follow the same sort of trajectory as Halifax, so there is probably some stumbling block specific to this market that is putting people off, who would be all over this if the team was going to be playing at Royal Athletic Park. Trying to rationalize this in London, Ontario terms (given that's what I am most familiar with) I guess it might be a bit like announcing a team will be playing out by the old Ford Talbotville plant near St Thomas and trying to appeal to fans in London to drive out into the boonies with a generic SW Ontario themed name like Cornfields FC?

Still time to make some changes as is also the case with York 9 obviously.

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

3 minutes ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

Numbers in Victoria have to be a bit of a concern now as they have much more left to do to reach breakeven territory than 5 of the previous 6. There's no obvious reason why this shouldn't follow the same sort of trajectory as Halifax, so there is probably some stumbling block specific to this market that is putting people off, who would be all over this if the team was going to be playing at Royal Athletic Park. Trying to rationalize this in London, Ontario terms (given that's what I am most familiar with) I guess it might be a bit like announcing a team will be playing out by the old Ford Talbotville plant near St Thomas and trying to appeal to fans in London to drive out into the boonies with a generic SW Ontario themed name like Cornfields FC?

Still time to make some changes as is also the case with York 9 obviously.

I am not sure that’s the reason. It’s probably because Halifax had rumours of a team and a vocal owner for nearly a year before being announced. Victoria doesn’t have the awareness that Halifax does. 

[deschamp86]

One thing that is good for Pacific, is that they seem to get a few new members everyday. Its nothing crazy, but if I remember correctly, York got most of there's the first couple days, and haven't gained very much since

[shorty]

^^ definitely that's the main reason.  Halifax had a CPL supporter's group organizing for that whole time to drum up support.  Also, as challenging as it is to get off the island, Victoria does have all of Vancouver's top flight sports teams to follow (and complain about) -- the Lions, the Canucks, the Whitecaps -- in addition to the local teams which include the Royals (WHL), the Harbourcats (baseball), the Shamrocks (lacrosse)...  So, in sum, far less build up and warning in a market that has way more sports entertainment options, I suspect.  As others have mentioned too, Victoria is a fickle place that likes a known quantity.  Thousands show up every year for Symphony Splash (concert in the inner harbour) because they already know the program (ends with 1812 overture and fireworks).  For a groovy left coast town, we're actually a bunch of conservative slow adopters, or at least, we don't want to be first. 

I suspect (as deschamps just pointed out) that it will be a slow build as people share within their networks, and provided Josh and Rob don't make some of the bush league mistakes that Jimmy Brennan appears to be making (for example, if you hold a press conference, make sure it's streamed on time and well-attended and has an announcement that is actually news) it will continue to grow.

[shamrock]

Yeah it will probably grow slowly and if they get like 500 in a couple of months it wouldn't be too bad. 

I do think marketing the Island as a whole instead of Victoria (with downtown stadium) is huge difference. York does the same basically and it has been mentioned before: people feel far less connected to a region than to a city. Or maybe it just takes more time.

Another factor is that the stadium isn't there yet. Well it is, but not in the same shape as it will be. The way it is now looks bush to say the least. 

[C2SKI]

Are there any players current playing in Victoria that are expected to suit up for Pacific FC next year?

[SpursFlu]

I wouldn't get concerned with Victoria numbers. Its tough to pump a sense of urgency in to people on the Left Coast. Especially when your talking about something that starts next year.  If people are in their seats by kickoff its a small win out here. Trust me it will be fine

Edited July 30, 2018 by SpursFlu

[shamrock]

I really think the upgrade of Westhils and the publicity around it will help them getting some more members. And Pacific FC is overtaking York 9 already. Also, there's a lot of potential locals for this team more or less available. 

[ted]

2 hours ago, C2SKI said:

Are there any players current playing in Victoria that are expected to suit up for Pacific FC next year?

Calum Montgomery and Cam Hundal are the two favourites to make the jump from the Highlanders amongst the supporters. 

[An Observer]

Montgomery is rated as the 19th best prospect in the PDL according to their website...interesting, no one from Calgary made that top 20 list

[Blackdude]

35 minutes ago, An Observer said:

Montgomery is rated as the 19th best prospect in the PDL according to their website...interesting, no one from Calgary made that top 20 list

To be fair, Calgary build a team with a lot of players who aren't considered prospects. Sure there are good players on that team, but Moses Danto at 23 is not a prospect anymore. 

[ktf]

I was hoping the numbers would be a little higher as well, but I think that was only hopeful optimism based on my own excitement. In reality, as noted above, I have followed the CPL from the beginning and new about Victoria immediately, but most people I know (lots of sports people included) had no idea. I feel like I should be hired as a promoter the way I keep selling this team in person!

I do feel like people will come, a significant portion as walk-ups, as the season approaches. The Victoria Salmon Kings were successful as a Minor Pro hockey team and consistently drew 4-5k a game (in a season with significantly more games). They only left because the owners always wanted the WHL and parlayed the ECHL success into getting a WHL franchise. I would be curious about how the operation expenses of the ECHL and CPL will compare. Weekly Salary cap in the ECHL is around $12,000 USD, but with housing and meals often provided. 

Back to the membership numbers... They are around 200 now and I feel that is probably good for at least 400-500 tickets being sold. I am member 80 and will purchase at least 2 tickets, but possibly 5-6 if some friends and I link together. Therefore, if the membership numbers eventually rise to the 500 area, there should be at least a reasonable base to start with. 

[DrummingInMySleep]

The rise of soccer in Can/USA is largely because of affordability and festive atmosphere. Sports fans are drawn to check out soccer matches because it’s not nearly as expensive as top 4 sports and, even without being into the game itself, they have a blast in the stands     .  As long as there is a great atmosphere around the matches, we will never have a hard time selling it to the casual and slowing convert them into appreciating the finer points of the game. 

[Watchmen]

On 7/31/2018 at 8:15 AM, ktf said:

Therefore, if the membership numbers eventually rise to the 500 area, there should be at least a reasonable base to start with. 

Is it?  I mean, it's not nothing but it would also leave them as the 2nd smallest starting base.  That's a tough position to be in.  It would mean you're more reliant on walk-ups, which is trickier to budget/plan for.  Poor weather, the team playing poorly, etc, would likely influence that walk-up crowd.

[shamrock]

3 hours ago, Watchmen said:

Is it?  I mean, it's not nothing but it would also leave them as the 2nd smallest starting base.  That's a tough position to be in.  It would mean you're more reliant on walk-ups, which is trickier to budget/plan for.  Poor weather, the team playing poorly, etc, would likely influence that walk-up crowd.

Of course what you say is true, but there will always be a smallest starting base (and therefor a 2nd smallest base). 

[Watchmen]

9 hours ago, shamrock said:

Of course what you say is true, but there will always be a smallest starting base (and therefor a 2nd smallest base). 

Certainly, but if the break even is 5000 and you're at 500, that's a tough starting spot.

[Shortdutchcanuck]

16 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Certainly, but if the break even is 5000 and you're at 500, that's a tough starting spot.

Break even talked about is 5000 attendance per game.  What's being talked about here is Pacific FC getting to 500 memberships, which probably corresponds to somewhere between 1000 and 2000 season tickets but impossible to predict right now.

Still not enough IMO, would like to see the membership #s closer to 1000 sometime next winter, resulting in season ticket sales at least in 2500-3000 range.  But as momentum continues to build and grassroots marketing continues and players get signed I hope to see casual fans start to get on board.  Right now the league is still just a concept to all but die hard fans.  Just a bunch of names and logos and promotional videos and a few coaches.

Membership #s are fun to track but you can't predict season ticket #'s off them with any degree of accuracy.  

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

I think teams probably need to get to around 2000 memberships minimum (around 4000 season ticket seat sales) to be reasonably stable long-term because it's only the hardcore repeat customers that can be depended on when the team's form takes a bit of a dip and the weather isn't that great. They'll be hoping for another surge of sales from the late fall onwards once season ticket sales start and rosters start to take shape. Things appear to be in reasonable shape in 5 out of 7 of the announced markets so far and that's really not too bad for a fledgeling pro soccer operation in North America, especially if they have two or three more in the pipeline (will be very surprised if they don't have Ottawa by the end of the USL season) to allow for a couple of failures along the way.