THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 22, 1995 TAG: 9506220642
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
In its second season in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, the Hampton Roads Mariners professional team has increased its profile everywhere but in the stands.
Last year's amateur Hurricanes team averaged 2,900 fans per game. This season the club, which went professional as the Mariners, is drawing only 55 percent as many fans. That's nearly 1,300 fewer people coming through the gates each game at the Center for Effective Learning.
``It's a hard sell,'' said general manager Shawn McDonald. ``People love to play soccer, but they don't necessarily want to come out and support a team.''
This season, the organization found new owners in a pair of Norfolk Tides investors, ditched the old Hurricanes moniker, and recruited a bundle of high-quality players.
With all these upgrades, team officials couldn't help but expect the Mariners to be a successful attraction.
Three of Hampton Roads' first four games drew over 2,000, with the peak an opening-night crowd of 2,773. Since then, the team has seen diminishing returns. Against Roanoke - with a Father's Day promotion that let dads get in free - only 533 people showed up.
Theories abound as to the cause of the attendance slump.
``The flash of the inaugural season, the hype that went with the kicking off of a new sport, has worn off,'' said Dick Whalen, vice president of the Hampton Roads Soccer Council. ``The novelty is gone.''
The Hurricanes began last summer in the wake of the United States hosting soccer's World Cup, in which the U.S. team reached the second round and got the nation's attention. When Major League Soccer - a Division I professional league initially planned to kick off after the Cup - fell through, the added momentum and interest in the sport apparently failed to carry over into the next USISL season.
Although the honeymoon period appears to be over for the Mariners, a second-season slump is typical of teams around the league. Of the top ten teams in the USISL according to attendance figures, only one - Long Island, boosted by the addition of Tony Meola in goal - is a team in its second year.
Another reason for the Mariners' dwindling attendance lies in the team's choice of playing facility.
``I think a lot of it is the CEL field. It doesn't have the atmosphere that it had even last year,'' said coach Sonny Travis. ``People want to come out and relax and see a good game, but even we have trouble playing on our field.''
Also, in an effort to build a better team, Hampton Roads sacrificed funds for its promotions budget in order to sign high-quality players.
``We could be a worse team, scrap the budget for players and put it into promotions, but you hate to do that,'' said McDonald.
According to Whalen, soccer's status with the local media has also played a part in Hampton Roads' troubles.
``All the fliers from the Mariners aren't going to work if people see this as a third-rate sport because its buried in the back of the newspaper.''
The Mariners try to reach out to the community and routinely hold clinics for area soccer clubs, yet Travis speaks of a need to be more involved, a process ``that will come in time.''
``They need to bring the team to the rec level where the majority of kids are playing,'' said Norfolk FC president Denise Edwards. ``They need to be getting to the little boy who needs an idol.''
Without increased support from the community, especially people who already know and love soccer, McDonald fears there will come a time when team owners Mark Garcea and Page Johnson will be forced to question their investment.
Neither Johnson nor Garcea could be reached for comment.
``It really is up to us to find a way to get people out to the games,'' McDonald said. ``It would just be nice if it was a little easier.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Mariners GM Shawn McDonald has put his team's money into players,
not promotions.
by CNB