Mayor Interview

[mrstiko]

Mayor Fischer apparently wants to play one of the barrel drums...that and he likes the team. 

[jaykirkman]

Here are some highlights for those who might not have time to digest the whole thing.

* Mayor attended every game
* Feels we're at a moment in time where soccer is beginning to take off in the US, and wanted to make sure Louisville was involved early
* Success here will open up opportunities for other sports teams, mentions MLS
* Kids playing soccer in the past 35 years or so, and FIFA video games, lay a foundation for a "sophisticated" American fanbase
* Coopers have "met and exceeded every expecation" and have been "fantastic." Would like to be a guest of the Coopers and play the drum
* "We're not even into the meat of the schedule yet," predicting growth for the fanbase
* Benchmarks for success: attendance (we're in the top 2 or 3 of the league at time of interview), atmosphere, team success. Attendance is the key.
* Good "international presence" attending games that they haven't seen in other city activities

Road to the MLS/vision of the future
1. Prove you can get attendance
2. Build a dedicated stadium (either an MLS-ready 20k capacity model, or a 10k modular that can be expanded to 20k down the road)
3. Line up investors that can pay MLS fee ($40-70m)- most affordable in pro sports

[Ken]

Location of a future stadium is key as well, notice how out of the way we were in STL. For now, there are quite a few options downtown but that may be fleeting.