Pointless speculation and Clearwater Galatics interview

Well folks, welcome to 2008. Aside from the post celebratory buzz (ok, so I slept thru the fireworks) I am most excited by what the new year has in store for soccer fans. With Olympic qualifying in March, High school and club competition in full swing and speculation rife about pro soccer's return to Tampa, there is plenty of action in store.

As reported in my last blog entry, the possibility of a USL one side in Tampa has interested a yet to be named of investors. Many have speculated that none other than West Ham United may view Tampa as an ideal proving ground for player development.

This arrangement would provide a pipeline for young and reserve players to learn their trade on both sides of the Atlantic and certainly prove an exciting spectacle for fans. While we are unlikely to Johnny Spector tearing up the Trop (or whereever they end up playing), I cant help but wonder who we may expect. Here are my top three prospects:

1. Johnny Sears (Striker)- An England U-19 international, Sears scored 12 goals in 6 games (including a hattrick against Chelsea) at U-18 level before tweaking his ankle this season. Described by reserve team coach Tony Cotton as a “fox in the box”, Sears plays on the right hand side and often sears opponents with his pace.

2. Jordan Spence- Playing behind Sears on the right side of midfield, Spence has already chipped in 4 assists and two goals this season.

3. Jack Collison- captain of the reserves, 19 year old Jack has already played for the Hammers first team this season. With two good feet and an excellent range of passing, this kid's ability to hit a well directed crossfield pass would not be out of place in the A-league.

But aside for speculation, one group with concrete plans for Tampa soccer are the mysterious Clearwater Galactics—whose ambitious plans include a 25,000 seat stadium and pro team by 2010.

I spoke with Galactics Operations officer Ralf Gerhard to catch up on the team’s plans (Interview posted below). Some interesting points included:

• Carlos El Pibe Valderamma is coming on as the club's Technical Director of Player Development!
• The club currently has 20 staff working fulltime including a professor of soccer, Athletic trainer and former Metrostars reserve coach Javier Robalino!!
• The pro team would play under the name “Galactics” within the next 2-3 years
• In lieu of the planned 25,000 seat stadium in downtown Clearwater, the team has already built a fully renovated, over 7,000 square feet big club house with training facilities.

See the full interview posted below.

1. Talk about the history of your club and your background in soccer. Does it participate in both youth and adult competition?

Galactics Clearwater International F.C. was incorporated as a non-profit organization in May 2007, but it all started a few years back in 2003 with a big dream of Jose Serrano (today’s president), Pedro Gil and Francisco Tellez. At that time the name GALACTICS was born, the original Galactics logo (Saturn rings around a soccer ball) was conceived and plans drawn up for a much bigger and brighter soccer future. Professional coaching know how and administrative knowledge entered the picture when the former Metro Stars Reserve Team Coach, Ecudorian Javier Robalino and fellow soccer player and enthusiast, Ralf Gerhardt of Germany , joined the Galactics.

Soon this small group took the first steps towards their dream having a soccer club with a structure like that of the near century old professional clubs of Europe and America ’s. In June 2006 the ideal location for a club house was found. The premises are located in downtown Clearwater where extensive renovations began. Today Galactics has a fully renovated, over 7,000 square feet big club house with offices, staff meeting room, VIP meeting room, member meeting space with TV, foosball tables and more, a kitchen, coaches offices, massage room and more. The opening hours are Monday through Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and open for every member of the club.

2. Were you personally around for the mutiny’s era in Tampa ? what about the rowdies?

No, I was not, but we know that the Rowdies still have a very good reputation. Many people told me personal about the time when Tampa had its first PRO team and how happy they were to watch the games.

3. why do you feel the mutiny failed to capture the imagination of Florida soccer fans?

I cannot say anything about the Mutiny (I lived in Germany at this time). But I have similar experience like with the Mutiny’s. I only heard good things having this two Pro team in this area.

3. Talk about your efforts to bring pro soccer back to the area? How did you interest in bringing a team to the area come about?

Soccer is the no. 1 sport in the world and we think now is the time for North America to become one of the best soccer countries of the world (Beckham came to US, and other Soccer Super Stars are following). And what the country needs is privately funded soccer clubs who take the responsibility for their area. We have over 20 staff and working fulltime to make this dream come true. And we need more help from the City, businesses and volunteers to realize our sports complex in the next 2-3 years.

4. One crucial hurdle the mutiny was never able to tackle was finding an owner for the Tampa . Have you identified sufficient investment for a team and stadium in the area?

Yes, we have a program for realizing a sports complex with 25,000 seats in this area.

5. Have you proposed a timeline for the building of your stadium?

In the near future

6. Talk about the success of your recent soccer festival and what it says about soccer in central Florida ? How did you get El Pibe to come out?

Our Galactics International Soccer Festival 2007 was a BIG success. Close to 2,000 spectators and all the invited soccer super stars like Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama and Tab Ramos enjoyed the festival and the highlight in the afternoon with the exhibition game versus the Galactics Masters. Following soccer super stars were invited and played in the game Galactics Masters vs. Rest of the World: Jeff Agoos, Marcelo Balboa, Fernado Clavijo, Raul Diaz Arce, Luis Carlos Perea, Geovanny Salinas and more. There is one common denominator between spectators and participants: everybody wants to come again to the next Galactics International Soccer Festival in 2008.

Re: Carlos El Pibe Valderrama: Pibe is with us since 2006, coming on board as the club's Technical Director of Player Development. As Technical Director of Player Development of the Galactics soccer club, El Pibe oversees the development and training of the club's youth division and also serves as the club' s face in marketing and PR. Pibe said once in a press conference: "Galactics Clearwater International F.C. is dedicated to helping children prepare mentally and physically to become role models for the future. Our mission is to develop players, not just accept the best through tryouts. Everyone is welcome at our club."

Even Pibe is now the Manager of a Premier Team in Colombia , he helps us out whenever possible. Pibe is really of great help to achieve our big dreams.

7. Would you be looking to resurrect the mutiny or rowdies or bring a new pro name to central Florida ?

No, we are not resurrecting former pro clubs in this area. We have our own dreams and will have everything under name of GALACTICS.

8. In terms of talent, would your team be based upon local players or focus heavily on recruiting?

Of course, as Pibe said before, we will develop our own players as well. Besides of that we will get professional players from local clubs and the national and international soccer player “market”.

9. Looking to the future, what foundations as necessary for long term success for a pro club in central Florida ?

We think, besides of having a Pro team, it is very important to have a big youth level with hundreds of kids (girls and boys) and an amateur adult level (men and women). A soccer club has its responsibilities in the community, and we can take our share by helping kids get off the street, be in a safe environment and active every day (no drugs, not too much TV, etc.). You have to involve the people in the club; only then you will have a full stadium and 20,000 people cheering for your team ;-)

Lost and found: Pro soccer in Tampa?

Whether taking in spring training, enjoying a game of Bucs football or watching the Tampa Bay Lightning kick the ice, sports fans in central Florida have a wide variety of options to spend their entertainment dollar.

But despite the presence of virtually every major sports (football, baseball, basketball, hockey) between Tampa and Orlando, pro soccer has never seemed to stick.

Since the demise of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which regularly drew crowds of 20,000 or more in the late 1970s, the beautiful game has come and gone—with the area most recent incarnation, the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League soccer, folding in 2002.

All the while, the area has continued to support strong participation at youth levels and burgeoning attendance for international matches (the US Mens National Team drew a crowd of 31,000 for a recent match against Ecuador). So where does the disconnect lie?

For many sports fans, it comes as no surprise that the glory years of the Rowdies came in the midst of a slew of dismal seasons which marred the early existence of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—the Bucs only made the playoffs three times between 1976 and 1990. While the Bucs failed to make the playoffs until 1979, the Rowdies regularly contested for league honors—winning the Soccer Bowl and finishing runners up twice in the late 1970s—and boasted players the caliber of Englishman Rodney Marsch and Argentine scoring sensation Oscar Fabianni.

With the young NFL side still struggling to find it’s identity with fans, watching the Rowdies, a team full of colorful characters, was seen by many fans the in-thing to do.

But with the implosion of the NASL (North American Soccer League) in the early 1980s, the party for soccer was over in Tampa. As the Rowdies struggled and eventually folded, it would be another twelve years before pro soccer made it’s return to Tampa Bay. By the time the oddly named Tampa Bay Mutiny arrived, Tampa had become a football town.

Despite early success on the field, the Mutiny—like the Buccaneers in the 80s—languished in the dreadful confines of Tampa Stadium. With it’s football lines, narrow field and 45,000 capacity, this venue failed to whet the appetite of sports fans.

For ESPN broadcaster and Tampa native Rob Stone, who witnessed the Mutiny’s struggle to entertain a handful of supporters, the hard sell came down to the game day experience.

“To me atmosphere is the one great element MLS needs to continue to capture..without it, a majority of the American media outlets will continue to treat the league like a minor entity, not worthy of their resources.” he explained.

Stone says the reason ESPN tended to stay away from mutiny home games in their last few seasons wasn't because they were not winning, it was all about the negative impression those empty stands relayed to the viewer. “No atmosphere equals dreadful television,” he adds. “The fans that made it out were supportive and great, but they needed to bring about 15,000 more of
their friends.”

Stadium solutions:

Despite the failures of the Mutiny, Stone is adamant that Tampa, courtesy of the Rowdies success, is still considered a worthwhile soccer market. “If the right components can appear (owner, stadium, and i believe a return to the Rowdie name...it remarkably still carries a lot of clout around here)”

This positive view of Tampa is shared by Tim Holt, Executive Vice President & COO of USL, who viewed the Mutiny not as a failed experiment, but an interrupted work in progress.

While he concedes the Mutiny’s shortcomings—lack of suitable atmosphere, recognizable players and a lack of effort to reach out to local fans—failed to capture the spirit of the Rowdies, he says the main reason the Mutiny no longer exist is that they could not find local ownership willing to operate the franchise at a time when MLS needed to make hard decisions.

“It is critical for any professional soccer team to capture the interest of the market’s hardcore, knowledgeable soccer fan,” he explained. “With all of this said, I believe that the Mutiny were actually on their way to being successful in this market had they been given the opportunity to further establish themselves over time.”

Since coming to Tampa in 1999, Holt describes Central Florida as a thriving youth soccer market with several competitive clubs as a potential source of pro talent.

He points to the example of local side HC United, a regular participant in regional/national champions and supply line of national team players, currently competes in our Super Y-League and has acquired a USL W-League (women’s) franchise which will begin competition in summer 2008 under the guidance of George Fotopoulos.

But while Holt views Tampa as an ideal market for an MLS or USL 1 side, the sticking point remains ownership. Although the USL has been close with several different prospective ownership groups over the past five years, the search continues for the right fit.

With any ownership group, four factors must things in any expansion situation: appropriate stadium/venue, well-capitalized & committed ownership, experienced management and sales team, and strong population base / soccer market.

With the annual operating budget for a USL First Division franchise typically ranging between $1.5-2.0 million-- with start-up costs are also in the low seven-figures, Holt says the biggest factor in profit for USL teams tends to be the generation of ticket and sponsorship revenue.

Crucial to this effort is an attractive stadium situation to attract advertisers and fans. (Translation: a well-located stadium primarily used and designed for soccer that seats in the range of 6,000-12,000 fans with certain amenities.)

“Ultimately, if the community is serious about bringing professional soccer back, the solution will address the lack of a suitable and appropriately sized professional soccer stadium.” adds Holt.

The search continues:

With a number of options seemingly open for Tampa, Holt also revealed that the USL are in active dialog with a group that is considering the acquisition of the USL First Division ( USL -1) rights for the Tampa market to field a team beginning in the 2009 season.

According to Holt, this is a credible group that has the financial wherewithal to operate a franchise at the USL -1 level and has spent the better part of the past year researching the league and best practices of our franchises. But the questions remains, where would they play?

While some fans have suggested Al Lang Field, current home of the minor league Tampa Bay Rays, most are quick to admit that a converted baseball stadium with a capacity below 10,000 is less than ideal.

A more intriguing possibility for many is the ambitious effort by the Clearwater Galactics, a prominent youth and adult soccer club, to build a 15,000 soccer specific stadium and sporting complex in Clearwater.

According to Administrative director Ralf Gerhard, the Galactics were formed in May 2006 with the goal of having a big soccer complex with a professional team playing in the highest levels of American soccer. The first step in this strategic plan is to create a club house where all the members could meet and have nice event.

While Gerhard concedes the challenges of building a stadium (surveying costs, etc), he says his club is currently well on it’s way to garnering necessary sponsorship—with the ultimate goal of breaking ground by 2009-2010.

For his money, Stone says expansion at the University of Tampa or something north of town could work, but “the closer to downtown Tampa the better for fans.”

But rather than moving in to an existing structure, Holt says the USL group, who are simultaneously reviewing options in the Southwestern United States, has indicated a willingness to play a major role in the financing of the building of a new playing venue.

But whatever form the, both Stone and Holt agree it is only a matter of time before pro soccer returns to Tampa. “Between the weather, space and mix of cultures in the sunshine state, all the ingredients are here...that's why MLS would love to get back into the soccer business in Florida.” adds Stone