There were a few clubs that continued to make headlines during the 2013 NASL season, but one of them never played a minute of action on the pitch. Despite the entertaining campaign for the eight teams that participated in the Spring and Fall Seasons, Indy Eleven made waves off the field and earned impressive headlines and recognition for their successful first few months in operation.
With an eye-popping amount of season ticket deposits, and high number of social media interactions and followers, the future NASL club in Indianapolis started to make quite the first impression. But with all of the hype surrounding the club in its first year in existence, how much of it can be backed up with substance?
Lets take a look at the facts before we start dissecting some of them. In their first year as a club, Indy Eleven, without playing a second of soccer, reached 7,000 season ticket deposits in November, prompting them to start a season ticket waiting list. A season ticket waiting list in sports is not uncommon of course, but this is pretty impressive for a North American League Soccer club. To try and put it in perspective, the San Antonio Scorpions, who have been near the top of attendance figures in their first two seasons, averaged just fewer than 7,000 fans a game. Theoretically, if all 7,000 fans that put deposits down for Indy had converted, they would have more season ticket holders than all other NASL team’s average attendance. Even if they only convert 50% of those deposits, that’s still a very respectable number for an expansion club in this league.
The club has also put together quite the front office. Keystone Group LLC seemed to have wanted “soccer people” running the show from the get go, and hiring Peter Wilt as the President/GM was a great way to start. Wilt’s name might ring a bell in your head if you’re an MLS fan. He was the president of the Chicago Fire and has spent some 25 years in professional soccer. Wilt obviously knows the game and could become quite the tool in Indy’s locker. Wilt brought on a VP with additional soccer experience in Tom Dunmore, and the club hired a veteran MLS PR man in John Koluder.
Wilt and the front office quickly assembled their coaching staff, hiring Juergen Sommer as their Director of Soccer Operations and Head Coach. The former goalkeeper had ties to the Indiana area, playing soccer at Indiana University and brings years of playing experience in the English Premier League and Major League Soccer among other leagues, to the club. Tim Regan, another former MLS player, was also brought in as an assistant.
As we know however, you can make all the noise off the field that you want, but if you don’t assemble a squad that can win on the field, your internal success will be all for not. Indy Eleven hasn’t hesitated in assembling a squad that they think can compete right out of the gates in 2014. Highlighted by the recent signing of NASL veteran and former IU standout, Mike Ambersley, the club has also brought in Brad Ring from MLS, Kristian Nicht from Germany, and are rumored to be bringing in former NASL Best XI winger, Walter Ramirez. It remains to be seen how a first-year squad will gel, but Indy Eleven are at least bringing in some experience from this league.
Finally, Indy Eleven have made the news recently once again regarding their (future) stadium. Currently, Eleven will be playing their matches at the home stadium of IUPUI, which resides near the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Carroll Stadium can house about 11,000 fans and the club vows to create a great soccer environment on match day. But it seems as if Indy have higher hopes for where they will be playing their matches. Owner Ersal Ozdemir, has proposed a new 18,500 capacity stadium and is asking for some of the tax revenue to help finance the project, however he claims the debt from the stadium would eventually be paid off. Indy obviously will favor a downtown stadium as well, as they are already starting to play there at Carroll.
So what does it all mean? Well, as previously stated, no matter how you cut it, the 7,000 season ticket deposits is outrageously impressive. We will all wait to see the conversion rate, but 7,000 deposits means the interest is there and that is always a great start. An advantage that the club has is that it will be playing in a stadium downtown and on a college campus. So many eyes will be on Indy Eleven that may not have been simply due to their location. Not only do you get the college students who are actively looking for new things to do, but also you get the average downtown explorer who happens to stumble upon Indy Eleven while spending time in Indianapolis. Indiana is a big soccer state. It doesn’t compare with basketball and because of what Peyton Manning did for football in that state, we might have to put it above soccer as well, but the beautiful game is absolutely next. There are some impressive youth clubs throughout the state and Indiana University is the premier school for college soccer in the United States. Any way you slice it, there will be fans excited about soccer in Indiana, and the team’s social media sites reflect that point. They are second to the Cosmos (who are in another league in regards to social media) in both Facebook likes and Twitter followers. Initial interest will eventually wear off and not be as exciting, so Indy Eleven will have to continue to be creative to continue the route that they are on.
The staff is set up nicely. There can’t be many complaints on how the front office and technical staff has taken shape. The club is surrounded by a plethora of soccer experience and business savvy. The only thing that could potentially hinder the organization is knowledge of the inner-workings of the NASL. By this time (the club is a year old) this shouldn’t be an issue, but we have seen ownership and front office groups approach the second division of US Soccer in the wrong way, leading to difficulties. Indy has MLS experience out the wazoo, but can they find a way to make it work in a league with fewer resources and more speed bumps along the process? We’ll see.
But in regards to the question that everyone will be asking when the NASL season starts in April: “Can this team compete?” It is always difficult to expect an expansion club to do anything of note in their first professional season. In sports history, there is not much hope for expansion clubs who have smaller budgets, fewer resources, and other difficulties that could stop them from competing. But alas! This is the NASL. Indy Eleven could not only be competitive, but they could very well be a Soccer Bowl contender. Don’t believe it? Check out the 2012 season for a perfect example. The San Antonio Scorpions came into the league with tons of excitement in the city; an MLS experienced head coach, and some veteran players and clinched the regular season championship. Indy Eleven has signed some good players, and there will be more additions in the coming months, so although it remains to be seen how the team gels, there is no reason they can’t compete in 2014 in this league.
Lastly, their downtown stadium will benefit the team. Every sports team in every state should beg for a downtown stadium. Not only do you get an enormous amount of eyes from every day visitors, but also the city could potentially see some tangible economic positivity from the club. Indy Eleven should be ecstatic that they are downtown at a college stadium with plenty of attention. However, it seems a bit early to start talking about an 18,500-seat stadium (the minimum amount of seats for MLS qualifications). The club needs to focus on their first playing year inside Carroll Stadium and if the line is out the door every match day, then we can start talking construction.
All that said, Indy Eleven are about to embark on their first professional season, and have earned the hype of the “new guys” in the NASL. With their staff and players almost all in place, vast number of social media followers, and season ticket waiting list, the club seems poised to take over the title as NASL big dogs. Will they break attendance records? Will they compete for the Soccer Bowl? Will they build an 18,500-seat stadium? Who knows? But what we can say is, Indy Eleven is off to a hell of a start.
(image courtesy of IndyEleven.com)
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