Soccer the most profitable program at Akron??

[bobbyake]

Watching the game against Tulsa right now and noticed that Akron's soccer program has a huge following. I wouldn't be surprised if the average attendance this year ends with over 4,000 a game. With the football team being so bad, I'm wondering if the soccer program will be the most profitable sports program Akron has.

[Zips fan]

I don't know if any sport at Akron is truly profitable but I can guarantee that football is the largest financial drain on the athletic department every year. Soccer is doing a great job bringing the fans in!

[zippyfan34]

One thing to remember is that of the 4700+ tonight, approximately 2000 of them were students who didn't need to buy a ticket to get in. Plus I don't know if they were expecting for fireworks 6 times tonight (once at the start, 4 goals, once at the end). Anyways great to see such a great crowd. Next friday is at 5:30 so it might be a late arriving one with people just getting off work.

[Let'sGoZips94]

One thing to remember is that of the 4700+ tonight, approximately 2000 of them were students who didn't need to buy a ticket to get in. Plus I don't know if they were expecting for fireworks 6 times tonight (once at the start, 4 goals, once at the end). Anyways great to see such a great crowd. Next friday is at 5:30 so it might be a late arriving one with people just getting off work.

Haha, I switched work days from Wednesday to Friday so I could go down to the OSUcks game. Oh well, I'll figure out a way to follow the game. Go Zips!

[ZachTheZip]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

[Zips fan]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

And their budget also dwarfs any other sport. Unfortunately, it also dwarfs their revenue.

[skip-zip]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

And their budget also dwarfs any other sport. Unfortunately, it also dwarfs their revenue.

Because, to have a I-A football program, you have to hand out 85 scholarships, travel and lodging for 85 players, etc.

It was a great night tonight. And a great Zips victory. But, I don't quite understand why every good night for Zips soccer has to conincide with a new thread that seems to attempt to directly or indirectly try to convince people how popular soccer is.

Akron soccer is popular because people are enjoying that the Zips have a sports team that is tops in the nation. Soccer will always be "dwarfed" in this country by football, basketball, and baseball. It's not even close, and never will be.

Now, can we please enjoy another great night to be a Zips fan without making more out of it than what it is?

[Zip_ME87]

Because, to have a I-A football program, you have to hand out 85 scholarships, travel and lodging for 85 players, etc.

It was a great night tonight. And a great Zips victory. But, I don't quite understand why every good night for Zips soccer has to conincide with a new thread that seems to attempt to directly or indirectly try to convince people how popular soccer is.

Akron soccer is popular because people are enjoying that the Zips have a sports team that is tops in the nation. Soccer will always be "dwarfed" in this country by football, basketball, and baseball. It's not even close, and never will be.

Now, can we please enjoy another great night to be a Zips fan without making more out of it than what it is?

I LOVE Akron Zips soccer, and I watch MLS and other soccer, as well, but I'm with you Skip-Zip. Can't we just enjoy Zips soccer for what it is without comparing it to our other sports? What is the point?

[g-mann17]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

And their budget also dwarfs any other sport. Unfortunately, it also dwarfs their revenue.

Actually the reason the Athletic Department is never balanced or profitable, is because of the drain that is every other sport at the university.

Through two games of crap attendance the football team has brought in more money then the soccer team could hope to during the entire year (well over half a million). The soccer budget is roughly 600-750 thousand a year. Which means they are still 100-250 thousand in the hole every year.

Football always contributes to the bottom line. This really shouldn't even be a topic of discussion.

Support all the teams and stop the douchey "which team makes more money, which one is better, who would you rather win more". It's pointless. Every team needs to win.

I was extremely excited watching the game on TV, it felt great (not as good as actually being there) but the team and school looked great.

Every team, every day, we are all Zips.

[Big Zip]

Is the Info big enough to host a soccer match if need be?

I know 4,700 is a far cry from 30,000, but I feel like we get 4,700 for soccer without even marketing the team. I still talk to people pretty regularly who are surprised the Zips are no. 1 and then they ask me if it is Div. 1. I know it has been said before, but how do you tap into the 100,000s youth soccer players in NE Ohio. I know soccer was never even in my thoughts when I was growing up and those kids that do play....what if they grew up watching a team that is so much fun to watch? What happens to soccer overall in this country? How cool would it be to even get 20,000 people to a game for Zips at the Info...what a boost for the University that would be.

[Let'sGoZips94]

Is the Info big enough to host a soccer match if need be?

I know 4,700 is a far cry from 30,000, but I feel like we get 4,700 for soccer without even marketing the team. I still talk to people pretty regularly who are surprised the Zips are no. 1 and then they ask me if it is Div. 1. I know it has been said before, but how do you tap into the 100,000s youth soccer players in NE Ohio. I know soccer was never even in my thoughts when I was growing up and those kids that do play....what if they grew up watching a team that is so much fun to watch? What happens to soccer overall in this country? How cool would it be to even get 20,000 people to a game for Zips at the Info...what a boost for the University that would be.

It is not big enough as far as I know.

[skip-zip]

Is the Info big enough to host a soccer match if need be?

I know 4,700 is a far cry from 30,000, but I feel like we get 4,700 for soccer without even marketing the team. I still talk to people pretty regularly who are surprised the Zips are no. 1 and then they ask me if it is Div. 1. I know it has been said before, but how do you tap into the 100,000s youth soccer players in NE Ohio. I know soccer was never even in my thoughts when I was growing up and those kids that do play....what if they grew up watching a team that is so much fun to watch? What happens to soccer overall in this country? How cool would it be to even get 20,000 people to a game for Zips at the Info...what a boost for the University that would be.

It's an interesting topic. Is there any research that explains some of this?

The last I heard, youth soccer is still the most-played organized youth sport. Is it because it's easy and inexpensive to put kids in t-shirts and throw them out into a field with a ball to kick around?

And why do they lose interest in the sport as they get older? Does it become "cooler" to play and watch other sports instead? Does the media influence this change of heart? Is it because the rules limit the amount of scoring?

[soccerbirdie16]

Is the Info big enough to host a soccer match if need be?

I know 4,700 is a far cry from 30,000, but I feel like we get 4,700 for soccer without even marketing the team. I still talk to people pretty regularly who are surprised the Zips are no. 1 and then they ask me if it is Div. 1. I know it has been said before, but how do you tap into the 100,000s youth soccer players in NE Ohio. I know soccer was never even in my thoughts when I was growing up and those kids that do play....what if they grew up watching a team that is so much fun to watch? What happens to soccer overall in this country? How cool would it be to even get 20,000 people to a game for Zips at the Info...what a boost for the University that would be.

The playing area at the Info is too narrow from what I understand.

[bobbyake]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

And their budget also dwarfs any other sport. Unfortunately, it also dwarfs their revenue.

Because, to have a I-A football program, you have to hand out 85 scholarships, travel and lodging for 85 players, etc.

It was a great night tonight. And a great Zips victory. But, I don't quite understand why every good night for Zips soccer has to conincide with a new thread that seems to attempt to directly or indirectly try to convince people how popular soccer is.

Akron soccer is popular because people are enjoying that the Zips have a sports team that is tops in the nation. Soccer will always be "dwarfed" in this country by football, basketball, and baseball. It's not even close, and never will be.

Now, can we please enjoy another great night to be a Zips fan without making more out of it than what it is?

hey, you just posted something not true. I remember tracking the World Cup ratings on Nielson ratings, and the World Cup had more US viewers than the NBA playoffs and the MLB playoffs. I made a chart showing this and I'll try to dig it up and put it on here

[Dave in Green]

..... Soccer will always be "dwarfed" in this country by football, basketball, and baseball. It's not even close, and never will be. .....

There's wisdom in the old saying: Never say never and never say always.

I'm old enough now to have seen a lot of things happen that I heard people say when I was younger would never happen. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but I could certainly see the possibility some day in the future where soccer could become the number one sport in America as it already is in most of the rest of the world.

[jem101]

Is the Info big enough to host a soccer match if need be?

Besides playing area issues, there is also the issue of the artificial turf. Soccer balls play differently on turf than on grass.

[Zip_ME87]

Personally, I think soccer should be played on real grass even though FIFA allows artificial surface and a number of teams play on it. I don't like the way the game plays on artificial surface, even the "rubberized" type such as that in the Info. Krenzler Field at Cleveland State, for example, has the same surface as Infocision Stadium.

Anyway, last night, I think they said that our pitch is 77 yards wide (I think minimum is 70 x 110 yds, but preferred, I believe is 80x120). To meet the minimum, we would have to have 10 yds on each side of the football field. To me, that appears tight in the end zones at Infocision, where the stands curve back toward the field.

[zen]

the decision of playing in infocision (if the facility is legal acceptable for it's use that way) should be left up to coach and the players.

Personally, I think that if we could sell 20,000 tickets for a playoff game (or if we played another match against a top3 team), it should be considered, but if coach and players don't like it, such as the fact it's artificial turf previously discussed, then it should be out. Instead, plans for future expansion of the field on Lee Jackson should be accelerated asap.

[ZachTheZip]

Take a look at the NCAA attendance records (page 4 has the all-time records on it). I don't think we would ever break 10k for a home game, no matter who we played or whether it was in the tournament or not. It takes years of incredible attendance and a lack of a football team to get the community to turn out like that.

Could our crowd have been significantly bigger if we weren't competing with high school football last night, assuming we had the extra capacity? I don't think we would have made it to 6k.

At the same time, I would kill to have the crowds we've had this year (especially the student numbers) at basketball games. Could you imagine that atmosphere being packed into an enclosed space?

[tpsjugglerdude]

One thing to remember is that of the 4700+ tonight, approximately 2000 of them were students who didn't need to buy a ticket to get in. Plus I don't know if they were expecting for fireworks 6 times tonight (once at the start, 4 goals, once at the end). Anyways great to see such a great crowd. Next friday is at 5:30 so it might be a late arriving one with people just getting off work.

Actually they had enough fireworks for the first 8 Akron goals. But after that there were not enough fireworks.

[Zipmeister]

It's the most profitable, relative to expenses. If basketball brought in 5k per game they would be far more profitable than soccer. But in terms of sheer revenue added to the department, football still dwarfs any other sport.

And their budget also dwarfs any other sport. Unfortunately, it also dwarfs their revenue.

Actually the reason the Athletic Department is never balanced or profitable, is because of the drain that is every other sport at the university.

Through two games of crap attendance the football team has brought in more money then the soccer team could hope to during the entire year (well over half a million). The soccer budget is roughly 600-750 thousand a year. Which means they are still 100-250 thousand in the hole every year.

Football always contributes to the bottom line. This really shouldn't even be a topic of discussion.

Support all the teams and stop the douchey "which team makes more money, which one is better, who would you rather win more". It's pointless. Every team needs to win.

I was extremely excited watching the game on TV, it felt great (not as good as actually being there) but the team and school looked great.

Every team, every day, we are all Zips.

Football contributes toward the bottom line of the athletic budget a lot like the iceberg contributed to the Titanic.

[zen]

Yeah, I have a feeling some people are not differentiating between gross revenue and profit.

I'm not saying whether or not soccer could turn a profit (or a larger one) over football, but it would be interesting to find out.

The point is not whether the Info exceeded $800 in ticket sales (for example), because the football budget of expenses could be much higher.

What is the bottom line of each program?

[ZachTheZip]

The average NCAA soccer program costs about $600k to run. Ours costs easily over $1 million thanks to higher coach's salaries and a high home-game production value (fireworks, two concession stands, more ticket staff and security, etc.). If we sold out all our home games and got the full 14 home games possible, at $5 a ticket and with 1500 students attending on average brings in just $15k. Season ticket premiums bring it to around $25k. Concessions and advertising maybe doubles it to $50k.

Soccer operates at a massive loss.

[w00t]

The average NCAA soccer program costs about $600k to run. Ours costs easily over $1 million thanks to higher coach's salaries and a high home-game production value (fireworks, two concession stands, more ticket staff and security, etc.). If we sold out all our home games and got the full 14 home games possible, at $5 a ticket and with 1500 students attending on average brings in just $15k. Season ticket premiums bring it to around $25k. Concessions and advertising maybe doubles it to $50k.

Soccer operates at a massive loss.

No, soccer operates at a loss. Football operates at a massive loss.

[tpsjugglerdude]

Pk's are a part of the game you practice for them and if that time comes you make the shot/save or you miss the shot/save.....There is not a bigger moment in sports then pk's cause all the pressure of the entire season is on you.....ya it sucks but if we win last year we are not complaining as much....in world soccer they always say it is the cruelest way to lose...

Factor in tv deal with fsc should add revenue. Appearance in the college cup with tv spots add revenue. Free marketing on espn commercials should be valued in.