We have one professional soccer team in Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Saints. They are in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and also play indoor soccer in the winter. They have a women's team as well. They play at Stargel Stadium in the West End (just outside of Downtown/OTR) next to Taft High School.

 

New reports indicate Cincinnati will be getting a 3rd tier team in the United Soccer League (USL). Not a lot is known of the team, except they will probably play at Nippert until they build a dedicated facility (or find another location). Jeff Berding, of the Bengals, is apparently leaving his post to run this. They will start in 2016. Rumor has it John Harkes may lead the team as head coach.

 

More info surely to come soon.

The Saints play at Withrow HS now.

^That was only for the 2015 season as CPS was redoing the field. Their permanent home as of now is Stargel

^That was only for the 2015 season as CPS was redoing the field. Their permanent home as of now is Stargel

 

I went to 4 Saints games at Stargel and 0 at Withrow

I don't know the numbers, but it seemed less people came to withrow this yr vs stargel last yr, even though they did better this yr.

I have always been a huge fan of soccer, very exciting that within a couple of yrs of each other we might have 2 pro soccer teams.

Fox19 said via Twitter the new team will be owned by the Lindners and play at UC. No article to accompany the tweet.

Here's a youtube video they created.

 

Hopefully FC Cincinnati gets a new logo before they actually start. I think their current logo looks rushed. Also, is it supposed to be an acorn? Why?

 

Well they are going to have one heck of a facility to play in. I should try to get over to UC for a few baseball and now maybe soccer games.

Well they are going to have one heck of a facility to play in. I should try to get over to UC for a few baseball and now maybe soccer games.

 

UC has a great baseball facility there. The only thing I don't like about it is I can't get over the ping of the metal bats, just feels wrong.

This is what it could look like...  As a very casual soccer fan, an interesting development

 

Well they are going to have one heck of a facility to play in. I should try to get over to UC for a few baseball and now maybe soccer games.

 

UC has a great baseball facility there. The only thing I don't like about it is I can't get over the ping of the metal bats, just feels wrong.

 

Yep, lol, metal bats don't sound right.

Per Carl Lindner III bringing new pro soccer team to Cincy:

 

The team will take the field in spring 2016.

 

An official announcement is scheduled for Wednesday, after which tickets will go on sale. They will range from $50 for students up to $595 for club seats.

 

These have to be season ticket prices...

The Cincy Saints are now the Cincinnati Saints and released their new logo today

 

This is what it could look like...  As a very casual soccer fan, an interesting development

 

 

Yeah same here. Wonder if they decide not to build a stadium and stay there long term?

I thought there was a mandate that USL had to have a soccer specific stadium by 2020? I don't see how they get Nippert to be wide enough, nor do I understand why they chose Nippert. That picture looks cool, unfortunately there will only be 1,000 people in the seats (hopefully they get that many) and there will be painted lines across the field every 10 yards. Why not Gettler?

They imply in the article I read that they will spend the next year or so figuring out the plans for a permanent home. 

 

Any ideas on where a permanent soccer specific stadium could be for this team that has seating for around 5,000?

2020 still gives the team 4 years to build a soccer specific stadium. This is likely a temporary home.

 

Also, the league will only overlap with UC Football for a month at the most, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal as a temporary home (2 years or so I bet). I'm sure FC Cincinnati is paying for the field conversion. I don't know about the width of Nippert. Are the lowest level seats retractable for other sports?

 

I think it would be cool if they built a soccer stadium in Newport at the Licking River where that stalled development is. You could put the stands on the south side so it faces the Cincinnati skyline.

This is what it could look like...  As a very casual soccer fan, an interesting development

 

 

If you look closely at the rendering, they show the first several rows of seats removed, particularly in the student section. Currently, the wall is very low and the aisles open up onto the field. In the rendering, the wall rises up at the south end. I'm not sure if the designer was using some artistic license, or if they really think UC is going to renovate the stadium again in order to accommodate a larger field. I think that would be awful, the fact that the front rows at Nippert are directly at field level is one of the coolest things about it (even if the seats are often empty because fans can't see over the heads of people on the sidelines).

Alternatively, if there is enough space, perhaps the Bengals could give up their practice field but retain certain rights to use it during preseason and full use after the USL season ends each year. Here's a map of two locations worth considering.

No way the Bengals do that given Mike Brown's history.  In Newport the new KY9 will be routed in a way that precludes this even if Ovation never happens.

 

At least that's my take.

 

How about we seize on this to bring some life to lower Queensgate.  Fifth and Freeman OR Linn and Ges.. Turn those brownfield into green!

I am OK with the first few rows of Nippert coming out. UC has a tough time selling those seats.

Linder will probably make a nice donation to UC also.

^^Consider that Jeff Berding is GM/President of the organization. He left his post after about 20 years with the Bengals. I think Mike Brown could be convinced. Perhaps they've already reached an agreement. Also, if they provide significant improvements and then give the Bengals free use of the space around games and some practices while covering maintenance of the site, I think it would work well for both teams.

 

I'm skeptical of going into Queensgate. Part of the benefit of the two sites I mentioned is that parking would either be unnecessary or be lower because of the public infrastructure already in place.

 

And that lower end of Queensgate is a mess of railroads, polluted land (expensive to convert), and industrial companies that likely aren't willing to pack up and leave.

 

I hope they stay in the basin after they leave Nippert.

 

USL averaged 3114/game in 2014. Gettler only holds 1,400. I agree that Nippert is a little big, but Gettler is pretty small. And their activities would likely interfere more with UC sports if they were at Gettler with Track & Field, Lacrosse, and Soccer.

It would be very foolish of Newport to allow a stadium to be built on the ovation grounds.  Financially that would make no sense for them.  Ovation is unlikely to ever get built, but that land could become a 2000 resident dense townhouse style development at a minimum, or something in the middle like a continuation of The Banks with 2 or so mid size office buildings and 3-4 6 story apartment buildings.

Alternatively, if there is enough space, perhaps the Bengals could give up their practice field but retain certain rights to use it during preseason and full use after the USL season ends each year. Here's a map of two locations worth considering.

 

Both of those locations ought to be used for something *much* higher density than a soccer field. (I say that as a huge soccer fan). With close proximity to downtown, the river, and the highways, it's always bugged me how the Bengals' practice field is such an under-utilized piece of land. (Same goes for the Newport property).

Might be a savvy move for the Browns be involved with this. Companies in other industries have R&D departments developing the next big thing and this is analogous. The NFL is peaking right now in popularity and who knows how sustainable that is given both in-sport issues like concussions and external factors.

Chances are it will be built out in Mason by the Lindner's tennis facilities and we'll all forget about it in a couple years.

Louisville City FC got $580K from Louisville government to renovate locker room. Article implies they will ask for public funds for soccer stadium.  Also implies 2020 is deadline for Cincinnati FC to get their own stadium. I don't see how they stay in the urban core.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/soccer/louisville-city-fc/2015/05/14/usl-wants-teams-including-louisville-city-fc-in-soccer-stadiums-by-2020/27302237/

I could see Mike Brown working with Carl Lindner to upgrade the Bengals practice facility as ryanlammi[/member] mentioned. Call it United Dairy Farmers (UDF) Stadium and add the ability to inflate a bubble for Bengals practices.

I went to most Saints games last year, and 1 this year. I got to know the Crusaders supports group and I think the news today is a bummer.

 

This just feels to me like Walmart trying to push the local store out of business.

Might be a savvy move for the Browns be involved with this. Companies in other industries have R&D departments developing the next big thing and this is analogous. The NFL is peaking right now in popularity and who knows how sustainable that is given both in-sport issues like concussions and external factors.

 

Totally agree with this. Also, with the success of the Seahawks/Sounders model (2 teams sharing 1 stadium, promotions, marketing, even color scheme) it's crazy for an NFL team to allow a stadium to just sit unused in the off season. Especially given the uncertainty that lies ahead regarding head injuries and whatnot.  There's no reason that Paul Brown Stadium couldn't pull double duty for something like this.

^Except that USL won't allow it. And PBS would look absolutely empty with even 6,000 people in it (average attendance in USL is north of 3,000 and some pull close to 5000 average). Even if they close off the upper sections and have one of the best attendances in the country, they aren't going to come close to filling PBS.

^I guess I'm factoring in that the USL is a third tier soccer league in the United States.  Meaning that even MLS isn't that popular within its own country, and is regarded as a lesser league worldwide, so how likely is it that A) USL will exist long enough to be worth building a stadium of any size, and B) if push comes to shove they wouldn't cave in and allow the use of an NFL quality stadium for one of their teams?

 

Crowd size is definitely a concern, yes.  If it's truly that low, then PBS wouldn't be a good fit.  But I still think it's crazy to consider building anything for a team/league that may or may not be around in a few years.  I do like the renderings of Nippert, and that seems like a great option for the time being.  If they do make the jump to MLS, then other options would need to be considered, but they haven't even played a match yet, so this is all a bit premature.

 

 

I agree. I think they should be permitted to play in an existing facility. Unfortunately that isn't the reality of the league. I would be more supportive of building a soccer specific stadium if there was promotion/relegation in US Soccer.

^That's the key to soccer differentiating itself from the other major sports and gaining popularity in the US.  I'm surprised that it hasn't been implemented already, but maybe you need several stable tiers of leagues before something like that can function properly.

The biggest issue with relegation is that investors are putting serious money into MLS teams and those investors aren't willing to spend that money on a team who could be relegated to a lower league for one bad season. After that attendance could drop considerably and they could be out a lot of money. Current teams would never support it. I do hope it happens though. I think promotion/relegation would hugely increase fan engagement in soccer.

^They just need to work out some sort of profit sharing agreement that makes relegation less scary financially.  If the prize is growing the fan base in every mid-size city in the US by adding teams that have a slim chance of playing their way up to MLS, that could translate into more money than any one team could ever generate on its own.  For instance, the NFL's ticket sales are dwarfed by the money made from TV contracts, which I'm sure is increasingly true for the other major sports as well.  It may not be doable in the short term, but it's something that MLS should be strongly considering in the long term.

Relegation is definitely needed but I have to imagine it will be very difficult to get MLS owners to agree to it. Why would they agree to something that would hurt their revenue if they happened to be relegated.

 

edit: sorry, didn't see Ryan's post which basically said the same thing.

^Because you can make more money by growing your sport to the #2 or #3 most popular nationwide than you can by staying #5, even if you do have good ticket sales within your own market.  It can be done.  Whether it will be done is another matter.

The live press announcement is online right now (started at 11).

 

First thing I heard was Cranley thanking Jeff Berding and Bob Bedinghaus for leading the way with the stadiums. Then Jeff Berding saying how great of a job Cranley is doing as mayor. This is definitely giving me a negative impression. I don't really like the people involved.

 

You can watch it live here:

 

The live press announcement is online right now (started at 11).

 

First thing I heard was Cranley thanking Jeff Berding and Bob Bedinghaus for leading the way with the stadiums. Then Jeff Berding saying how great of a job Cranley is doing as mayor. This is definitely giving me a negative impression. I don't really like the people involved.

 

You can watch it live here:

 

 

If it is a decent product, cost is reasonable, .....venue is top shelf, I will probably go to some games. Especially in the spring coming out of

winter it is good to get outside. Local business people are certainly behind making this work.

Even though I don't live in Cincinnati anymore, I'm so excited for this team. We have RSL and a USL team here in SLC and now I can see FC Cincinnati in person when they visit for USL games and the US Open Cup.

 

Relegation won't work here, and frankly I think it's a stupid idea. American fans have a pretty distinct idea of what major/minor leagues are. Can you imagine the drop off in overall attendance and revenue if the Reds got relegated to AAA? Also, TV networks are not going to pay money for a team that can get bumped out of the major league.

^Because you can make more money by growing your sport to the #2 or #3 most popular nationwide than you can by staying #5, even if you do have good ticket sales within your own market.  It can be done.  Whether it will be done is another matter.

 

That's a big assumption and a tough sell. I'm not sure how profitable MLS teams currently are but if they make good money they likely won't wan to risk it for an unknown.

Even though I don't live in Cincinnati anymore, I'm so excited for this team. We have RSL and a USL team here in SLC and now I can see FC Cincinnati in person when they visit for USL games and the US Open Cup.

 

Relegation won't work here, and frankly I think it's a stupid idea. American fans have a pretty distinct idea of what major/minor leagues are. Can you imagine the drop off in overall attendance and revenue if the Reds got relegated to AAA? Also, TV networks are not going to pay money for a team that can get bumped out of the major league.

 

You are comparing it to the Reds in a sport where they have incredibly distinct leagues. Obviously if they went to relegation it wouldn't be so distinct. Not only that, it incentivizes teams to spend money to better their team unlike the crappy Reds and Bengals here who do very little. You also create an exiting atmosphere when teams are competing for promotion. Imagine the fan support for a second tier team when they are close to getting promoted.

Perhaps US Soccer should introduce a promotion/relegation system for all non MLS teams. If that builds enough support, MLS could slowly be leaked into the promotion/relegation schedule.

 

Perhaps if an MLS team folds, the winner of the top minor league team gets automatically promoted. Or if a team fails to meet certain metrics (attendance, revenue, record, etc) they are relegated to the top minor league team and the winner of the top minor league is promoted to MLS. That way it isn't guaranteed that a team will be promoted/relegated within MLS, but if a team consistently performs poorly they are punished.

What is the process or procedure to go from a minor league to MLS?

^There currently is no process. MLS basically would need to invite a minor league team at their discretion (like they did with Orlando City SC who won two years in USL and had a committed fan base). But other teams just appear out of thin air (NYCFC, the new Miami team, etc).

Relegation is the best idea in sports, but it is impossible to do. It only works in England because that's the way it has always been, and the real money wasn't in EPL until very recently.

 

Imagine the difficulties for a county or city that financed a stadium for a team that was then relegated.

 

Speaking of which, hopefully this City is smart enough to stay the hell away from another stadium deal, but if Cranley, Berding and Bedinghaus are named, who knows. Got any more hospitals to sell?

The difference between this and the many earlier minor league soccer teams is that the old money is behind it and they've assembled their team of stooges to run the thing.  They also got a much better venue.  I think Nippert will make a great venue for soccer, much better than Paul Brown.  I think a few of the previous minor league teams were playing at high school stadiums. 

 

But for years national commentators have been complaining that soccer fails to cross over in the United States in part because of the "euro" branding.  And here again we see some attempt to allude to European team names.  Give American teams American names and American team colors and there would be greater acceptance.   

^big problem is that USL requires soccer specific stadiums by the end of the decade, so FCC isn't going to be at Nippert for long.