Stadium Discussion

[mgarbowski]

Gatsby Prices. Minimum 5 year commitment. The higher priced tickets are the 2 seats closer to the bench, the cheaper (lol) ones are the 2 away from the bench. Imagine paying 2k more just to be a seat closer to the bench even when there's a wall protecting the bench.

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Pitchside Prices. Minimum 3 year commitment.
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Tunnel Club Prices. Minimum 4 or 5 year commitment. The crazier ones are Row 1.
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These are standard prices. $1k discount for Founding for Gatsby. $250 discount for Pitchside/Tunnel.

This is MLS. The WNBA is more popular in a recent poll. This is stupid.

The best Pitchside seat right now (Yankee Stadium / Citi Field) is $9,130 at founding member price.

WIth the bottom end of this initial set of exclusive club seats costing $15,500, I'm guessing the next group will top out around $12,500 maybe? Good seats, but no special access to benches or player walk-thrus. Legends-type club with premium food.
Essentially something akin to current Legends but with better seats by virtue of being an actual soccer stadium for about 3x what Legends goes for now.
Just a guess.

 

[Fantazma]

Forgot to mention but have updated my original post. All seats are multi-year commitments with most being a minimum of a 5 year commitment. Prices increase anywhere from 4 to 7 percent annually.

 

[JayH]

WIth the bottom end of this initial set of exclusive club seats costing $15,500, I'm guessing the next group will top out around $12,500 maybe? Good seats, but no special access to benches or player walk-thrus. Legends-type club with premium food.
Essentially something akin to current Legends but with better seats by virtue of being an actual soccer stadium for about 3x what Legends goes for now.
Just a guess.

Next group will be loge boxes of 4 and 6 seats half way up the premium side of the field with access to a different lounge. Think they will be 40 and 60k per box if I recall correctly. After that likely something like you note but without the included food.

 

[moogoo]

I think it would increase interest in the entire US soccer pyramid. MLS doesn't really care about whether people watch USL, but the entire pyramid would see increased interest as you root for your local team to join the big boys.

It also prevents teams from "tanking" to get a good draft pick or from just playing the kids at the end of a bad season. It increases competitiveness within the league because the bottom-feeders are fighting to stay up instead of counting down the days until the offseason.

My biggest complaint about MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL is the race to be the worst record among the bad teams. Pro/reg would eliminate that.

Those are a lot of assumptions. I don't agree it would increase interest in the US soccer pyramid. It's not in the DNA of US sports, and I don't think that's going to change.

There is no "tanking to get a good draft pick" in MLS as the superdraft continues to become less meaningful considering how soccer is a global market. Pro/rel also doesn't inherently increase competitiveness. Sure, clubs at the bottom who don't want to be relegated might be fighting for their lives, but what about the perpetual mid-table sides? Once they've guaranteed themselves safety, what's their motivation to play hard in the final games of the season? It's no different than what we have now with the teams not making the playoffs. They have no real motivation to go out there and give it all they got. Some do, some don't.

I'm not for or against pro/rel in the US, I just don't think it simply "makes sense".

 

[mgarbowski]

Next group will be loge boxes of 4 and 6 seats half way up the premium side of the field with access to a different lounge. Think they will be 40 and 60k per box if I recall correctly.

Yeah, multi-seat boxes are in my mind a separate category. More akin to mini-almost-suites than individual seats.

After that likely something like you note but without the included food.

Without included food? Is this a guess or informed? Cause I'm kind of shocked if there are no more all inclusive club seat options. Wouldn't that really hurt the upcharge potential? The number of seats in Gatsby, Pitchside and Tunnel is minimal and I think they leave money on the table if they don't have a next level inclusive club option. Delta is nice enough, and much less costly than Legends or Champions clubs, but the experience of needing to pull out a wallet (real or virtual) to pay is much less pleasant and also simply makes getting food take much more time. And I think it's much better for corporate entertainment. Which is why the cost of a Delta ticket plus Delta food is much less than Champions or Legends tickets with included food. Why forego that revenue?

Or will they have an all inclusive club available to any ticketholder for a fee separate and apart from the ticket price?

 

[Shwafta]

Those are a lot of assumptions. I don't agree it would increase interest in the US soccer pyramid. It's not in the DNA of US sports, and I don't think that's going to change.

There is no "tanking to get a good draft pick" in MLS as the superdraft continues to become less meaningful considering how soccer is a global market. Pro/rel also doesn't inherently increase competitiveness. Sure, clubs at the bottom who don't want to be relegated might be fighting for their lives, but what about the perpetual mid-table sides? Once they've guaranteed themselves safety, what's their motivation to play hard in the final games of the season? It's no different than what we have now with the teams not making the playoffs. They have no real motivation to go out there and give it all they got. Some do, some don't.

I'm not for or against pro/rel in the US, I just don't think it simply "makes sense".

I think the closest thing I can think of the pro/rel in US sports is march madness where teams basically have to qualify out of their division to reach it... so it's not exactly pro/rel, but generally the same good teams make it YoY, and so the lessers kinda "get relegated" when they don't qualify in a future year. So I guess just the idea that different teams participate / have a chance each year is the similarity there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[moogoo]

I think the closest thing I can think of the pro/rel in US sports is march madness where teams basically have to qualify out of their division to reach it... so it's not exactly pro/rel, but generally the same good teams make it YoY, and so the lessers kinda "get relegated" when they don't qualify in a future year. So I guess just the idea that different teams participate / have a chance each year is the similarity there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

that's not pro/rel, it's a cup competition, much like the world cup, CCC, champions league, europa league, etc. you qualify in your local region/league then you play the tournament (e.g., march madness).

 

[JayH]

Yeah, multi-seat boxes are in my mind a separate category. More akin to mini-almost-suites than individual seats.


Without included food? Is this a guess or informed? Cause I'm kind of shocked if there are no more all inclusive club seat options. Wouldn't that really hurt the upcharge potential? The number of seats in Gatsby, Pitchside and Tunnel is minimal and I think they leave money on the table if they don't have a next level inclusive club option. Delta is nice enough, and much less costly than Legends or Champions clubs, but the experience of needing to pull out a wallet (real or virtual) to pay is much less pleasant and also simply makes getting food take much more time. And I think it's much better for corporate entertainment. Which is why the cost of a Delta ticket plus Delta food is much less than Champions or Legends tickets with included food. Why forego that revenue?

Or will they have an all inclusive club available to any ticketholder for a fee separate and apart from the ticket price?

Cryptically informed that but agree that it doesn’t make sense and a lot of the messaging has been unclear for the purpose of driving towards the tunnel seats, so I don’t know what to believe. I have a couple more opportunities to cross examine for more info.

 

[Joe_Cos]

Gatsby Prices. Minimum 5 year commitment. The higher priced tickets are the 2 seats closer to the bench, the cheaper (lol) ones are the 2 away from the bench. Imagine paying 2k more just to be a seat closer to the bench even when there's a wall protecting the bench.

View attachment 13837

Pitchside Prices. Minimum 3 year commitment.
View attachment 13838

Tunnel Club Prices. Minimum 4 or 5 year commitment. The crazier ones are Row 1.
View attachment 13839

These are standard prices. $1k discount for Founding for Gatsby. $250 discount for Pitchside/Tunnel.

This is MLS. The WNBA is more popular in a recent poll. This is stupid.

The best Pitchside seat right now (Yankee Stadium / Citi Field) is $9,130 at founding member price.

That is awful for you and the other long term fans, but thank you for sharing this information.

 

[Bane]

IF they manage to sell-out the Tunnel Club, I wonder how long it might take to do so. I can't imagine any of the product is going to be selling like hot-cakes this far out.

 

[Gene]

There is no "tanking to get a good draft pick" in MLS

There's no tanking in any sport. It's a myth that teams do that.

 

[Shwafta]

that's not pro/rel, it's a cup competition, much like the world cup, CCC, champions league, europa league, etc. you qualify in your local region/league then you play the tournament (e.g., march madness).

I know. that's why i said it's the closest thing we have.

 

[FootyLovin]

One other stadium hot take - crazy expensive corporate seats are good for us.

I want a great team with expensive players who aren't always bought for sell on value. And I want my seats in the stadium to be as cheap as possible. The only way I can have both of these things is if someone else is massively overpaying. I know this sucks for those who were hoping to match their old stadium experience and pricing to the new digs. But it's the only way I can get close to what I want.

 

[Joe_Cos]

There's no tanking in any sport. It's a myth that teams do that.

The season before the Spurs got Duncan, sure did seem like the Spurs tanked. No coaches or players tank, but organizations alleged do try to tank. That’s one of the allegations in Brian Flores case, that Ross was going to pay him to lose to get Joe Burrow. It’s not far fetched for owners who will be around for 30 years think “I’ll give up a year for a chance of a decade of a good team with this one player.”

 

[SoupInNYC]

I'm not for or against pro/rel in the US, I just don't think it simply "makes sense".

It will never make sense when there is such a spending disparity between leagues such as between MLS and USL (and honestly, all the European leagues).

It provides the illusion of an open pyramid where any team can make it, but when you need to spend more than 10x of what you're currently spending on your roster to compete, you'll never get there unless the lower league club is sold to much wealthier owners. Look at who wins in Europe, its the same guys over and over. Sure, your team can get promoted to the top league, but they're not actually going to compete there.

The pro/rel between USL divisions can work because the spending discrepancies between those divisions will be much more manageable. Additionally, in the US, very little of the revenue clubs are bringing in is TV$, so any bump moving from USL to MLS from a revenue perspective allowing owners to spend more would be immaterial.

I love the idea of pro/rel in theory where everyone has the same spending ability. It's romantic and an awesome idea.

It just doesn't ultimately make sense because not everyone has the same spending ability and it realistically results in killing competition at the top.

 

[Gotham Gator]

You are correct - they will sell. Prices aren't based on MLS or the current team. They are based on the World Cup next year.

After the prior World Cup, it was possible to create a new soccer league in this country that has been the most successful soccer league in this country's history. Prior iterations (see NASL) all failed. With this World Cup it is entirely reasonable - and wise - to bet on a comparable burst. Apple didn't make their play based on now, they based it on 2026.

Ticket prices for the current stadium, team, and league have been largely affordable the past ten years. There are underpriced tickets in certain sections of Yankee Stadium, and the secondary market allows for easy and low cost access to most games. Basing the new ticket prices on the current stadium and team situations is the wrong place to start. Accepting soccer is generally less of a draw to New York City as a whole than baseball, the better comparison would be how tickets were priced at Citi and Yankee Stadium when those venues were new (with any corresponding inflation adjustment).

Also, it would seem to be premature to compare ticket prices that have been made available now to anything in the current stadium structure. Pitchside at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are fun, but it cannot possibly compare to what is planned for the new stadium with respect to location, access, and amenities. I highly doubt these prime seat ticket holders will need to walk across the outfield to reach their seats, or sit in a modified lounge area to eat and socialize pre-game. Some (though obviously not all) of the cost increase is a reflection of the seats and amenities being designed for their actual use.

This is a good post, and it all makes a lot of sense. Still, the magnitude of the increase is so large that even the things you mention can't justify it in my mind. This is particularly true given the pitifully small founding member's discount and the 5-year commitment.

 

[ZYanksRule]

This is a good post, and it all makes a lot of sense. Still, the magnitude of the increase is so large that even the things you mention can't justify it in my mind. This is particularly true given the pitifully small founding member's discount and the 5-year commitment.

I remember when Yankee Stadium opened they had Legends tickets at like $2,500/game. They cut them 50-percent even in that first season.

This is probably going to be a similar phenomenon.

 

[gbservis]

The season before the Spurs got Duncan, sure did seem like the Spurs tanked. No coaches or players tank, but organizations alleged do try to tank. That’s one of the allegations in Brian Flores case, that Ross was going to pay him to lose to get Joe Burrow. It’s not far fetched for owners who will be around for 30 years think “I’ll give up a year for a chance of a decade of a good team with this one player.”

Yeah, organizational level tanking 100% happens in the NBA. The process-era Sixers are the most notorious for it because the organization intentionally tanked and made the mistake of saying that was the plan. Current teams have learned not to be so brazen about it but they still do it, both the Rockets and Thunder constructed intentionally weak rosters for 2-3 years to accumiate draft picks and rebuild via prospects.

The Mavs also did this two years ago.

Dallas Mavericks Fined $750,000 for ‘Desire to Lose’ a Game (Published 2023)

The N.B.A. fined the team for resting players and making statements that indicated it did not want to win against the Chicago Bulls this month.

www.nytimes.com

EDIT: TLDR for the article: With a win in their second-to-last regular season game, the Mavs would have made the play-in game for the playoffs. A loss meant missing the playoffs and getting a better draft pick. The Mavericks sat out five of their best players, and the team’s biggest star, Luka Doncic, played just 13 minutes at the beginning of the game. After the game, Jason Kidd, the Mavs coach said, “It’s decisions sometimes are hard in this business. We’re trying to build a championship team. With this decision, this is maybe a step back. But hopefully it leads to going forward.”

 

[Section1Guy]

WIth the bottom end of this initial set of exclusive club seats costing $15,500, I'm guessing the next group will top out around $12,500 maybe? Good seats, but no special access to benches or player walk-thrus. Legends-type club with premium food.
Essentially something akin to current Legends but with better seats by virtue of being an actual soccer stadium for about 3x what Legends goes for now.
Just a guess.

On my call with them, he said the club seats across would be around 8,000 (probably the outer sections)

He also said those seats would start selling around Sep/Oct.

Non-premium seats will start this time next year.

 

[Section1Guy]

Did anyone find out what # they are in the founding member order?