Developments May Come Soon About Breakers' New U.S. Women's Soccer League

By Zachary Baru

Promising news came earlier this evening about the status of a new U.S. women's soccer league.  The Boston Breakers already announced in August that they would be members of a new league, along with seven other franchises, including a new team in Seattle.

Tonight during a halftime interview at the U.S. Women's National Team exhibition in East Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. Soccer President Sunil K. Gulati told NBC Sports Network that "I think over the next 10 days, we'll have some interesting things to say", when asked about a new women's league.

Gulati also mentioned that U.S. Soccer has been working with investors and the Canadian Soccer Association regarding the development of a new women's league.  This is great news for the Breakers, who earlier this year competed in the semi-professional Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite).

A crowd of 18,870 fans braved rainy conditions at Rentschler Field in East Hartford tonight for an exhibition match between the United States and Germany, ending in a 2-2 draw.  These two teams also played before a sold-out crowd of 19,522 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois on Saturday, ending in a 1-1 draw.

After playing from 2009 to 2011 in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) at Harvard Stadium, last year the Breakers played at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, selling out all 7 home games with more than 2,000 fans per game.

The comments from U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati this evening made for an encouraging night for U.S. women's soccer.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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MLS Wakeup Call: The Revolution Has Already Begun

By Zach Baru

Last Sunday, CenturyLink Field in Seattle had 66,452 screaming fans.  If your first reaction was wondering who the Seahawks were playing, you would probably be surprised to find out that it was not an NFL game at all.  It was a Major League Soccer match.

And if that wasn't interesting enough, it was not a playoff game, and there were no special promotions or double-headers with international teams.  Sunday in Seattle was just plain MLS soccer.  And the city, along with many others in the country, is falling more and more in love with it.

So where does this revolution in MLS leave our own Revs?  Well, for now, it's sort of the calm before the storm.  While Gillette Stadium will not routinely get over 60,000 fans for a Revolution game, there is no reason why within 5 years a scene like Sunday in Seattle cannot happen in Foxboro at least once a season.  And the chance of seeing attendance pick up close to the 20,000-range in the near future looks promising

Last year at Gillette, 51,523 fans came to see the Revolution play an exhibition match against Manchester United.  Of course this was not an MLS match, but it is still encouraging since it was played on a tough drawing Wednesday night.  Although the Revolution's average home attendance this season was 13,281 (and 13,222 in 2011), poor on-field play and the lack of a soccer-specific stadium has long hurt the Revs.  With the demand other MLS markets are seeing across the country, such as Seattle, Portland and Kansas City, the rise in popularity of the MLS will soon come to New England.

The Boston area, along with the rest of New England, has an enormous amount of youth soccer programs.  With MLS thriving, these youth are more and more likely to grow up fans of their MLS team, and continue to support the team as they grow older.  This is where the MLS has an advantage over the NHL, NBA and MLB, where popularity is more steady, and not exactly increasing much.  Even though this is the same old story soccer fans have been preaching since the 1970's during the days of the North American Soccer League, along with Pele and the New York Cosmos, this time soccer actually has a stable league in MLS that has learned from the mistakes of the old NASL.

The Revolution will ride the success of teams like the Seattle Sounders, and will capitalize off the success of MLS as the league grows, into growth of its own.  They have solid ownership in the Kraft Sports Group, and a market that embraces soccer.  When the on-field performance improves, so will the response off the field.  It is only a matter of time before the revolution in MLS comes to New England.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Three Renovations TD Garden Needs

By Zach Baru

The latest renovations at TD Garden will be an even better makeover of suites than you will find on any HGTV reality show.  The suites will include many state-of-the art features including ways for companies to brand themselves to clients they are entertaining during the games.

The new and innovative renovations are a great step forward for TD Garden, which has certainly done its fair share of minor and semi-minor renovations in the past.  But for the 18,000-plus seat arena built in 1995, it continues to be out-dated in many ways.  As newer arenas offer different ways to appeal to fans, TD Garden will have to keep up.  Here are three ways they can do it:

1. Integrate with social media.

To encourage fans to tweet where they are, or just tweet about the team in general, small screens could be added in the arena devoted to displaying any hastags related to the Bruins, Celtics, TD Garden, or the event that is taking place.  Not only would this promote the venue, teams and events, but it would also get the fans more involved.  Would this have to be monitored?  Absolutely.

2. Install LCD monitors in the loge concourse for commuter rail status.

The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey offers fans walking in the concourses during the end of events the chance to view LCD screens with the status of commuter rail, which is just blocks from the station.  As soon as fans leave their seats, they can view screens showing train times, track numbers, and status of trains taking the 13 mile trip to New York City.  There is no reason why this cannot be implemented to the concourse of TD Garden, making it easy for fans taking the commuter rail below the arena in North Station.

3. Add colored lighting to the roof over level 9.

An underrated feature of TD Garden is the outside lighting they have at night, which really jazzes up the arena.  Between the new sign on Causeway Street, and the lighting on the outside roof, the arena looks very modern for a venue built in 1995.  Why not add similar colored lighting to the roof over level 9 in the arena?  It is already lit-up all around the interior of the arena, but adding color similar to the red lights Mohegan Sun Arena uses would be a great way to create a new vibe at TD Garden.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru.  He can be reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Can the Boston Cannons Pack Harvard Stadium for MLL Championship?

By Zach Baru

The 2012 Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend will be at Harvard Stadium on Saturday, and for Cannons marketing, this could not be a better opportunity.  They are the defending champions of MLL, and unlike the championship season last year, the two potential post-season games will be in Cambridge.

Last August in Andover, Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the Cannons won the league's title before 5,027 fans.  This year, Harvard Stadium will most likely be a bit more filled, as the Cannons' final home game earlier this month drew 9,056 fans.  High attendances this season, coupled with on-field success should result in setting attendance records this weekend at Harvard.

A 4 PM start on Saturday does not help, and box office tickets that are purchased on gameday are a little high at $30.  One thing that is certain, is if the Cannons were to reach the final on Sunday, the game would give them excellent exposure, as Sunday's game will be aired live on ESPN2.  The Cannons have benefited from the presence this season's Comcast SportsNet broadcasts gave them, but a live ESPN2 appearance would really give the Cannons needed attention.

As the Cannons have seen great attendance figures grow in recent years, this is a chance for them to capitalize on having the championship at home, and also showcasing their brand to fans who may not know much about them.  Last year's title did earn the Cannons headlines, and also appearances on the field at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium, but this weekend they can truly obtain maximum media exposure.

The Cannons should be able to top 10,000 fans for Saturday's game, and if they reach the championship Sunday, they could surpass their franchise record of 11,894 fans set earlier this year in June.  The Cannons title last year before 5,000 fans in Maryland may not have stopped the presses, but this year a potential title in front of 10,000-plus fans in Harvard would really make an impression here in Boston.

2012 Boston Cannons Home Attendance:

April 28 vs. Rochester: 9,174

May 5 vs. Charlotte: 9,273

May 12 vs. Hamilton: 11,277

June 9 vs. Long Island: 11,894 (franchise record)

July 19 vs. Denver: 7,743

July 28 vs. Chesapeake: 9,117

August 4 vs. Ohio: 9,056

Average: 9,648

Source: Boston Cannons




Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Liverpool vs. AS Roma Draws New Fenway Soccer Record

By Zach Baru

Wednesday's soccer exhibition at Fenway Park was about more than just bragging rights, this was a pure celebration of the sport at one of America's most famous stadiums.  A new soccer record crowd inside Fenway of 37,169 watched AS Roma beat Liverpool 3-2, but it was the sport of soccer that was the real winner.

The previous soccer record was set during the last game in 2010, when 32,162 fans watched Celtic FC top Sporting on penalty kicks after a 1-1 regulation tie.  Wednesday's game became the 20th time soccer was played at Fenway.  Back in 1968, Pele made an appearance at Fenway, when Brazil's Santos F.C. played the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League in an exhibition game.  It is no surprise that the Beacons lost 7-1.

Although this year's game received an immediate buzz when it was announced months ago, the brilliant marketing efforts of ESPN helped greatly on the TV-side.  In 2010 the game was produced live by NESN, and simulcasted nationally on Fox Soccer Channel, with beloved broadcaster Jack Edwards calling the event.  While that game was successful, at the time Fox Soccer Channel was only distributed to 36 million U.S. households.

Wednesday's game was televised live on ESPN2, unfortunately without the call of Edwards, which is distributed to 98 million U.S. households.  This was a significant improvement for the publicity and viewership of the Fenway event.

As the event will be remembered as a success, hopefully this promotes future soccer games at Fenway Park.  Just as too many hockey games at Fenway would take away from the excitement, too many soccer games would be just as damaging.  But one appearance a year would make for a special event at the stadium, and a Revolution appearance would be even better.  Fortunately for soccer, the future looks bright at Fenway.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Why the NFL Should Make the Patriots' London Trip Permanent

By Zach Baru

Even if every ownership group in the National Football League disagreed with having the Patriots become a permanent visiting team to London, you can't argue with the fan base New England has across the pond.  Just visit UKPatriots.com, and see for yourself.

The Patriots certainly have a strong following in New England and all around the United States, but across the pond, the Boston-London connection has transitioned to american football.  If you think the Liverpool soccer match at Fenway later this summer will be loud, wait until the Patriots travel to a sold-out Wembley Stadium with over 90,000 fans.  And you can bet the vast majority will be for the Patriots.

It is not only in the Patriots' best interest, but the entire league, that a strong fan base is awarded a chance to see the team they so passionately support.  And even if certain fans in England do not have a specific NFL team to root for, establishing a connection to one team each year will increase their chance of following the league passionately.

For travel purposes, the Patriots make an excellent candidate to visit London over other franchises.  Not to mention they have an ownership group that understands the importance of international outreach.  The Krafts want to do much more than just sell merchandise.  They want to continue a following that has maintained their support for many years, creating an international fan base many franchises do not have.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Celtics Marketing Needs Big Three

By Zach Baru

For the next five minutes, forget about anything that happens on the court.  Just think of each of the 18,624 seats in the TD Garden that have been filled every single game for 4 of the last 5 seasons.  It is this reason alone that the "Big Three" are just as much of a marketing presence on the court, than a defensive presence on the court.

With the exception of the 2009-2010 season, the Celtics sold to 100% capacity each season since the 2007-2008 season, when Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett came to Boston. For some reason, during the '09-'10 season, the Celtics' average attendance was 455 seats short of selling out every game.  Still, at 18,169 fans per game, the effect the Big Three have had on the box office is obvious.

Before their arrival, the Celtics had not sold out a season since the last season in the old Boston Garden, 1994-1995.  This drought is something the Celtics would not like to incur again, and the Celtics would be best playing it safe and milking the brand of the Big Three out for everything it is worth.

This current version of the Big Three still has the fascination and attention of the region.  This has been displayed in ticket sales this season, which was not suppose to turn out the way it did.  Earlier in the year, demand was so low that the Celtics were wisely lowering ticket prices via Facebook on certain game days to as low as $24 for box office tickets.

As it turned out, the season ended with another 100% capacity, a trend that can only continue with the region in demand for a product that is, well, in demand.  Without the Big Three, this would be a challenge.  With them - and yes, all of them - the Celtics should enjoy another season of box office success.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.