THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 1996 TAG: 9604060417
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 181 lines
How does a minor league soccer team go from half-empty stands at a high school field to the major leagues?
With lots of money - and a dream.
The Hampton Roads Mariners have both. Powered by a souped-up budget, the team's owners are chasing a dream that has the Mariners getting a Major League Soccer franchise in about five years.
In order to achieve their dream, Mariners co-owners Page Johnson and Mark Garcea first must put fans in the stands.
``This year is crucial,'' said Johnson, whose Mariners open the season tonight in Charleston, S.C.
``The fans have to respond in a positive way to what we're doing. We are putting a lot of money and effort into promoting the team, marketing the team and putting a good team on the field.
``If the fans respond, I think we're the best opportunity this area has for getting a major league team.''
That is, if soccer is to be considered major league. While it's been big-league overseas for decades, soccer is making another attempt as success in the U.S. this year with the birth of Major League Soccer, a 10-team, first-division league that begins play today.
The Mariners have a working agreement with Washington's D.C. United, the closest MLS franchise to the area. The trickle-down of players from the United could begin April 15, when the team must cut its roster to 18 players.
And if the fans turn out, the Mariners will need a place to put them. The MLS, which begins its season today when Washington's D.C. United plays San Jose, is expected to require franchises to have stadiums with at least 30,000 seats by the time the Mariners attempt to move up.
That is a far cry from the 6,000-seat stadium at First Colonial High, where the Mariners will play their 17 home games this season.
The city of Virginia Beach is considering construction of a 7,500-seat soccer complex, possibly in Lake Ridge , with the Mariners being a primary tenant, but for now, that is just part of the dream.
The money, however, is very real. Johnson and Garcea have increased the team's operating budget 22 percent to $300,000 for this season. They have earmarked $80,000 for television and radio advertising, and are committed to selling Hampton Roads on the Mariners.
Shortly, they'll find out if Hampton Roads is buying. The Mariners open today at Charleston, S.C., followed by their home opener next Saturday.
Only 20 months ago, the franchise nearly drowned in its own red ink under original owner Ellis Gillespie. The nickname at that time - the Hurricanes - was appropriate for all the wrong reasons.
``We have two things going for us right now that we didn't have before: strong support from the business community and marketing dollars,'' Johnson said. ``Last year was a transition year when we were just trying to figure this thing out. This year we can concentrate on the finer details. People will know about us this year.''
The Mariners have been elevated to the USISL's Select League, becoming one of 22 teams at the minor-league's highest level of play. The owners are hoping a higher level of play will help boost attendance to an average of 4,000 a game. Last year, after moving to First Colonial midway through the season, the Mariners averaged around 2,000 for their last five home games.
How do the Mariners believe they can nearly double that average? With better dates, better promotions and better advertising. More than half the Mariners' home games come when the Norfolk Tides baseball team is either out of town or has the night off.
``We learned a lot the last two years,'' general manager/head coach Shawn McDonald said. ``But the most important lesson we learned was that the less competition there is, the better you do.
``We don't want people to have to make hard choices.''
The Mariners' first two home dates - April 13 against Baltimore and April 20 against the Washington Mustangs - will be played while the Tides are on the road. Their third home game is an exhibition against the U.S. National Under-23 Team, which will represent the U.S. in the Summer Olympics. Last year, the Mariners beat that squad 2-0.
``That victory last year against the Under-23 Team helped us establish credibility for what we had on the field,'' Johnson said.
The Mariners also intend to stage giveaways at nearly every game and will hold ``Pig Pickin'' parties for special groups.
``We want to make coming to our games an event,'' Johnson said.
As for the advertising push, the Mariners have worked deals with The Virginian-Pilot, WGNT-TV, Channel 27; WGH radio, AM-1310; and Cox Cable.
Johnson says the franchise has done everything it can to give McDonald the opportunity to produce a championship-caliber squad.
McDonald flew to Los Angeles in January to attend two MLS pre-draft combines, where he combed the ranks for players who might not be drafted but might help the Mariners.
Then he flew to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to attend the Umbro College All-Star Game, where he was joined by Johnson.
``We were the only USISL team there represented by both a coach and an owner,'' Johnson said. ``I think the players took us very seriously because of that.''
Said McDonald: ``We feel there's no substitute for hard work. Players just don't fall into your lap.''
The Mariners already have reaped rewards for McDonald's travels, signing NCAA Division II All-American Chris Penny out of Lock Haven (Pa.) and Lander University's Stilian Shishkov, a Bulgarian import who led Division II in scoring last year.
Shishkov also led McDonald to fellow countryman Anton Velkov, a 28-year-old star player for Sofia Lokomotiv, a first-division team in Bulgaria. Wanting to test the American soccer scene, Velkov will play for the Mariners while on loan from the Lokomotiv.
The Mariners didn't stop there. They flew in Brazilian Marcone DesOlivera for a private tryout. DesOlivera plays regularly for Sao Paulo's first-division squad in Brazil.
After careful scrutiny, the Mariners passed, feeling DesOlivera's free-wheeling, South American style wouldn't blend with the Mariners' more European approach.
With the USISL setting a limit of five foreign players this season, the Mariners are already set with Velkov and Shishkov, returning Englishmen Mark Waite and Wayne Pratt, and fellow Brit Penny.
The remainder of the expected 20-player roster will be filled with Americans.
McDonald has already designated Velkov as one of the Mariners' two marquee players, meaning his salary will not count towards the team's league-mandated cap of $70,000.
Yes, the USISL has a salary cap this year.
And while the cap might be modest in comparison to the MLS's $1.3 million cap, McDonald points out: ``We're not a pro team in the sense that players will train every day and that's all they'll do.''
``The USISL is still feeding off soccer junkies hoping to get a break and make it to the MLS,'' McDonald said, adding that the Mariners offer their players a variety of ways to supplement their incomes though soccer camps, clinics and youth coaching positions. ``A lot of these guys play four years of college soccer, figure they'll play soccer in the USISL for three more years, then get a real job.''
Regardless of salary cap, the Mariners plan to be one of the USISL's big hitters when it comes to monetary investment. McDonald said the extra $90,000 the team will have at its disposal as opposed to last year - soccer apparel manufacturer Umbro is also kicking in approximately $20,000 worth of equipment - will make a huge difference.
``It means we'll be able to do a lot of the little things the right way,'' McDonald said. ``What we're getting in our league right now are teams that can't afford to keep up with others who are sinking dollars into their franchises.
``You see a separation between the struggling franchises and the ones who plan on succeeding. We plan to succeed.''
As for the dream of one day joining the MLS, the Mariners would need a bigger venue than First Colonial. MLS mandates a minimum seating capacity of 30,000.
Plus, the Mariners are prohibited from selling alcohol at First Colonial since it is a public school facility. That's one reason they believe they haven't done better at the gate with the 20-35 age group - and why they'd like to play at an independent soccer complex.
The Mariners have had meetings with Virginia Beach officials and there is talk of the city building a 7,500-seat complex near the existing Tidewater Community College campus.
The facility would be expandable to 15,000 seats, then 30,000, with the Mariners providing blueprints created by Anderson DeBartolo Pan Sports, the consulting firm that has created the model for future MLS stadiums.
If it happens and the Mariners can regularly fill 15,000 seats some time in the next five years, Johnson says the plan would be to apply for an MLS expansion franchise. He expects the expansion franchise fee at that point would be ``about $5 million.''
``We want to position ourselves to move up,'' Johnson said, ``if the area proves that it wants us to.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Motoya Nakamura
Anton Velkov, a 28-year-old star for Sofia Lokomotiv in Bulgaria,
makes his debut for the Hampton Roads Mariners tonight when they
open their season in Charleston, S.C.
Color Photos
JOHNSON
Mariners co-owner Page Johnson says `This year is crucial' for the
franchise. `The fans have to respond in a positive way to what we're
doing.'
MCDONALD
Mariners coach and general manager Shawn McDonald says the team
arranged its schedule so as not to compete with Norfolk Tides home
games.
GARCEA
Mariners co-owner Mark Garcea helped increase the team's operating
budget 22 percent to $300,000, including $80,000 for TV and radio
advertising.
by CNB