Marshals

[Gunsmoke]

Seems like the Marshals have a solid ownership base this year.
More former area D-1 players also.
It will be interesting to see how they market the team.

[jackball333]

how can you say the ownership is more solid than last year. They certanly have not spent a dime to advertise season tickets for this team...Has anyone seen a commercial??? Heard a radio spot???? or seen a newspaper advertisement that says? Hey come see us play....I am a season ticket holder and I have tried to call 513-381-TURF and can never get a hold of anyone???? They dont have a staff...they have that Megan girl again ...three days a week.

[Gunsmoke]

Well, I don't think there are any warrants out for the new owners, as
there were last year - that's a plus so far.
(They are attorneys, so you can use your judgment to whether they are
honest or not.)
They did have a press conference last Friday, whether anybody in
the media showed up or not, I don't know.
Megan probably did a good job last year considering all the stuff
she had to put up with.
A month before the season I really don't think you need a full-time
staff for a small operation.
As far as season tickets, most people who follow the NIFL realize it's probably
not a good idea to purchase them.
You do need to do more advertising. I think large ticket give-aways to
youth programs, high schools, even colleges to start the season
then word of mouth becomes your best advertising. It is exciting and fun if you go in with the right frame of mind.

[austinturfcats]

You Must Have Schools, Churches, And The Community Behind You ---- Go Copperheads

[Minor League Man]

Why are they still the Marshals?
Now the owners have the Utah Jazz of Indoor Football!

[jackball333]

Yes...big ticketgiveaways are certanly going to help out....But they are not going to increase ticket revenue. Which is what you need to survive in this league...You need a minimum of 1000 season ticket holders for a base...not freebies or fund raisers for youth groups...as far as having a full time staff a month out from the season that is vital...You must have people beating the streets before the season...not during the season...especially in cincinnati.

i look for 1,400 paid at the Marshals opening game...Any body want to make some odds for an over under.

[jackball333]

And one of them is an attorney...not all of them,

[Gunsmoke]

I didn't say give tickets away to every game, just the first couple,
if the games are exciting and fun and the people have a good time,
they'll come back (and tell other people). Just get them in there first,
and let word of mouth be one part of your advertising.
They drew half way decent last year considering all the bad press.
You also have to make friends with the local media. Send any positive
story to the papers, radio and TV stations - (local players, human interest
stories, etc.). The Ron Carpenter story last year (him putting up
the money for the playoff games) did more than any
paid advertising.
One attorney, two attorneys, I don't care - at least it's not a
conman from Miami.
Yes, I think there will be more paid at the first game than 1,400,
it certainly won't be packed, but a few more than 1,400.

The Cincinnati Marshals - The Utah Jazz? How come nobody makes fun
of the Los Angeles LAKERS? They came from Minnesota, how many lakes are in Los Angeles?

[Pounder]

I didn't say give tickets away to every game, just the first couple,
if the games are exciting and fun and the people have a good time,
they'll come back (and tell other people). Just get them in there first,
and let word of mouth be one part of your advertising.


I'd say this tactic hasn't worked for the last three dozen teams that tried it.

[#1 Guard Fan]

Free tickets never really seem to work all that great. You get people thinking they can get free tickets then they never want to pay for them. If they do go to pay for them all they do is fuss about how much they cost.

[preeths]

Good points about giving away tickets. If you make the tickets too easy to get for free, you devalue your product to the point where it becomes very difficult to sell tickets at all.

[Gunsmoke]

Devalue your product? There isn't much value there to begin with.
Watching and listening last year to all the funny business that went
on, (Marshals, Xtreme, some teams in Florida, Lincoln, etc., etc.) the NIFL is rather amusing.

With some ticket giveaways, you'll get people in there who wouldn't
normally even think about going to an indoor game.
I not saying give away 12,000 tickets each game.
Done right, it will work.
If it didn't work for 3 dozen other teams, something else
was screwed up (lousy ownership, team, or just a bad idea to
have a team to begin with).
Do nothing, and that's what you'll get.

[preeths]

Historically, giving away tickets to a large degree simply does not work, period. It's been shown time and again. Sure, other things were probably "screwed up" in the many dozens of organizations that have failed with this strategy, but these are the minor leagues and no franchise is perfect. If you give many tickets away for free (as a strategy to get masses of people through the gates), most people will wait for more freebies rather than buying tickets, even if they enjoyed the game. Some tickets will always be giveaways, but what we're talking about here is the scope of such giveaways.

The problem stems from a lack of proper promotion. Too many teams think they can open up shop, get a couple of articles in the local sports section, and the community will come in droves to the games. Outside of a select group of markets, it doesn't happen. Panic sets in once the season gets close and few tickets are sold, and the ticket giveaway strategy is the last resort. The logic is you can sacrifice the gate at one game to get bigger numbers for the rest. Rarely does this strategy work, and it can actually chop the legs off any longterm hopes.

Instead, teams need to promote themselves better from day one, and have proper lead time to do it. That means advertising, community appearances, frequent press releases, developing close relationships with sponsors and as many media appearances as they can muster starting months from the opener. Everything from player signings to the unveiling of the nickname and logo to the release of the schedule needs to be an event. Ticket sales information should appear everywhere. That is the lifeblood of these teams.

Late in the process, you're much farther ahead usually if you add value to your games, rather than giving away tickets. Promotions, such as poster giveaways, and events, such as post-game concerts, require a lot of work, but deliver a better return. Sponsors can help defray the cost of the promotion/event as well as help publicize it. This course requires more work which requires more staff, and that's why some organizations don't pursue it.

[Gunsmoke]

I'm not advocating setting up a welfare system for tickets.
Let's just forget it.
Post-game concerts - Last year the Marshals had one.
At half time, a guy came out to show the fans what to expect after
the game - you couldn't hear him for the boos. I felt sorry for him.

Good product on the field, office, positive word of mouth
and stay away from crap that happened last year. I still say
they drew well considering all the off field negative publicity.

Physicals Friday? Practice Saturday and Sunday?
Who else from last year is going to play?

[jackball333]

Well the Marshals had 6,997 at the opener last year....less than half of that number was paid. Lets see what they do this year. There certanly is not an advertising for this team and the home opener is one month away. There is no buzz in the city about this team...I dont even think all of last years season ticket know the team is back. Good Luck to the Marshals...I love going to the games. I hope they make it....but it does not look good.

[Gunsmoke]

The Marshals have 18 people listed in these various positions -
Head Coach, General Manager, Director of Football Operations, Director of Media Relations, Director of Sales and Marketing/Assistant General Manager, Director of Operations, Associate HC/Special Teams Coach/DB Coach, Defensive Coordinator/LB Coach, Defensive Line Coach, Wide Receivers Coach, Offensive Line Coach, LB/Line Coach, Running Back Coach, Assistant Off. Line/Def. Line Coach, Assistant Offensive Coach, Assistant Defensive Coach, Assistant Special Teams Coach, and an Assistant Sales and Marketing Director. Not to mention the Diamond Deputies - Diamond Deputies Coach, Choreographer, and an Assistant Choreographer.
How many players are there? Aren't there three offensive linemen in the game
at once? - and they have an Offensive Line Coach - an Assistant Off. Line/
Def. Line Coach - and Assistant Offensive Coach - that's a whole lot of
coaching that these guys probably don't need and they probably know more
than the coachs anyway - same with the rest of the positions.
For this league you probably need 5 or 6 coaches, not 13 - friends of the
owners I guess.
Are all these guys getting paid? - a Director of Football Operations, Director of Media Relations, Director of Sales and Marketing, Asst. Sales and Marketing Director - for what? I guess they think with all these people on board -
who needs advertising or media relations - just have friends and relatives
show up and they will do all right.

[jackball333]

I heard that the Marshals Coach Carpentar was gonna be on Sports of All Sorts...So I waited up to watch it...And it was all about the Railraiders and some other crap...They mentioned indoor football but no one from the team showed...ANyone hear anything about this??