The OSC Interview: Philadelphia KiXX's David Deal
by Fran Stuchbury
November 19, 2007 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX
OurSports Central contributor Fran Stuchbury spoke to Philadelphia KiXX Vice President of Internal Operations David Deal at the KiXX season ticket holder party. Deal is entering his third season in that position and has been involved with the KiXX since 2002. In addition, Deal does some communications work with the the KiXX as well as overseeing the team's financials. Deal also co-directs the KiXX Summer Soccer Kamp program.
Fran Stuchbury: How pleased were you with the Philadelphia KiXX winning the MISL championship last season?
David Deal: I think it goes without saying we were very pleased and very honored to be part of it. We had a great team last year, both on and off the field. It was such an exciting atmosphere out in Detroit where we won the title. We did a little community push when we came back into town from Detroit. We had the trophy going out to individual restaurants, bars and different establishments throughout the region. We have gone out with it at least once maybe twice a week during throughout the summer just so we can give Philadelphia the taste of the championship. Fans were able to take their picture with the championship trophy. Just a nice thing we were able to do.
FS: How involved is the KiXX in the community?
DD: We're huge, that is a huge part of our success; we have to be part of the community. We don't have the name as one of the big four sports so we have to rely on the community with word of mouth. We do over 450 appearances a year and that ranges from soccer tournaments, birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, our mascot SocceRoo, players and dance team. So being part of the community out and about every weekend, sometimes during the week as well. It's intregal to our success.
FS: How are the KiXX summer soccer camps going with kids?
DD: The kids are another big chunk. We rely on our kids to get us out there. We have over 40 sites throughout the area last year in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. We had nearly 3,000 kids for each of the past two summers. We then invite them out to our home opener on us to give the experience of seeing a game. What is unique about our kids is that they learn directly from the pros, so they will see goalkeeper Peter Pappas, defender Pat Morris, forward John Nusum, forward/head coach Don D'Ambra out there.
So the kids at the home opener will say "Hey Peter, how are you," and Peter will recognize them, know them and be able to say hi to them. You get that interaction you don't get with most major sports. Our players interact well with the fans; we make sure that's part of every game.
FS: Besides the games on Fox Soccer Channel, will the KiXX have any other games on television this season?
DD: We still are looking to do some things on the local level. Our game in Detroit on November 3rd aired on a tape delay basis on Comcast SportsNet. So we don't have anything scheduled as of now other than the Fox Soccer Channel games. I think Fox Soccer Channel is more where we want to go at a league level. It's a national channel, and we will be featured five times on that 20-game package. We might do something locally here, but we just don't have anything set in stone.
FS: Do the additions of expansion teams Orlando, New Jersey and Monterrey help the MISL out?
DD: Absolutely, I feel the more stable markets you have the better the league is going be. It grows the brand, it grows the name, grows everything about the league. It also gives us a bigger player pool so we have a little bit more competitiveness throughout. New Jersey, in addition to Baltimore is also a national rivalry to us, a boundary rival to us. It creates a lot of atmosphere. It's a great opportunity for ticket holders from both the KiXX and New Jersey back and forth to create a nice natural rivalry.
FS: Do you feel that having Omid Namazi as the head coach for the New Jersey Ironmen adds more fuel to the rivalry considering he was a former player/coach for the KiXX?
DD: Sure, A lot of people still remember Omid Namazi did a fantastic job for us. He was the KiXX head coach when he won the first in 2002 and played for us for a number of years. We actually have a few of our former players - forward Kevin Sloan, midfielder Goran Vasic and midfielder Daniel Antoniuk. There is quite a bit Philadelphia flavor up there. That creates more excitement to the rivalry.
FS: Have the KiXX considered playing any games in the Wachovia Center?
DD: We have had some playoff games over at the Wachovia Center. It's a great arena but we like to call the Spectrum home. We're very proud to be playing in the Spectrum.
FS: How many more seasons is coach Don D'Ambra going to play for the KiXX?
DD: I think Don has quite a few years in him. He scored 85 points last season, led the team, and was third in the MISL in points. He was our go to guy last season. I think if he can continue to play at that level, he's probably got at least three or four more years in him.
D'Ambra and goalkeeper Peter Papas are the only two players to have been with the KiXX since the club's inception 12 seasons ago. The KiXX started playing in 1996. Papas was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the fifth time in his career last season. As long as those guys can play at that level I'm happy they are part of the team.
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If you have any questions or comments about this interview feel free to drop me an email at arenazone@yahoo.com and I will be more than to get back to you.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from November 19, 2007
- The OSC Interview: Philadelphia KiXX's David Deal - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
