TIPS leaves NIFL to clean up its mess
by Josh Stein
March 30, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Colorado Venom
How do you fix Greenville and Fort Collins? It's not easy. The fans there are obviously not happy that TIPS screwed them over, and the league pulled the plug to find out there was NOTHING ready to work in either city. Talk about getting screwed. Really screwed. However, all is not lost. It will take a dedicated owner with pretty deep pockets to really fix the problem, though. So, how do you fix Greenville and Fort Collins?
Well, my plan is not easy to implement, nor is it cheap. Fans have been burnt...some have paid for season tickets and may not get what they paid for. That's unacceptable. Since TIPS isn't going to do anything, new ownership should step in and honor those season ticket purchases for this year AND for next year. Without any extra money being paid for them. This shows two things. One, the games will be paid this year. Two, the owners plan to play âem next year, as well. Also, it tells the fans that their support is very critical and very well received.
Next...the teams HAVE to get a deal with the arena set up and done. If that means paying for everything up front, well, then that's what you have to do. Once that's done, the teams can issue a press release to all available media stating that a deal has been reached, and the financial requirements of said deal HAVE BEEN MET. This shows viability. A two-year lease would be ideal, obviously, to show the season ticket holders that they do have two years of football to watch. Once the arena deal has been set up, the teams can then work on getting any games rescheduled that are necessary to reschedule (such as this week's Lincoln @ Colorado game, and the Greenville/Tupelo mess that was switched around).
Third, the teams have to advertise to the general public. The best way to do it may be to have another "name-the-team" contest and change the image of the team. "Greenville Riverhawks" and "Colorado Venom" are now names that are probably taboo to local fans, as was that ugly Waco logo. The Waco logo has been changed, and new ownership have already figured things out, it seems. Fort Collins and Greenville need to find every possible outlet of any form, even if that means going to the grocery store and putting those paper ads on windshield wipers (with the store's permission, of course). The public HAS to figure out that the team is still there, and doing whatever it can to not be TIPS.
Finally, the teams have to simply take the lead pill this year in ticket sales. Since the season ticket holders basically have their tickets free this year, the teams can "afford" to give greatly reduced ticket prices to the general public. Greatly reduced, as in $5-10 for every seat in the house, with $3 general admission seats. This will not make money in the first year, but it will show that the team is viable, and they want fans there. After a first season of getting fair crowds, the teams could then charge normal (or even a tad bit high) prices to help recover the loss. Hopefully with the first year going by somewhat successfully, the fans will consider it viable and come back paying full price next year.
WHATEVER THE TEAMS DO, THEY MUST NOT GIVE OUT COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS. IF THEY DO THIS, THEY WILL DIE BECAUSE FANS WILL REFUSE TO PAY FOR TICKETS.
Okay, that's enough. Enough reading for one day. These problems can be fixed, but it's going to be a pain in the neck to do it. A team with bare-minimum budget can NOT fix Greenville and Fort Collins. Gotta be in it for the long haul. With that said, let's enjoy this week of football that we do have, and remember that this is the War Between the Walls.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from March 30, 2004
- Between the Walls - OSC Original by Josh Stein
- TIPS leaves NIFL to clean up its mess - OSC Original by Josh Stein
- TIPS leaves NIFL to clean up its mess - OSC Original by Josh Stein
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- NIFL Announced Revocation of TIPS Franchises, Moves Forward With Teams - Wyoming Cavalry
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