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Q&A with Marcelo Claure
Questions Submitted by Miami Ultras
Thank you to everybody that sent in questions for Marcelo and thank you to you Marcelo Claure for taking the time answer questions from your fans.
Q: Do you and FC Barcelona feel confident that MLS will award Miami with an expansion team?
Claure: We feel very strongly that the proposition we have set forth to Major League Soccer including the partnership with the Barcelona, playing in South Florida, and our stadium deal with FIU, make us very serious contenders for one of the two franchises. The deal with FIU, considering the challenging economic environment and difficulty to raise private and public financing, is a real differentiator. Plus, from a stadium standpoint, we could start playing tomorrow.
Q: How do you plan to engage the community in relation to fan interaction and integration, so that the team enjoys success right out the gate a la Toronto F.C.
Claure: Both Toronto and Seattle conducted some very interesting outreach programs, and we will have to study those as they were very effective. At the same time, we will have to think strongly about what works best in the Miami market. We have already turned to the Parks & Recreations Department and the Miami-Dade Sports Commission to help drive support to youth and adult leagues and to the other professional franchises in South Florida. We have an engaged ownership group, so I think it will not be out of the question that we may do some sports bar tours like Toronto F.C., and even some media appearances on local networks. In the end however, we are going to require support from all our fans to get the word out. We need this to be at least as successful as Toronto and Seattle.
Q: How do you intend to advertise this Miami MLS team, if awarded a team? Advertisement is the most important way to get the stadium and stands filled. This is something every team in the past has failed at.
Claure: This is always a key ingredient to the success of professional sports franchise, and Miami is a challenging market. As I see it advertising has 3 key components. First, it has to build your brand and support it. We are studying how best to leverage FCB, Miami, and our Americas play to make the strongest, most viable connection. Second, it has to attract fans to the stadium and to interact with the team. Since this is still very early on we have not but together an advertising plan, however, we plan to work closely with Miami Dade County and local advertising and public relations firm to find the best channels to reach fans and supporters. Obviously we need to get the youth soccer base excited, so we have to find the right levers to pull and use the appropriate communications. Third, and this is critical to MLS, it has to attract sponsors. Without sponsorship dollars in MLS the equation does not work. We are actively recruiting sponsors across the board, and need to provide MLS a show of strength in the next couple weeks. We need to sell stadium rights, jersey rights, team sponsorships, and stadium sponsorships, but for right now we are looking for four or five key partners. Ultimately, I agree. Our advertising is key to the overall success of the program.
Q: Will local Soccer figures be involved with BarcaMiami? Such as Ray Hudson, Nene Cubillas among others?
Claure: We welcome participation and support from everyone. We have already spoken to the former owner of the Fusion, Mr. Horowitz, and have engaged other prominent local soccer figures as well. To make this a success we need everyone supporting and pushing it, and individuals like Ray Hudson and Nene Cubillas will be key. As far as the long-term management and operation of the team, I have to look closely at that with Barcelona. They will be involved in running all of the soccer areas of the Club, basically replicating the model they use in Barcelona which has proven so successful in Europe. Again, we are really focused right now on winning the franchise, and after that, assuming we are successful, we will have a little more time to evaluate some of these key questions.
Q: How do you plan to name the team? Because after all, this MLS team is half owned by you and other half through Barcelona, I understand the point of Barcelona putting in a bid, is to represent Barcelona through the American Market, but if Barcelona MLS was to have a chance of giving us our own identity, will you do some kind of poll or vote to come up with a name of the team?
Claure: This is a very good and tricky question. We have contemplated a name the team competition, and our website is set up to launch that type of contest, but we are still evaluating other options. That said, right now we are open to suggestions from everyone. We want to find a way to capture Miami, FCB, and Americas all in one name. No doubt, it is a challenge. We have some upcoming events in the next couple weeks, and it would be great to announce the name at one of those events, so we are trying to move quickly, but intelligently.
Q: Is Miami Fusion a possible name? It would be a fan favorite.
Claure: On this one we would have to check with Major League Soccer. While it would be great to resurrect the spirit and strengths of the old team, there are some legal and marketing concerns that Major League Soccer has voiced and that might not allow us even to consider it.
Q: With the possibility of the MLS coming to Miami, what will happen to the Miami FC? Will they become part of the MLS organization?
Claure: We are very grateful and thankful for everything Miami FC has done for soccer in South Florida. In a time when everyone was questioning the marketplace, they have been fielding a competitive team and drawing good crowds to Tropical Park. For the time being, Miami FC will continue playing in the USL, however, we have had discussions with Miami FC management and ownership, and are exploring a variety of ways to work together to capitalize on the strong soccer market and fan base in South Florida. Stay tuned…
Q: We are hearing rumors that Barca/Claure are in conversation with Philadelphia about possibility switching with them the date for expansion start?
Claure: I can’t comment on that because I really don’t know much about it. We have always stated that one of the conditions for us was starting in March, 2010. We will not negotiate on that, and the MLS understands our position. Therefore, because the timeframe is relatively short, we expect the MLS will make a decision about our franchise in the very near future…say the next month or so.
Q: I love FIU stadium, I think is going to be a great home for our team, but do we have to be concerned about the "Football lines" or has that been already arranged with FIU?
Claure: Trust me, I completely get your point here. I cannot stand it when I see soccer being played on a field with football lines. It takes away from the game and is a giant distraction. We have worked this out with FIU. Ever time we play, the field will be completely outfitted for soccer. It will have soccer lines only, and all of the signage will be ours. It will literally feel like we are playing in our own stadium. FIU has been great throughout this entire process and we think this is the start of a great partnership.
Q: Any chance we will see grass at FIU stadium?
Claure: We know how important real grass is for many of the players and the fans. The turf at FIU is FIFA and MLS regulation, and based on my understanding, similar to what is used in Toronto. We have not had discussions about grass at this point in time, but I do not see it happening at least in the short-term.
Q: I think that the FIU location will be a great venue to get the new team off and running. The state of the stadium by 2011 will provide better viewing than some of the oldest MLS teams. That being said, I know it is important for the league and for team revenue to have a stadium specific to our sport. I've seen other MLS clubs build beautiful stadiums that are some distance outside the metro areas from where the majority of their fans live and attendance has suffered (Colorado and Dallas come to mind). Have plans been made as a target location for a future home specific to the Miami/Barca club? Are there any viable locations in central Miami Dade County that is reachable by all types of public transportation?
Claure: Right now we are focused on getting a viable and successful soccer club up and running. Our option to play at FIU not only helps us keep our goal of starting in 2010 on track, but it does so without us having to make a substantial stadium investment in these really tough economic times. We think the FIU stadium is the perfect size to start, and in a great part of town with good road access. A lot of our fans live near FIU. In addition, our deal with FIU allows is to keep almost all of the revenue generated from the stadium, so in that respect it is not very different than having our own stadium. While we have spoke to some of the mayors in Miami-Dade county, and have considered future spots for a soccer-specific stadium, right now we are extremely excited to be playing at FIU, and feel that for many reasons, it is the perfect place for us to start our MLS adventure.
Q: Will Traffic/ Miami FC be involved in anyway? Traffic has invested so much and would be an asset. Miami FC could be the base of the team kind of like the whitecaps in Vancouver and the Montreal team would be the base for their MLS expansion.
Claure: We have been in discussions with Traffic, and exploring ways to work with them. They are very excited by this bid and have been fully supportive so we anticipate a very close relationship going forward. And I agree that they have done a lot already for the soccer community in South Florida and applaud them for there efforts and success.
Q: First off I want to thank you for considering Miami as the destination for a new MLS franchise. I was wondering your plans both short and long term for this team. Specifically, is their any plans on opening a youth academy in the area to develop home grown youngsters? In my opinion Miami is a potential gold mine for potential talent. Also what type of international players are you planning on bringing in? Will you try to cater to the various nationalities in Miami? Is their any plan on potentially sending your own youth players to the Miami franchise, or perhaps buy young South American players, and first develop them in MLS before sending them to Europe? Thanks so much, I will be praying this dream comes true. Keep up the good work!!
Claure: This is a really good question. We see one of our great benefits to MLS as being able to raise not only the credibility of the league on an international scale, but also as a way to improve the product on the field. We have plans to develop local academies and youth camps to provide players for the Miami team and the Barcelona team. Overall this is an integrated effort between FCB and the local Miami team. We will share players as much as we can subject to MLS and FIFA restrictions. As FCB, we have access to a large talent base and that will definitely help us in recruiting players for the Miami team. As far as international players, we will want a mix of players that reflect the variety in Miami…we will have Brazilians, Argentineans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Caribbean players, Central Americans, and others. We truly want this to be the team of the Americas.
Q: How soon after the MLS approves the bid can I buy season tickets?
Claure: We are already collecting names on the website for people interested in season tickets, and very shortly will be asking for season ticket deposits. So please go ahead and sign up and send as many people as possible to the website to sign up. That said, it will probably take some months to finalize the pricing and seating charts that will actually allow you to purchase assigned seats. We understand that this is key for many people so we will try to get it done as quickly as possible.
Go to www.miamifcb.com for more information.
