MISL Feature
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
When the Missouri Comets announced they would host one of their home games this season at Kansas City’s Sprint Center, in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention, their intention was clear.
“Sometimes things you do as a team or a club are bigger than your own club,” Comets President Brian Budzinski said this week. “You’re doing things that are growing the league and growing the brand, growing the sport, and for us we were well aware of that when we made the decision six or seven months ago to play this game there, that this was bigger than just our team and trying to get a victory.”
If that was the goal, then the Comets scored in dazzling fashion.
With an attendance of 8,276 fans, and a strong media contingent also present, the Comets and MISL Central Division rival the Wichita Wings put on a show that served as a fitting showcase to not only the burgeoning re-establishment of their rivalry, but also as a platform to show the potential the MISL has for the future.
“It was a really good all-around event,” Budzinski said. “The staff did a great job, the city of Kansas City and Sprint Center, their staffs were first class and I think the fans in the building and the fans watching online were treated to the fruits of all those people’s efforts.”
The event also opened Budzinski’s and the Comets organization’s eyes as to the potential their team possessed within the Kansas City market.
“There’s a lot [we’ll take from the event],” Budzinski said. “Being able to put that kind of a crowd in Kansas City, with over 8,000 people seeing our sport live is one of them. Being able to satisfy the city’s needs or the questions that they would maybe have about where our sport is and where it’s going to be in the future in terms of growth [is another]. That’s probably the biggest thing, being able to put that event on and knowing what you’re capable of as an organization so you know where you’d like to be in three-to-five years.”
Budzinski believes that level of growth in the league is also achievable, praising the work done by USL to give the MISL a platform on which to build for future seasons.
“I can tell you from an ownership standpoint I’ve been completely thrilled with what the USL staff has been able to do to grow our brand from a league perspective,” Budzinski. “It’s also physically, we’ve seen that positive effect in Kansas City here with just additional media coverage, statistical analysis, a higher level of sophistication from the fans perspective. I personally have seen multiple aspects league-wide and from the local ownership that the benefits of USL have really put the MISL back where it used to be, but then also into new territory to grow this great sport.”
And high-profile events like the one at the Sprint Center will only continue to help that growth. Budzinski said that the center’s officials have already asked the Comets if they would be interested in returning next season, and added that he would encourage other teams in the league to try to put on a similar event in their local markets to act as landmark events for their franchises and for the league.
“I think it’s important,” he said. “As you’re making steps to grow organically your league, it would be a really important step and it would be a landmark step if that could become an annual game that was played there. It’s something that as the league grows - and I spoke with [USL President] Tim Holt about it, we sat together at the game - it’s something that as the profile of the league grows there’s going to be a need in certain areas to do landmark events like we did. If we can make sure we capitalize on all that stuff and make everybody a strong playing partner attendance-wise and with players on the field, from the top of the organization to the bottom, then the need is going to be there not just for us but for anybody to play in venues like the Sprint Center.”
As for the Comets, they’re already seeing the benefits of bringing their game to a wider audience both in local media attention and interest from potential new fans. With Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City already a hot ticket in town, and massive success in penetrating the local market, the Comets are aiming to achieve their own success story at the box office and in the Kansas City community.
“Yeah, I mean we already saw at the game on Saturday, the feedback and actual physical sales for our next game on January 25th, they had already started there,” Budzinski said. “We already saw an increase from playing at the Sprint Center, so I think yes, from a media standpoint it’s going to help us with coverage.
“I also think from a fan’s perspective that they’re going to realize we’re putting a lot of bodies in the Independence Events Center, and they’re going to need to get their tickets a little bit sooner because there’s not going to be a ton of good seats left because we are going to have good crowds. I think it’s really going to help push attendance up the rest of the year and the viability [of the franchise] in the Kansas City market.”