USL Feature
Monday, October 11, 2010
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
TAMPA, Fla. – Before the Rochester Rhinos and Carolina RailHawks, for Chris Economides, there was the Kansas City Attack.
“I actually got my start in professional soccer in the indoor game,” Economides said, speaking at the USL offices. “I was one of the owners of the old Kansas City Attack in the NPSL in the early nineties. One of my early claims to fame was winning an indoor championship in my second season in Kansas City with the Attack beating some of my soon-to-be Rhino players that were members of the Cleveland Crunch.”
Now the Senior Director of USL PRO is getting back to his indoor roots as the leader of the USL’s I-League, scheduled to begin play in November, 2011. With just over a year until the league’s launch, Economides is confident of finding success both on and off the field for the franchises that make up the league’s inaugural season.
“I think just as you’ve seen with USL PRO, we’re trying to have a business model that makes sense,” Economides said. “The days of operating with multi-million dollar operating budgets, it just doesn’t make any sense from a financial perspective, from an operational perspective, so I think just as we’ve done with USL PRO, we’re trying to create a business model with the I-League that makes sense, which preaches financial prudence, which preaches income versus expenses.
“It’s a pretty simple, common sense aspect where your expenses shouldn’t outweigh your income. We’re preaching financial prudence when it comes to the I-League, it will be a very structured budget, not with a lot of high costs.”
The Rochester Lancers are, as yet, the only confirmed member of the I-League, but Economides expects to have at least eight, and even as many as 12, teams playing in regional competition. The main focus of the league in terms of franchises is currently the Northeast, Mid Atlantic and Midwest regions, but Economides believes that in the long-term, the league could grow across the country.
“The sky is the limit. If the business model makes sense, if the franchises are profitable, as we grow this it will grow regionally,” Economides said. “As this thing grows, as we build the entire indoor pyramid structure of the USL, we hope to be in over 100 markets in the PDL, W-League and USL PRO perspective.”
While building a pyramid similar to the one USL currently uses for the outdoor game, incorporating indoor youth leagues and potentially divisions that mirror the PDL and W-League, is part of the long-term strategy, Economides is also aiming to have I-League and USL PRO franchises develop partnerships that would offer the ability to build the brand with year-round exposure from the indoor and outdoor game.
“As we looked at the overall model of the I-League, I think that’s one of the common synergies that needs to take place,” Economides said. “As we talk to potential I-League markets, we’re hoping that an I-League market will either have a relationship with a USL PRO team or even take it one step further, if a USL PRO market wants to take on and have what I call year-round exposure and year-round opportunity, that’s an ideal scenario to have both the indoor and outdoor operators own the franchises themselves.”
It would also have a benefit for the players, who would have the ability to move between the two franchises and play year-round.
“I think it allows players to make soccer more of a year-round opportunity,” Economides said, “a year-round job to let them focus on their playing career, to let them focus on honing their skills, indoor and outdoor. As we look to build the sport in this country, I think it could be a key aspect that will provide players with year-round employment opportunities.”
What Economides hopes most of all, though, is that the I-League can bring back the type of entertainment and excitement the sport saw in its heyday.
“We’re in the entertainment business,” Economides said. “We’re competing with high school sports, we’re competing with movies, we’re competing with a whole host of things, so I think it has to be something that’s family-oriented, that’s family-affordable fun. I envision our ticket prices being very affordable for a family of four to go to a match and then make it an experience for the kids, for mom and dad to have a good time.”
All this week, look for video conversations with USL Senior Director of USL PRO Chris Economides on the I-League on USLSoccer.com.